The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1879-09-11
What Is Wind.Sucking =?

IT is generally understood or taken
Tor granted by the uninitiated that
crib-biting and wind-sucking are SYM
onymous terms; therefore It will be
necessary, firstly, to dispel such err
upon the subject of wind-sucking.
Crib-biting, as its name implies, is a
vicious, or rather l would say mis-
chievous habit horse has of biting or
gnawing the manger or crib; and
stablemen know too well how speedily
a horse with this propensity will de-
stroy all woodwork within its reach.
At the late royal agricultural show at
Kilburn, friend remarked to me,
did you notice the number of crib
biters there are at the show?" lex
planned to him that this was not the
kind of crib-biting that was so preju-
dicial, but that It arose from a mis-
chievous propensity, the result of idle
ness, and was in no way analogous to
the crib-biting and wind-sucking to
which he referred. Therefore it is to
be understood that crib-biting of itself
is simply vicious or mischievous
habit, to prevent which the woodwork
Is covered with iron.
But when crib-biting is accompanied
with wind-sucking it then constitutes
not only a vice, but unsoundness, for
reasons which will now proceed to ex-
plain. A horse may be wind-sucker
and not crib-biter, or vice versa, and
both together, i. e., a crib-biter and
wind-sucker. Let us, therefore, take
the compound, "crib-biter and wind
sucker.'' The horse so affected
seizes with his teeth some fixture
the manger, stall-post, partition
or fixes his incisor teeth on the bot
tom of the manger, and even may
seize the collar shank or clog in
fact, will take his hold of anything
that may be near; then, arching his
neck, draws or sucks air into his mouth
and swallows it, making a peculiar
granting or belching noise. After a
time his abdomen will show evidence
of the presence of air, being evidently
distended. A wind-sucker extends his
head, gathering his feet together at the
same time; he then arches his neck,
gspes, or makes "grimaces," smacks
his lips, gathers air into his mouth and
swallows it, making a peculiar grunt-
ing or belching noise, blowing himself
out sometimes to a tremendous extent.
Now of the two habits, that of wind
sucking is most decidedly the worse;
for although both render the animal
affected subject to collie, indigestion,
and pOlyuria, the wind-sucker alone is
more liable to these attacks than the
"crib-biter and wind-sucker." And
for this reason: Unless the latter has
the fixed body for his incisors, he does
not indulge in the habit; but, on the
other hand, the wind-sucker'' alone
is such an adept or professor Of the
"art" that he can always indulge,
and when not eating, does so contin-
ually.
Wind-sucking cannot long be in
dulged in before we have the digestive
organs affected, from the presence of
the 81 air. which is of course foreign to
them Change in the structure of
the tissues of the alimentary canal
ensue, commencing in the throat,
i e. larnyx and gsophagus,
passing on to the stomach and intes-
tines, in which q condition of chronic
irritability of the whole mucous men,
brane is set up, and particularly so in
that of the colon.
As both habits are incurable, and in
crease with the animals years, it is
evident that in the case of wind
sucking, if not in crib-biting and wind
sucking, the habit IS more than a vice
it is most decidedly an unsoundness.
To enter more fully into the origin
or cause of wind-sucking may be con-
sidered outside the pale of your
columns; but I think it should be
understood that there is tendency to
hereditary faint in these habits-as is
pretty well known in our racing studs
which leads me to ascribe the habit
of wind-sucking to be due in some in
stances to a depraved condition of the
digestive organs, with implication of
the pneumo- gastric and par-vagum
nerves; TOR in the inveterate or con-
firmed wind-sucker the act of degluti-
ton becomes, as it were, an involun-
tary instead of voluntary act. And
we find the animal will commence
wind-sucking almost Immediately after
receiving his food, showing us there is
q depraved appetite, or condition of
''bulimia," viz: voracity, insatiable
hunger, or morbid state Of the digestive
system.
From the above facts concerning
crib-biting and wind-sucking, or wind
sucking alone, it must be evident that
the habits, be they ever so slight, con-
stitute unsoundness, for the habit in
creases, and is incurable. Palliative
measures, consisting of certain straps
and appliances, can be adopted; but
these are only of temporary value. But
of all the measures tried, constant work
is the best, and should be persevered in
till the animal has had his last fill OF
atmospheric air. for digestion, pro
ducing the sequel, "death from rupture
through distension. Robert Ward, IL,
the London Live St0ck Journal.
AS he was ascending the pulpit
steps one of the Elders buttonholed
him to whisper an additional caution:
II