Ranche and range. [volume], July 30, 1898, Page 6, Image 6

About Ranche and range. [volume] (North Yakima, Wash.) 1897-1902

Image provided by: Washington State Library; Olympia, WA

                
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Indigestion Acute or Gastric Tympanitis.
(Address by Dr. F. H. Cassells at the recent meet
ing of the Washington Medical Veterinary Associa
tion.)
Definition Disturbance of the function of
digestion unassociated with perceptible textural
change or lesion of the stomach.
Causes. —This form of indigestion, which is more
alarming in its symptoms and development than
any other, is chiefly caused by filling the stomach
to excess with food materials, which, from their
mechanical bulk and physical unfitness for solution
or for being sufficiently broken down and converted
into a pulp capable of being passed on, or with such
as from their special chemical characters, or the
chemical change^ which they undergo on being
taken into the stomach are rendered similarly unfit
for assimilation, the character of the foods are
bulky, but not necessary indigestible or unnutri
tious, and liable to undergo fermentative changes in
the stomach, but it may also follow the use of any
food conveyed into the stomach without sufficient
mastication, and incorporation with natural secre
tions.
The state of the animal itself, such as physical
exhaustion, a period of starvation, operates mate
rially in causing the existence of acute indigestion.
Horses which have been subjected to long and hard
work, necessitating the animal to fast, weakens the
vital powers generally, especially the digestive func
tions. In such casea the food will be readily taken
and the amount consumed is often in excess of what
is usually taken. Then should the food be rather
bulky, difficult of digestion or susceptible of rapid
chemical changes, the consequences are likely to
be troublesome. I would just state here that it is a
very foolish idea which some teamsters have, thai,
after a horse has done a very hard day's work or
been a few hours longer without food than usual he
should have a considerable more to eat, in fact
give him all he can cram into himself, so that he
will be able to withstand a, long drive the succeed
ing day or immediately after he has got through eat
ing. ;■ <
Symptoms.
The symptoms are generally sudden in devel
opment, at least they follow immediately as sequela
to the condition of impaction, the animal having;
previously been in his usual state of health. The
symptoms are not invariably of a similar charac
ter, but may be arranged in two groups.
They may with trifling modifications be charac
terized as gastric or abdominal. The earliest indi
cations are those of fugitive abdominal pains, lying
down resting for a little, rising to the feet, and
again resuming the recumbent position, which is
shortly followed by greater restlessness, continued
or interrupted pawing with the fore feet, protrud
ing of the head, and, in some cases, eructation and
attempts to vomite, and a discharge of liquid mat
ters from the nose.
When the distention of the stomach is consider
able, consisting of gas and solid ingesta, the animal
may show signs of acute pains, and will frequently
attempt to vomit. While in this condition he will
be very careful in laying down, but as the disease
advances he will become so overcome by the acute
pains, he will throw himself down in a violent man
ner, heedless of where the poor unfortunate veter
inarian or anybody else is standing. But I can say,
as far as I am concerned, it is as much pleasure to
get into a box stall where one of those poor dumb
creatures are in such agony and pain as to cause the
perspiration and steam to roll off them like from
a huge log heap burning, and administer medicine
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life.
Otlivr Symptom.* of (lit- l)l«enne.
In some instances the animal is in a semi-coma
tosed condition. He stands with his head low and
inclined to press the forehead against some resist
ing body. He is moved with difficulty and *efuses
to eat or take notice of anything whatsoever. Whew
the abdominal pains are a marked feature the puls»
and respirations are uniformly increased in fre
quency and somewhat altered in character, but whei
the comatosed condition exists both of these an
less frequent and the pulse is full and of consider
able resisting power.
Gain* mul Termination.
Mild cases of engorgement of the stomach, manj
of which are spoken of as colic, even when attended
with more or less uneasiness and slight bloating
may of themselves become relieved, especially whet
the material causing the distention is soft in char
acter and likely to undergo removal rather easily
or in cases where the animal has not been previous
ly debilitated by exhausting work or the organ it
self weakened through former attacks of a similar
nature. The more severe cases, if left to them
selves are liable to prove fatal by rupture of the
coats of the stomach or by causing gastritis, or
through cerebral complications. Such fatal cases
are most commonly seen after the animal has re
ceived a full meal after a period of fasting, where
the food is taken into the stomach in a weakened
and exhausted condition. I have noticed in a great
majority of cases that horses which are habitually
greedy feeders are more liiable to the diseases than
any other class of horses. One of the principal
causes of the accumulation of gas in the stomach
according to my theory Is that when the animal has
received a larger amount of food than the gastrii
forces can work on, or in cases where the animal
has been watered after feeding, the water which i«
taken into the stomach dilutes the gastric juice id
such an extent that the action of this gastric secre
tion cannot dissolve the food, but has such an action
on the food as to cause fermentation to take placr
readily, and then the gas which is formed by the
chemical changes destroys the hydrochloric acid
which is continually being secreted from the gland
ular portion ofl the stomach. Thus its proper func
tions are destroyed, owing to the insufficient,
amount of hydrochloric acid to overcome the form
ation of the gas. I have never been able to find
anybody who would back me up in this belief. Bui
you will see by the manner in which I treat the
disease and the success with which my labors are
crowned is the best proof which I can produce.
lie Sure FirM.
When you are called in to treat an animal which
the owner says has colic, examine the patient very
carefully, endeavor to satisfy yourself as to what,
organ or organs are the seat of the disease, and J
will venture to say that in 75 per cent of cases which,
are supposed to be colic you will find it is nothing
more nor less than acute indigestion, either in a
mild or severe form. After I have satisfied myself
in this way, 'I proceed to treat him accordingly. ]
will now describe the treatment I use in a very se
vere case for a horse which will weigh 1,200 or 1,300
pounds.
The Treatment I xil.
I give, hypodermically, from 2 to 4 grains of mor
phine, conjoined with 1 grain of pilocarpean. I im
mediately give 4 ounces of what is known as hydro
chloric chlorate solution; following this I give fluid
extract belladonna, fluid extract cannabis indica.
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