|0>5 THE HORSE. 



bone conveyed to the back part of the mouth, where it will be disso! vea, 

 and must be swallowed. 



As soon as possible the strength should be supported by nutritive .ood. 

 The appetite seldom fails in this disease ; and it is painful to see the repeated 

 eager etlorts of the poor animal to allay his hunger. When liis jaws are 

 most finijly fixed, he will sometimes be able to suck in the liquid from a 

 moist mash ; — if he has the slightest command over them, he will contrive 

 to swallow the greater part of the mash : and should lliere be room to intro- 

 duce the mouth of a small horn, he will thankfully take as much gruel as 

 his attendant will give him. Until the jaws are firmly locked, he may be 

 suffered to have hay, although he should only cliew it and drop it from the 

 mouth ; for this action of the muscles of the jaws may delay or prevent 

 their total closure. Little medicine will be wanted as he gets better ; 

 nourisliing food, not too liberally administered, will constitute the best tonic; 

 and should tlie weather be sufficiently warm, few things will do him more 

 good than to turn him out for two or three hours in tlie middle of the day. 

 It will extend the muscles. of his neck, and bring him to the use of his limbs. 



Against one mode of treatment we enter our protest, from its cruelty and 

 its inutility — tlie application of cold. Some turn the animal out uncovered 

 in a frosty night. We have no faith in the practice of this : but placing 

 the poor horse under a pump, and letting the water flow upon his spasmed 

 limbs for hours together, or dashing it violently upon him, while he crouches 

 and groans all the while, is both cruel and useless. 



FITS, OR EPILEPSY. 



The stream of nervous influence is sometimes rapid, but the suspen- 

 sions are considerable, and this is the theory of Fits, or Epilepsy. For- 

 tunately the horse is not often afflicted with this disease, although it is 

 not unknown to the breeder. The attack is sudden. The animal stops; 

 — trembles; — looks vacantly around him, and falls. Occasionally the 

 convulsions which follow are slight ; at other rimes they are terrible. The 

 head and fore part of the horse are most atfected, and the contortions are 

 most singular. In a few minutes the convulsions cease ; he gets up ; looks 

 around him with a kind of stupid astonishment; shakes his ears; urines; 

 and eats or drinks as if nothing had happened. 



The only hope of cure consists in discovering the cause of the fits ; and 

 an experienced practitioner must be consulted, if the animal be valuable; 

 generally speaking, however, the cause is so dithcult to discover, and the 

 habit of "fits is so soon formed, and they will so frequently return, even at 

 a great distance of time, that he who values his own safety, or the lives of 

 his family, will cease to use an epileptic horse. 



PALSY. 



The stream of nervous influence is sometimes stopped, and thentP 

 results Palsy. The power of the muscle is unimpaired, but the nervous 

 energy is deficient. Palsy in the horse is usually confined to the hinder 

 limbs. Wlien purging has been too suddenly stopped, he becomes 

 paralytic. It is sometimes the consequence of violent inflammation 

 of the bowels. It is produced by falls, blows on the loins, injury 

 *n casting, and turning in a narrow stall. In these latter cases the 

 spine has been evidently injured. Old carriage-horses, and horses of 

 draught of every kind, although not absolutely paralyzed, have often 

 great stiffness in their gah, and difliculty of turning. Possibly they can 



