PNEUMONIA, OR LUNG FEVER. 127 



horses will drink milk, while others will refuse to touch it. It 

 should be borne in mind that all food must be taken by the horse as • 

 he desires it. No food should be forced down him. If the animal 

 will not eat, you will only have to wait until a desire is shown for 

 food. All kinds may be offered, first one thing- and then another, 

 but food should not be allowed to remain long in trough or manger; 

 the very fact of it constantly being before him will cause him to 

 loathe it. Wlien the animal has no appetite for anything the 

 stomach is not in a projaer state to digest food, and if it is poured 

 or drenched into him it will only cause indigestion and aggravate 

 the case. It is a good practice to do nothing when there is nothing 

 to be done that will benefit. This refers to medicine as well as food. 

 Nothing is well done that is overdone. 



There are many valuable medicines used for the different stages 

 and different types of pneumonia, but in the opinion of the writer 

 it is useless to refer to them here, as this work is intended for the use 

 of those who are not sufficiently acquainted with the disease to 

 recognize its various types and stages; therefore they would only 

 confuse. If you can administer a ball or capsule, or have anyone at 

 hand who is capable of doing it, a dram of sulphate of quinine in a 

 capsule, or made into a ball, with sufficient linseed meal and molasses, 

 given every three hours during the height of the fever, will do good 

 in many cases. The ball of carbonate of ammonia, as advised in 

 the treatment of bronchitis, may be tried if the animal is hard to 

 drench. The heart should be kept strong by administering digitalis 

 in doses of 2 drams of the tincture every three hours, or strychnia 

 1 grain, made into a pill with liquorice powder, three times daily. 



If the horse becomes very much debilitated, stimulants of a more 

 pronounced character are required. The following drench is useful : 

 Rectified spirits, 3 ounces ; spirits of nitrous ether, 2 ounces ; water, 1 

 l^int. This may be repeated every four or five hours if it seems to 

 benefit; or 6 ounces of good whisky diluted with a pint of water 

 may be given as often, instead of the foregoing. 



During the period of convalescence good nutritive food should be 

 allowed in a moderate quantity. Tonic medicines should be substi- 

 tuted for those used during the fever. The same medicines advised 

 for the convalescing period of bronchitis are equally efficient in this 

 case, especially the iodide of potash. Likewise, the same general 

 instructions apply here. 



The chief causes of death in pneumonia are heart failure from 

 exhaustion, suffocation, or blood poisoning from death (gangrene) of 

 lung tissue. The greater the area of lung tissue diseased the greater 

 the danger, hence double pneumonia is more fatal than pneumonia of 

 one lung. 



