In the Stable, Field, and on the Road. 137 



STOMACH STAGGERS. 



This complaint, like the former, is often attributable 

 to acrid substances taken into the stomach when the 

 animal is in an exhausted state from long-continued 

 labour. It is most frequently met with in the farm 

 or cart horse, and is often the result of overfeeding", 

 especially if the horse is fed upon food of bad 

 quality. Farmers often resort to the false economy of 

 selling all their good hay and corn, keeping only the 

 worst for home consumption, and then are dreadfully 

 disappointed when they find their stock in an unhealthy 

 condition, and attribute the cause to everything but 

 the right, viz,, their own foolish greed, grasping 

 the shadow and losing the substance. Careless ser- 

 vants will too often neglect their horses, and after- 

 wards, when food is placed before them while they 

 are ravenously hungry, they swallow it rapidily and 

 in too large a quantity without being properly masti- 

 cated, consequently it swells in the stomach and stretches 

 it far beyond its natural capacity; its action bein^ 

 thereby impaired, the brain is unduly acted upon, and 

 giddiness and drowsiness induced, which occasion 

 staggering. Too often the horse is kept short of 

 water while abundance of food is placed before it, and 

 instead of giving a little water before feeding and a small 

 quantity of food at first to assist the animal in converting 

 its food into a pulp and facilitating the operation of diges- 

 tion, without a judicious quantity of water is given to the 

 exhausted horse with its food, the stomach becomes gorged 

 and the natural juices are inadequate to the performance 

 of their office. It is no uncommon occurrence for farmers 



