MANUAL FOR STABLE SERGEANTS. 67 



198. Bice. Unhusked rice, after the horses become accustomed 

 to it, is a useful grain, and as much as 14 pounds may be fed daily. 

 Only unhusked or unthrashed rice should be used. 



199. Linseed meal (flaxseed meal, oil meal). An excellent 

 food for horses that have become run down in condition. It has a 

 slightly laxative action, produces an oily skin and a sleek glossy 

 coat, and may be given with other feed in quantities of from J to 1 

 pound daily. 



200. Bran. Bran is an excellent food for the horse. Fed once 

 or twice a week in the form of a mash it proves a mild, beneficial 

 laxative. When used continuously, the animal system becomes 

 accustomed to it and the laxative property is less marked. Dry 

 bran in small quantities is said to have a constipating effect. 



201. Characteristics of bran. Bran should be light in weight, 

 dry, sweet, flaky, free from lumpa and dirt, and sweet to the taste. 



202. Bran mashes. A bran mash is made by pouring boiling 

 water on 2 or 3 pounds of bran in a bucket. A tablespoonful of salt 

 may be added, and the whole covered up and set aside until suffi- 

 ciently cool. 



INDICATIONS OF DISEASE. 



203. Loss of appetite. Loss of appetite is usually one of the 

 first indications of disease. It may, however, be due to overeating, 

 excitement, or fatigue. 



204. The pulse in disease. Any deviation from the normal, 

 strong, full, and regular pulse indicates an abnormal condition. 



A rapid, full, bounding pulse is found in the first stages of fever. 



A weak, small, and rapid pulse occurs in the later stages of fever 

 and is an indication of great weakness. 



A quick, feeble, fluttering pulse indicates the approach of death. 



An abnormally slow pulse denotes disease or injury to the brain 

 or spinal cord. 



205. Breathing in disease. Difficult or rapid breathing in 

 animals at rest is a prominent symptom of disease of the respiratory 

 organs; it may also l>e observed in some cases of flatulent colic. 



206. Temperature in disease. In fever or in diseases of an 

 inflammatory nature the temperature of the body rises above the 

 normal standard .^ In contagious diseases a rise of temperature often 

 precedes any visible symptoms, a fact which is of great importance 

 in detecting and weeding out suspected animals. 



