REPORT ON THE DISEASES OF FARM HORSES. 309 



for two or three days, or in their place, if no relief has been 

 derived, small doses of turpentine may be given, as half an 

 ounce, three or four times a day, in flour and water, or starch 

 and water. Sugar of lead, white vitriol, one or two drams, may 

 be used, or the vegetable astringents, as catechu, kino, &c, &c, as 

 directed for diarrhoea. Opium and alkalies, as potash or car- 

 bonate of soda, have proved beneficial, as the following : — 



Take of Carbonate of Potash or Soda 2 to 4 Drams. 



Sherry Wine A wine glass full. 



Powdered Opium Half Dram. 



To be given with linseed tea or starch gruel, three or four times 

 a day. 



Where much fcetor exists, chlorinated lime may be given in 

 doses of 2 drams, and the nose and eyes sponged with weak 

 vinegar and water, Condy's disinfecting fluid, &c, &c. Chalk 

 and opium also will be found useful — one ounce of the former to 

 one half or one dram of the latter in gruel. In all cases care 

 must be taken not to administer too much of any kind of medi- 

 cine, as thereby greater evil will be produced than would 

 be expected, in the absence of all good, and in cases of recovery, 

 a judicious diet will be indispensable in promoting convalescence. 



Protrusion of the Rectum or Bowel, or Prolapsus Ani, 

 in technical language, occurs in consecpience of violent straining, 

 particularly from obstinate constipation, diarrhoea, tympanitis, 

 or when intestinal parasites are present, causing acute irrita- 

 tion ; it also occurs during difficult parturition in the mare, and 

 sometimes proves intermittent and intractable. 



Treatment. — Whatever is the cause of inversion of the bowel, 

 that must be removed, or at least mitigated, ere relief can be 

 afforded by its safe return. If it be diarrhoea, opiates will be 

 needed to overcome irritation, and in the case of pregnant mares, 

 a larger dose will be required. The gut must be replaced as 

 soon as possible, which will be done by the hand — fomentations, 

 scarifications, or opiate lotions being applied, probably previously, 

 if needed. Lead and opium injections may also be required after 

 the intestine has been returned. 



In case much swelling takes place in the protruded organ, 

 or that difficulty occurs in causing it to retain its position when 

 returned — the local application of ice may be needed, or a truss, 

 bandage, &c. In severe cases, strangulation or mortification, 

 may take place, when amputation must be resorted to at an early 

 stage, or the life of the animal may be cut short by a combina- 

 tion of causes. 



Weed, or Lymphangitis, although not so prevalent as 

 formerly, nevertheless is often present among the horses of farmers 

 in some localities. The animals most subject to this disease are 

 the coarse legged, irregularly fed and worked animals which we 



