CONSTIPATION.                                 245

Causes—Generally due to chill, but may be a sequel of diarrhoea,
indifferent food and water.

Symptoms.—Fever may or may not be present ; abdominal pain
most noticeable during the act of voiding the dung, which act
may be accompanied by severe straining. The matter passed is
liquid, often foul-smelling, and contains either blood or slime or
both.

Prognosis.—Favourable under early and careful treatment.

Treatment.—As already noted under diarrhoea, to which may
be added freshly powdered cinnamon in 1-oz. doses, and enemas
containing boracic acid 5 ounces to 4 pints of boiling water, which
must be allowed to cool before use ; a couple of quarts of this should
be injected two or three times a day or oftener.

Solid food should be withheld until there is an improvement.

                            CONSTIPATION.

Like diarrhoea this is to be regarded as a symptom rather than as
a disease. It is applied to a condition of the bowels in which the
dung is unduly hard, and not as is often supposed total inaction
of the bowels.

Causes.—It is a usual concomitant of fever and may be induced
in a variety of ways ; the quality of the diet, such as an undue
proportion of dry fodder including grain ; the astringent properties
of the barks of many trees which they eat ; certain astringent drugs ;
inactivity of the liver inducing a lack in the secretion of bile ;
habitual excessive food and insufficient exercise are among the more
common causes.

Symptoms—Are seen in the character of the dung, which may
vary from slight undue dryness of its substance, causing some diffi-
culty in evacuating it, to a complete blocking of the alimentary
canal, no dung escaping at all. In addition to being hard it may
be darker coloured and often offensive ; the animal usually has a dry
mouth and at times is very thirsty and generally drowsy.

Treatment : Preventive.—Consists in avoiding the causes
enumerated above.

Curative : Local.—Enemas (Formulæ 77 to 80).

General.—Consists of internal medication (Formulæ 23 to 28,
and also 40).

When constipation is present in the course of acute fevers,
purgatives should be withheld, but small doses of epsom salts 3 to 4
ounces may be given twice daily : this will be taken if well diluted
when the animal is thirsty.