Special Report on Diseases of the HorseUnited States. Bureau of Animal Industry
Science
Special Report on Diseases of the Horse
United States. Bureau of Animal Industry
Horses -- Diseases
_Constipation, or costiveness._--This is often witnessed in the horse,
and particularly in the foal. Many colts die every year from failure on
the part of the attendant to note the condition of the bowels soon after
birth. Whenever the foal fails to pass any feces, and in particular if
it presents any signs of colicky pains--straining, etc.--immediate
attention must be given it. As a rule, it will be necessary only to give
a few injections of soapy water in the rectum and to introduce the
finger through the anus to break down any hardened mass of dung found
there. If this is not effective a purgative must be given. Oils are the
best for these young animals, and preferably castor oil, giving from 2
to 4 ounces. The foal should always get the first of the mother's milk,
which, for a few days, possesses decidedly laxative properties. If a
mare, while suckling, is taking laudanum, morphin, atropia, or similar
medicines, the foal during this time should be fed by hand and the mare
milked upon the ground. Constipation in adult horses is often the result
of long feeding on dry, innutritious feed, deficiency of intestinal
secretions, scanty water supply, or lack of exercise. If the case is not
complicated with colicky symptoms a change to light, sloppy diet,
linseed gruel or tea, with plenty of exercise, is all that is required.
If colic exists a cathartic is needed. In very many instances the
constipated condition of the bowels is due to lack of intestinal
secretions, and when so caused may be treated by giving fluid extract of
belladonna in 2-dram doses three times a day and handful doses of Epsom
salt daily in the feed. It is always best, when possible, to overcome
this trouble by a change of diet rather than by the use of medicines.
For the relief of constipation such succulent feeds as roots, grass, or
green forage are recommended. Silage, however, should be fed sparingly,
and not at all unless it is in the very best condition. Moldy silage may
cause fatal disease.
_Foreign bodies (calculi, stones) in the stomach._--There are probably
but few symptoms exhibited by the horse that will lead one to suspect
the presence of gastric calculi, and possibly none by which we can
unmistakably assert their presence. They have been found most frequently
in millers' horses fed sweepings from the mills. A depraved and
capricious appetite is common in horses that have a stone forming in the
stomachs. There is a disposition to eat the woodwork of the stable,
earth, and, in fact, almost any substance within their reach. This
symptom must not, however, be considered as pathognomonic, since it is
observed when calculi are not present. Occasional colics may result from
these "stomach stones," and when the latter lodge at the outlet of the
stomach they may give rise to symptoms of engorged stomach, already
described. There is, of course, no treatment that will prove effective.
Remedies to move the bowels, to relieve pain, and to combat inflammation
should be given.
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