DISEASES OF THE HORSE. 819 



previous small cut, showing position of the internal organs), and give from twenty-five to 

 thirty drops of tincture of aconite root in a half pint of cold water until five or six doses 

 have been given, at intervals of four or five hours. 



Hay tea, oat meal gruel, warm bran mashes, and raw eggs may be given with benefit in 

 severe cases. Coarse food, such as hay, should not be allowed until the animal is somewhat 

 relieved. 



Keep the animal loose in a large box stall, with plenty of clean bedding. He should be 

 kept quiet and undisturbed. When he lies down (unless it be from very weakness), it may 

 be regarded as a favorable symptom. Do not make him get up after he has lain down; rest 

 will do him more good than medicine. 



Great care will need to be used in feeding as he gets better, in order not to overload the 

 stomach, but to give a sufficient amount of nutritious food to strengthen and build up the 

 animal. It should be in small quantities and often, for some time. This is a slow disease, 

 and its effects are very exhausting and lingering, and there is a liability of its recurrence 

 unless great caution is taken against taking cold. Chest protectors for horses that are driven 

 in cold, windy, or stormy weather would be of much utility in preventing this disease. 



Laminitis. (See FOUNDER.) 



Lice. The skin of the horse is extremely sensitive, and if for any reason it becomes 

 infested with lice, the irritation and annoyance will be enough to almost distract a nervous 

 animal. 



Horses that have been sick with a lingering disease, and are in a run-down condition, or 

 that have a skin disease, will sometimes be troubled in this way. Or if the stall be near 

 where fowls are kept, this may be the cause of the difficulty. Anoint the skin with linseed 

 oil, sweet oil, or melted fresh lard, and after an hour or two wash off with castile soap and 

 water, taking a portion of the body at a time, afterward rinsing with clear water, and wiping 

 dry. 



Lockjaw. (See TETANUS.) 



Lung Fever. (See INFLAMMATION OF THE LUNGS.) 



Mange (Itch). This disease usually makes its first appearance on the neck at the 

 root of the mane, and unless treated in season will be liable to extend upward to the head, 

 or down to the withers and back, sometimes extending over the whole body. It is an erup 

 tion which causes intense itching, and after the breaking of the watery vesicles the hair falls off, 

 leaving a bare spot covered with scurf. It is a very contagious disease, and is originally 

 caused by neglect of cleanliness, and lack of nutritious food. Cattle and horses with this 

 disease will communicate it to each other by the least contact. The disease is produced by a 

 very small insect which burrows in the skin, causing the irritation and destroying the hair 

 follicles. The most simple, and one of the best methods of treatment, is to wash off the 

 scurf from the skin with castile soap and lukewarm water, and if there are any scabs formed, 

 soak and break them up so that the ointment applied may reach the insect readily. Wipe 

 dry and rub thoroughly into the skin an ointment of equal quantities of sulphur and lard, 

 well mixed. 



It may sometimes be necessary to give in the same connection two or three ounces of 

 sulphur mixed with the food. The ointment should be repeated once a day until a complete 

 cure is effected, being washed off with castile soap and lukewarm water after it has been on 

 five or six hours. It is a good plan to let the animal be in the warm sun for a time after it 

 has been applied. 



Carbolic acid washes, a decoction of tobacco, and other remedies are frequently used with 

 good effect, but the sulphur ointment is to be preferred. 



