long continued or of short duration. Retching or vomiting
movements are made; these are shown by labored breathing, upturned upper
lip, contraction of the flank, active motion at the throat, and drawing
in of the nose toward the breast, causing high arching of the neck. The
horse may assume a sitting position like a dog. At times the pain is
very great and the horse makes the most violent movements, as though
mad. At other times there is profound mental depression, the horse
standing in a sleepy, or dazed, way, with the head down, the eyes
closed, and leaning his head against the manger or wall. There is,
during the struggles, profuse perspiration. Following retching, gas may
escape from the mouth, and this may be followed by a sour froth and some
stomach contents. The horse can not vomit except when the stomach is
violently stretched, and, if the accumulation of feed or gas is great
enough to stretch the stomach so that vomiting is possible, it may be
great enough to rupture that organ. So it happens not infrequently that
a horse dies from ruptured stomach after vomiting. After the stomach
ruptures, however, vomiting is impossible. The death rate in this form
of colic is high.

_Treatment._--The bowels should be stimulated to contraction by the use
of clysters of large quantities of water and of glycerin. Veterinarians
use hypodermic injections of eserin or arecolin or intravenous
injections of barium chlorid, but they must be employed with great
caution. It is not profitable to give remedies by the stomach, for they
can not be absorbed. But small doses of morphin (5 grains) or of the
fluid extract of Indian hemp (2 drams) may be placed in the mouth and
are absorbed in part, at least, without passing to the stomach. These
drugs lessen pain and thus help to overcome the violent movements that
are dangerous, because they may be the means of causing rupture of the
diaphragm or stomach. If facilities are available, relief may be
afforded by passing an esophageal tube through which some of the gaseous
and liquid contents of the stomach may escape.

_Rupture of the stomach._--This mostly occurs as a result of engorged or
tympanitic stomach (engorgement colic) and from the horse violently
throwing himself when so affected. It may result from disease of the
coats of the stomach, gastritis, stones (calculi), tumors, or anything
that closes the opening of the stomach into the intestines, and very
violent pulling or jumping imm