Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1909-12-03
AcuTE INDIGESTION 1N HORSES.

| ACUTE lNDlGESIlON I'm T1OIS0GO.
w. A. S., Duluth. Ca, writes: My
horse was taken sick about IL o'clock
Friday night kicking the wall off the sta
BILE. / went to the barn and gave him
five ears of corn. Early next morning
went to him again and found he had eat
en- about half of the corn. 1 gave him
some fodder and he ate part of it. L
turned him out in the lot and gave him
some peavine hay At 10 o'clock l went
back and he seemed to be very busy
fighting flies. He kept getting worse so
sent for a veterinarian and he pro-
nounced it the first stages of blind stag
gers. He bled him about o'clock in the
afternoon. He was bled again at
o'clock, and by this time had commenced
to grab at the plank fence with his teeth.
He rubbed his nose against the fence UNI
til he rubbed the skin off; then he would
lay down and bite his leg with his teeth.
He kept biting at things for some time
and then commenced to perspire and got
very wet. He died at 1870 Sunday morn
ing He never slobbered any and drank
water a short time before he died. The
neighbors that saw him did not pronounce
IT rabies. The principal feeds given him
were corn, fodder and peavine hay, and
salt regularly, and two pounds of sulphur
several days back in broken doses. He
was IL years old. 1 would like your opin-
ion of what was the matter with him.
we are inclined to think from the de-
scription contained In your letter that
your horse was suffering from some form
Of indigestion RATHER than from rabies,
though of course it is a very difficult
matter to diagnose a case except on per-
sonal examination, and then symptoms
are often so confusing as to make fine
distinctions difficult. We would say the
horse was suffering from either acute In
testinaI indigestion or from some obstrue-
ton OF the bowels. In cases of cramp
or spasmodic collie the symptoms are
quite similar to those contained in your
letter. The pain comes on suddenly ana
is severe The horse kicks and points to-
ward the flank with his nose, or throws
himself down violently and rolls If OPP
portunity affords. Breathing is rapid, the
pulse high and the animal often sweats
profusely The horse stretches and
strains as if attempting to void urine.
| After a while the pain apparently ceases
and the animal appears quite at ease,
but an attack comes on in a few minutes
again.
The treatment is TO get the animal In
comforta BILE place where he can roll With
out injury. Then give an enema of six
| to eight quarts of rather warm water,
containing half a teacupful of glycerihe.
The animal may be given one ounce of
laudanum ana half an ounce OF spirits or
camphor in half a pint of warm water.
Jamaica ginger in twO-ounce doses or
choral hydrate in one-hah ounce doses,
dissolved i'm one-hhlf pint of warm water,
is very good for this trouble. Another
good remedy is sweet spirits of inter In
ounce doses. Blankets wrIng out of hot
water and applied to the belly often re-
lieve the pain. Medicines for spasmodic
collie should be given as drenches and
we'll diluted with not water A table,
spoonful of common baking soda dissolv-
ed in warm water and given as drench
is excellent. 1t is generally good plan
Tin cases such as you describe to give
quart of raw linseed OIL or four to six
drains of aloes In ball to, empty the
bowels. The medicines should not be
given too close together and overdosing
is iuadvisable. The following is a useful
collie mixture and should be kept on hand:
! Two ounces choral hydrate, two ounces
laudanum, one ounce sulphuric ether. two
ounces aromatic spirits or ammonia. four
ounces of essence of Jamaica ginger and
one-half ounce of creolin. Two table
spoonfuls in one-half pint of rather hot
| water would constitute dose and re-
| peated in one-half hour.