DR. LEGEAR'S STOCK BOOK. 63 



has the bots," and their suggested treatment is always varied 

 and heroic. It is true, we have good reason to believe that they 

 could cause serious trouble, as claimed by some veterinary sur- 

 geons, by blocking up the passages, but these instances are so 

 rare that such cases are not seen in a lifetime. At post- 

 mortem examinations, when the stomach is found to be ruptured, 

 the opinion, frequently expressed, that "the bots have eaten 

 through the stomach," is a^ain a mistake. Bots seldom or never 

 do this; the rupture is due to over-distention of the viscus with 

 food or gases. 



Bots may, and probably do, when in large enough numbers to 

 be attached to the true digestive portion of the stomach, slightly 

 interfere with digestion; the animal may not thrive, the coat 

 stares, and emaciation may follow; but beyond this, with a few 

 exceptions already noted, they are harmless. Even if they were 

 the cause of the trouble, there are no medicines which will loosen 

 them from their attachments and cause them to pass out of the 

 body. 



Treatment. It is useless to give treatment in order to loosen 

 the bots from their attachments, as they will go their allotted 

 time, loosen themselves, and pass out in spring or early summer. 

 Horse owners, noticing them in the manure, unhesitatingly say 

 that his horse "has the bots." 



WORMS. (INTESTINAL.) 



Worms that infest the horse are of many kinds, and may be 

 found in almost every part of the body, but the ones we shall 

 refer to -are found in the stomach and bowels. They are most 

 common in young horses, especially those that are weak and un- 

 thrifty; or those that graze on low, wet or mar$hy pastures. We 

 sli a 11 speak of but a few of the most common ones: First, the 

 Lumbricoid, which infests principally the small intestines, i- 



