— 399 — 



Symptoms. Pain, heat, swelling, tenderness and lameness, more 

 or less severe, depending on the severity of the sprain, and the part 

 affected. In severe sprains, care must be taken to guard against 

 mistakes, and to form a correct judgment of the nature of the in- 

 jury, whether it be a real or simple sprain, or whether there be 

 fracture or dislocation. 



Treatment. Absolute and entire rest, is the principal point to be 

 attended to in the cure of sprains, for a sprain cannot be cured 

 without rest, no matter what other remedies are employed; and, 

 if there be much fever and excitement about the horse, a few doses 

 of aconite will have to be given. Tincture of aconite root, fifteen 

 drops, given three times in the day for two days, will remove fever 

 and irritation. Then apply warm water cloths for three days fol- 

 lowed by cold water cloths for the same length of time, taking the 

 cloths off at night, as it is necessar}^ that water must be poured on 

 the cloths every hour, or before the warm ones become cold, and 

 the cold ones become warm. After which, the lameness and swell- 

 ing will have ceased : or should this not be tlie case, apply for a 

 few days, once a day, the following liniment : Creosote, one 

 ounce; oil of turpentine, one ounce; oil of olives, two ounces; 

 mix. Be assured the horse is quite well before he is put to work 

 again, as many joint diseases are brought on by mismanaged 

 sprains, which never can be cured. For sprains of different parts 

 of the body see Shoulder and Shoulder Joint Sprains, etc. 



Staggers. — A disease familiar to every horseman, and of a 

 serious character. It presents different symptoms in different 

 horses, depending altogether upon the extent to which the brain 

 and nervous centres are affected, and whether the variety be mad, 

 grass, stomach, or sleepy staggers. 



(1.) Stomach Staggers. — This is an attack of acute indigestion, 

 from overloading the stomach ; digestion is arrested, fomentation 

 is set up, and the evolution or giving off of carbonic acid gas dis- 

 tends the stomach and bowels, and presses on the space allotted 

 for the lungs to play in, depriving them of aerating the bloody 

 thereby affecting the healthy action of tlie brain and nervous 

 centres, and producing death in from twelve to twenty-four hours. 



Treatment. Injections of warm water and soap, and a handful 

 of salt to clean out the bowels, so that the gas can get free passage. 



