72 THE AR.^IY HOKSE. 



DIARRHEA. 



This term is applied to all cases of simple purging in which 

 the feces (dung) are loose, liquid, and frequently discharged. 



Diarrhea may be a spontaneous efl'ort to discharge from the 

 intestines something which is obnoxious to them or to the sys- 

 tem generally. It is caused by various agencies, such as indi- 

 gestible food, sudden change of diet — particularly from a dry 

 to a moist one — medicinal substances, worms, derangement of 

 the liver, or large drafts of water when the animal is heated. 

 Some animals are jDarticularly predisposed to diarrhea from 

 trivial causes. Narrow-loined. flat-sided, and loosely coupled 

 horses — that is to say, horses in which the distance between the 

 point of the hip and last rib is long — and those of a nervous 

 temperament are apt to purge without apparent cause. These 

 are called washy horses. They are hard to keep in condition 

 and require the best of food. 



Symptoms. — Purging, the fecal matter being semifluid, of a 

 dirty-brow^n color, without otfensive odor, or clay-colored and 

 fetid. If the condition continues long the animal loses flesh 

 and the appetite is w^anting. 



Treatment. — "\Mien the purging arises from the presence of 

 some offending matter in the intestinal canal (sand, worms, un- 

 digested food, etc.) its expulsion must be aided by a moderate 

 dose of linseed oil (1^ pints). 



If the purging arises from no apparent cause, or if the bowels 

 do not regain their normal condition after the action of the oil 

 has subsided, it will be necessary to give astringents (binding 

 medicines), such as tannic acid, 1 to 2 drams. The following 

 prescription may also be used : Gum camphor 1 ounce, opium, 

 powdered, 1 ounce. Mix. Make eight powders and give one 

 powder every three or four hours, according to the severity of 

 the case. Great care must be exercised, as evil results may 

 follow if the bowels are checked too soon. 



Diseases or the Urinary System. 



ACUTE NEPHRITIS INFLAMMATION OF THE KIDNEYS. 



Causes. — It is at times produced by the action of cold; it 

 also happens frequently in the course of infectious (catching) 

 diseases. The kidneys become irritated by the presence of 

 waste materials of the food, such as mold, rust, etc., or by the 

 passage of certain medicines, such as turpentine, cantharides, 



