156 WATER 



the buckets are filled and brought into the stable several 

 hours before they are required for use. 



Water, judiciously used, is a valuable diluent, febrifuge, 

 and evacuant, serviceable in febrile and inflammatory 

 diseases. When given moderately cold, it is more palatable 

 and satisfying than in the tepid state in which it is some- 

 times presented to sick horses. Rendered feebly bitter with 

 a little cascarilla or quassia infusion, secretion is encouraged 

 and thirst is more effectually quenched. Small portions of 

 ice placed in the mouth are sucked by most animals, and 

 promote secretion, abate thirst, and also relieve congestion 

 and irritation. Horses greedy of water, and especially those 

 with defective wind or liability to acidity or diarrhoea, should 

 be supplied frequently with small quantities, while, further to 

 relieve thirst, the food should be damped. After a cathartic 

 dose, and until the physic has ceased to operate, even 

 moderate draughts of cold water in many horses may be 

 followed by griping. Calves and lambs, feverish and 

 purging, sometimes die if they have free access to water. 



As a diluent, water mechanically relieves choking and 

 coughing ; dilutes corrosive and irritant poisons ; assists the 

 action of diaphoretics, diuretics, and purgatives. Tepid 

 water is a convenient auxiliary emetic for dogs and pigs. 

 Injected into the rectum, warm water allays irritability of 

 the bowels, and urino-genital organs, and promotes the 

 action of the bowels. Water, whether cold or hot, checks 

 bleeding ; but is most effectual at a temperature of about 

 120 Fahr. A good scrubbing with tepid water and soap 

 is a very essential preliminary to the successful treatment 

 of mange or scab. It removes scales and dirt, abounding 

 especially in inveterate cases, and hence facilitates access 

 of the special dressings to the burrows of the parasites. 



Hot fomentations moisten, soften, and relax dry and 

 irritable textures, and relieve tension, tenderness, and pain. 

 Applied early, and continued for several hours, they control 

 or relieve congestion and inflammation of strains and 

 contused wounds. Their external application, by reflex 

 action, often soothes irritated or inflamed internal parts. In 

 this way fomentations allay the pain of colic and inflamma- 

 tion of the bowels. Steaming the head and throat in like 



