450 HANDY-BOOK OF HUSBAKDRY. 



' bowels. An overfed or overfat horse, which is subjected to 

 ' severe and long-continued exertion, if his lungs be weak, will 

 'be attacked, probably the same night, by inflammation of the 

 'lungs ; if the lungs be sound, the attack will be on his bowels 

 ' the following day. 



" The diagnosis being made, and the disease being fully estab- 

 ' lished to be spasmodic colic, and not inflammation, the treat- 

 ' ment should be as follows : Give at once, in a drench, by a 

 ' horn or bottle, three ounces of spirits of turpentine, and an 

 ' ounce of laudanum in a pint of warm ale, the effect of which 

 ' will often be instantaneous. If these ingredients cannot be 

 ' quickly obtained, a drench of hot ale with ginger, a wine-glass- 

 ' ful of gin, and a teaspoonful of black pepper, with, if possible, 

 ' the laudanum added, will succeed as a substitute. If the par- 

 ' oxysm returns, or if relief of a decided kind do not take place 

 ' within half an hour, from four to six quarts of blood may he 

 ' taken, with advantage, in order to prevent inflammation. The 

 ' dose of turpentine should be repeated, and clysters of warm 

 ' water, with an ounce of finely-powdered Barbadoes aloes dis- 

 ' solved in them, should be injected, at intervals, until the counter- 

 ' irritation puts a stop to the spasms. For the injections, a com- 

 ' mon wooden pipe with an ox-bladder will answer, although the 

 ' patent syringe is far better. The pipe should be greased and 

 ' introduced gently and tenderly, great care being had not to alarm 

 'or startle the animal. The operation and effect of the medicines 

 ' will be promoted by gentle friction of the belly with a brush 

 ' or hot flannel cloth, and by walking the horse or trotting him 

 ' very gently about ; but all violence, or violent motions, must 

 'be avoided, as tending to produce inflammation. These reme- 

 ' dies, which can be procured with ease in any village, almost in 

 ' any house, will almost to a certainty remove the disease. 

 ' When relief is obtained, the horse's clothes should be changed, 

 ' which will be found to be saturated with sweat ; he should be 

 ' slightly cleaned ; warmly and dryly littered down, if possible, 

 ' in a loose box, and should be fed for two or three days on warm 

 ' bran mashes, and suffered to drink warm water only. It is 



