DISEASES OF THE HORSE. 811 



In the treatment of this disease everything that has a debilitating or depressing tendency 

 should be carefully avoided, such as bleeding, purging, unduly stimulating the kidneys, vio 

 lent blistering, depressing sedatives, etc. In the regular and uncomplicated form of this 

 disease,- nearly all suffering with it will recover without the use of medicine under good nurs 

 ing, and with an abundant supply of pure, fresh air. The animal should be placed in a 

 cool, dry box that is well ventilated, and provided with a good, clean litter, clothing him 

 comfortably in order to avoid all tendency to a chill, and bandaging his legs loosely. The 

 skin should be carefully brushed or curried, the clothes changed two or three times a day, 

 and the animal kept quiet and still, except perhaps giving him a little exercise in the shelter 

 and sunshine. Feed with bran mashes, boiled oats or barley, turnips, carrots, or other 

 roots in small quantities and often, so as not to cloy the appetite. For drink, a quart or two 

 of water nearly cold, or cold oatmeal or flax-seed gruel, should be frequently given. The 

 action of the kidneys and bowels should be moderate, but never excessive. It will be better 

 to obviate a tendency to costiveness by frequent injections of water that is blood-warm, 

 three or four quarts at a time, or by a half pint of molasses, or three ounces of sulphate of 

 soda added to the same quantity of water. 



If necessary to give a laxative, it should be done with care, the dose rarely exceeding 

 one-third the usual quantity, as violent purging would be very hazardous. Mild febrifuge 

 diuretics may be used to advantage, such as spirits of nitrous ether in half-ounce doses given 

 twice a day, or liquor of acetate of ammonia in ounce doses four times a day, in the water- 

 gruel drank. When the cough proves especially violent and painful, a drachm each of anodynes, 

 such as belladonna and camphor, may be added to the above diuretics with advantage. 



The cough may be further relieved by causing the animal to inhale warm water vapor 

 several times a day for an hour, which is most conveniently done by saturating chaff bran, or 

 other simple agent, with boiling water and placing it in a nose-bag, which is hung on the 

 animal s nose by means of a strap crossing behind the ears. Counter-irritants often prove 

 beneficial. If, however, inflamed and sore throat seem extreme, a poultice may be applied 

 with advantage a day previous to blistering, or the throat may be well fomented with warm 

 water for an hour, and then wrapped in a sheep-skin with the wool turned inward. Oil of 

 turpentine, which has been largely used as a counter-irritant in many cases, is objectionable 

 on the ground of causing so much local irritation without blistering, as to drive some 

 excitable horses almost to distraction. 



The throat and chest where the disease has been located may often be greatly benefited 

 by producing an irritation by rubbing in a thin pulp of ground mustard and water, and then 

 covering up. This may be replaced by a soap liniment, composed of six ounces of soap, 

 three of camphor, and a pint each of proof spirit, liquor ammonia, and linseed oil, to be 

 applied frequently at short intervals, and be well rubbed in. If a more active blister is 

 wanted, an ointment may be used composed of a drachm and a half of powdered cantharides, 

 a scruple of camphor, ten djops of spirits of wine, and an ounce of lard. The hair should 

 be cut off and the blister rubbed in, in a direction contrary to that of the hair. After it has 

 acted, the skin should be kept soft and pliant by rubbing it with fresh lard. 



Any of these irritants should be applied to a limited space only, and not exceeding the 

 bounds of the inflammatory action, as the best results are thus secured. For this reason a 

 careful examination of the chest especially, should always be made before making such an 

 application. As the mouth becomes cooler and more moist, and the pulse softer and less 

 frequent, a more stimulating treatment is desired. At first, two drachms each of gentian, 

 powdered cinchona, niter and sal ammoniac may be given night and morning, or if the 

 debility is very great, the last-named agent may be replaced by four drachms of carbonate 

 ammonia made into a bolus with linseed-meal, or dissolved in a half pint of water and 

 repeated three or four times a day. 



