James Law

“ Few horses are proof against the temptation to overeating when they get to the cornbin, the ripening grain or maize, or the field of rich red clover. Some are natural gluttons and on gaining access to grain or green food, will suddenly overload the stomach beyond its power of active contraction on its contents, and without sufficient mastication or insalivation. The food is literally bolted whole, with no admixture of saliva, and no facility for admixture of gastric juice, even if the overloading had left the stomach capable of secreting the latter. ”

“ The violence of the colics may cease, but the pulse becomes rapid, small, and finally imperceptible, the breathing hurried, the head depressed, eyelids, ears and often the lower lips drooping, the face becomes heavy and expressionless, the belly distended and tender, the skin covered with cold sweat, and the temperature exalted above or depressed below the normal. ”

“ Sharp and pointed bodies are especially liable to be entangled in the cells of the reticulum; so that this viscus is the most common seat of the resulting trauma. Around this there occur hyperæmia, exudation, thickening and centrally ulceration, which may lead into a fistula or abscess, confined it may be to the wall of the viscus, or continued into the surrounding organs. In this way may be implicated, the liver, the spleen, the diaphragm, the abdominal or thoracic walls, the lung, the pericardium or the heart. The pus is always fœtid and usually mixed with alimentary matter. ”

“ If the oats are bolted without mastication, which can never be the case with hay, the discrepancy becomes greater still. Grain is best fed often, in moderate amount, and without further loading of the stomach immediately with either solids or fluids. Above all never feed grain to a thirsty horse and then lead him direct to the watering trough. Even should he fail to have the stomach paralyzed by the cold water, and indigestion developed, yet much of the proteids will be washed out into the small intestine to threaten indigestion there. ”

“ When met with in meat producing animals the best resort is to turn these over to the butcher. When in an animal which is mainly valuable for breeding purposes, or in horses or carnivora, something may be done to check the progress of the malady, and maintain at least the present condition. The value of this will of course depend on how far the disease has already progressed. Cows that have spent a winter in a hot swill stable are of little use afterward for breeding or dairy uses and advanced cases of fatty degeneration in the horse or dog hold out little hope of a satisfactory issue. ”

“ The great quantity of blood which passes through the liver lays it open, in a very decided way, to the implantation of germs and biological morbid products. Hence tumors of the liver are largely secondary, the primary ones being found mostly in the stomach, intestine, abdominal lymph glands, spleen and pancreas. The primary neoplasm is often comparatively small, while the hepatic one supplied with a great excess of blood may be by far the most striking morbid lesion. The hepatic tumors are mostly of the nature of angioma, sarcoma, melanoma, adenoma, lipoma, cystoma, carcinoma, and epithelioma. ”

“ Iced water, like frozen food, may temporarily arrest the gastric functions and entail fermentation. It acts most dangerously on the overheated and exhausted horse, and though the indigestion may not prove fatal, it may induce a sympathetic skin eruption or laminitis. The mere exposure to external cold is less to be dreaded as there is a compensating stimulus which drives the blood to internal organs, the stomach included. Standing in cold water or wading or swimming a cold river, is commonly less injurious than a full drink of iced water, when heated and fatigued. ”

“ The overdistension of the rumen with solid food is characterized by two things, the excess of ingesta which produces the torpor or paresis which is common to all over-filled hollow viscera, and the comparative absence of fermentation and evolution of gas. If the ingesta is of a more fermentescible nature the rapid evolution of gas occurs before this degree of repletion with solid matters can be reached, and the case becomes one of tympany, but if the contents are comparatively lacking in fermentability they may be devoured in such quantity as to cause solid impaction. ”

“ In the less acute cases the animal may live several hours before the affection terminates in death or recovery. As a rule he stands as long as he can and finally drops suddenly, the fall often leading to rupture of the diaphragm or stomach, to protrusion of the rectum, or the discharge of ingesta by the mouth and nose.
In still slighter cases relief comes through vomiting or more commonly through frequent and abundant belching of gas, the swelling of the flanks subsides, rumbling of the bowels may again be heard, and usually there is a period of diarrhœa. ”

“ Beside the bracing effect on the digestive organs and the improvement of the general tone of the system, the action of the muscles in hastening the circulation greatly favors the removal and elimination of waste matters. Still more advantageous is the increased activity of the respiration and the aspiratory power of the chest in at once unloading the portal system and the liver by hastening the progress of the hepatic blood into the vena cava and right heart, and in furnishing an abundant supply of oxygen for the disintegration of the albuminoids and amylaceous products. ”

“ In all acute febrile and inflammatory diseases the gastric functions are weak or suspended, and if the animal is tempted to eat, the ingesta is unaffected by the digestive fluids and forms a suitable fluid for injurious fermentations. In convalescence especially, when the starved system once more craves support, tempting food is liable to be taken to excess, unless the attendant is especially judicious and careful in grading the feed as the stomach can dispose of it. ”

“ Large animals should be placed in a stall having an inclination downward and backward for the same reason. When it can be ascertained that the hernia consists of a loop of small intestine only, it is permissible, especially in cattle, carnivora and omnivora, to make an incision in the flank and with the disinfected hand to attempt the reduction of the hernia and the placing of a bulky viscus, like the rumen, stomach or liver in the way of its return. ”

“ It is especially common in the horse by reason of the difficulty of relieving the over distension by eructation or vomiting, and also by reason of the habit of swallowing air (cribbiting) . The dog, which has great facility in vomiting, should be correspondingly protected from the condition, yet it is very common in old dogs, doubtless from their common vice of gourmandizing and lack of exercise. Cattle are rarely attacked, the fourth stomach being protected by the others which stand guardian over it and prevent the sudden access of excess of food even if that is rapidly swallowed. ”

“ Even when the liver is invaded, a fair measure of life and activity may often be retained so long as the kidneys remain sound and active. The bile pigments and salts, and the toxins generated by the invading microbes are alike eliminated in large part in the urine, and the profound poisoning and prostration of the nervous system are in a measure prevented. In many cases therefore the urine is strongly jaundiced without much or any discoloration of the mucosæ and in such cases the prospects are usually good for an early and complete recovery. ”

“ It has long been notorious that impaction of the omasum is preëminently a disease of winter, or of the period of dry feeding. It occurs in cattle fed on dry, fibrous, innutritious fodder, and especially when there is a scarcity of water, or when in connection with severe frost the usual water supply has been frozen up. It prevails in stock turned in spring or autumn on pastures in which the fresh green grass grows up among the dead, dried and withered stems of a previous growth and tempts them to eat them. ”

“ Appetite may be in part preserved for a time but is gradually lost, and the subject becomes dull, listless and weak, indisposed to rise and walking unsteadily when raised. A general appearance of unthriftiness, staring coat, scurfy, unhealthy skin, pallor of the mucous membranes, arching of the back, tucking up and tenderness of the abdomen, excoriation of the margins of the anus, and congestion of the rectum as seen everted during defecation, mark the advance of the disease. Emaciation becomes very marked, and weakness and prostration extreme. ”

“ Lesions. In fatty degeneration the liver is enlarged, pale, bloodless, yellowish, its cut surface exudes an oily fluid which smears the knife, and it is so light that it floats on water. If scraped and the material drawn across a sheet of paper it forms a transparent oily stain. Under the microscope the liver cells are seen to be enlarged and to have their protoplasm and nuclei replaced by fat or oil. If due to obstruction in the heart or lungs the degeneration is greatest toward the centre of the acinus, if due to an infectious disease it is usually greatest towards its periphery. ”

“ When the lumen of the intestine is blocked with a round solid body like a marble or peach stone there occur active congestion, inflammation, blood stasis and hemorrhage, with in many cases necrosis, ulceration and perforation. Similar lesions occur from cord. In a recent case of impaction with gnawed fragments of caouchouc and cord, the 24 inches of the bowel implicated were the seat of extended patches of necrosis and of deep, and even perforating ulcers on the lesser curvature of the intestine, evidently caused by the tension of the stretched cord on the shorter attached border of the gut. ”

“ In all cases the milk artificially prepared should be given milk warm. To retard the acid fermentation which is liable to occur early and injuriously in adapted milk, the addition of an ounce of lime water to each quart of milk is of great advantage. Pigs and puppies can usually adapt themselves readily to the milk of the cow. In all cases in which a young animal is raised by hand and especially if on the milk of another species, it is desirable to provide against sudden overloading of the stomach. The artificial rubber teat fixed in the feeding pail serves a good purpose in this respect. ”

“ The gums especially suffer and the teeth raised in their sockets by the swelling of the periodontal membrane, become loose, and easily detached. The mucosa of the gums becomes soft and spongy, bleeds readily under pressure and soon shows erosions and ulcers. This condition extends to the lips, cheeks and lower surface of the tongue while the upper surface of the latter organ, the fauces and pharynx commonly escape. The breath and buccal exhalations are very offensive, and the animal loathes food, and has little power of mastication or deglutition. Sometimes the ulcers extend even to the bones. ”