GRIPES IN HORSES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19452, 7 October 1926, Page 18

GRIPES IN HORSES.

CAUSES AND SYMPTOMS. A horse comes home from a long, hard day's work, both tired and hungry, and is given a huge quantity of cut food, which be bolts as quickly as he can without proper mastication. He quickly fills his small stomach, and then indigestion occurs, and the food begins to ferment, producing large volumes of gas, which distend the already over-laden stomach. Nothing can escape from the stomach under these conditions, and the distension may increase until the pressure causes a tear in the coats of the organ. Never give a tired and hungry horse large quantities of cut food. It is safer to give long hay in the rack, to be followed by a moderate feed of corn, and, on a long journey, to take a nosebag with a fend for midday. The horse, after greedily bolting his evening meal, begins to show signs of pain. He stops eating, scrapes at the floor with his forefeet, kicks at his belly with his hind feet, lies down and rolls about; in fact, lie exhibits all these signs of pain which are known to the stableman as gripes, coiic, or bellyache. As far as these symptoms go they are not fn be distinguished from those of other for!..j of abdominal pain. But if the animal is kept under close observation two small signs may be noticed ; he will make slight efforts to vomit, shown by contractions of the muscles of the neck, and he will produce a sound which seems to come from the throat, and which can be compared with the sound know in man as " hiccough." These two symptoms are characteristic of impaction of the stomach, and when seen and heard point to the animal's dangerous condition. In some cases vomiting does occur sooner or later, and is a sign that the coats of the stomach are giving way under the pressure. It is rare for the horse to vomit except in these circumstances.