HORSE— CARE AND MANAGEMENT. 



is visible. When discovered previously, 

 an opening may by made with the point 

 of the penknife, and then the larva may 

 be gradually squeezed out, avoiding too 

 much haste in the operation, which will 

 only retard the process. 



HORSE, Bites and Stings of Insects. — 

 Horses are liable to be stung by hornets, 

 wasps and bees. If there are only one 

 or two stings made no interference is 

 necessary, but sometimes a larger num- 

 ber of poisonous punctures have been ef- 

 fected, and then the best treatment is the 

 application of spirit of turpentine and 

 laudanum in equal proportions. 



The bites of the gadfly are so trouble- 

 some in their effects that it is sometimes 

 desirable to prevent them if possible. 

 This is effected by making a strong infu- 

 sion of the green bark of the elder, and 

 washing the flanks, etc., with it before 

 going out. 



HORSE, Swelled Legs.— The skin of 

 the legs and the cellular membrane be- 

 neath it are liable to two kinds of swell- 

 ing, one of which is of an inflammatory 

 character, while the other is solely due to 

 a. deposit of serum (oedema), owing to 

 the non-performance of their office by the 

 kidneys. Both kinds are much more fre- 

 quent in the hiad legs than the fore, but 

 especially the former. 



Inflammatory swelled leg, sometimes 

 •called weed, is generally accompanied by 

 a certain amount of feverishness, and 

 comes on suddenly, almost always show- 

 ing itself on the inside of the hind leg, 

 which is hot and extremely tender. It is 

 not a very common disease, and merely 

 requires the ordinary low treatment, by 

 purging physic, and, if necessary, bleed- 

 ing. Should it continue for more than 

 two or three days after these are tried, an 

 ounce of nitre may be given every night 

 in a bran mash. 



Ordinary swelling of the legs, or oedema, 

 occurs in every degree, from a slight " fil- 

 ling," to which many horses are always 

 subject, whether they work or stand in the 

 stable, to an enlargement extending up to 

 the stifles and elbows, sometimes render- 

 ing the legs almost as round and as hard 

 as mill-posts. When horses are first 

 brought in from grass their legs almost 

 always fill more or less, and until they are 

 regularly seasoned to their work there is 

 seldom that clean condition of the sus- 



pensory ligaments and back sinews which 

 one likes to see even before the daily ex- 

 ercise is given. The oedema appears to 

 depend partly upon a deficient action of 

 the kidneys, but chiefly on the vessels of 

 the legs not acting sufficiently without 

 constant walking exercise, such as is na- 

 tural to the horse when at liberty, and 

 which he takes at grass. Half an hour's 

 walking will generally produce absorption 

 completely, so that a daily remedy is 

 forthcoming; but as a rule, whenever 

 there is this tendency to " filling " of the 

 legs, the cellular membrane is not the 

 only tissue in fault, but the tendons and 

 the joints are also liable to inflammation. 

 The treatment will greatly depend upon 

 the exact cause. If the swelling is only 

 due to the change from grass to the con- 

 finement of a warm stable, time alone is 

 wanted, taking care not to over-work the 

 horse, in the meantime. Bandages will 

 always assist in keeping down the swell- 

 ing ; but they should not be used without 

 necessity, as when once the horse becomes 

 accustomed to them, his legs can hardly 

 be kept fine without their aid.' If weak- 

 ness is the cause, a drachm of sulphate of 

 iron given in the corn twice a day will 

 often strengthen the system, and with it 

 the legs. Diuretics may be adopted as 

 an occasional aid to the kidneys, but they 

 should be of the mildest kind, such as 

 nitre, or they will do more harm, by 

 weakening the body generally, than good 

 by their stimulus to the kidneys. Indeed, 

 they are often the sole cause of the legs 

 filling, for some grooms use them so con- 

 tinually, whether they are wanted or not, 

 that the kidneys becomes diseased and 

 refuse to act, which is a sure forerunner 

 of oedema. Where swelling of the legs 

 is confirmed, bandages must be regularly 

 applied as recommended in article 

 Horse, Bandages, Use and Applica- 

 tion of, which see. 



HORSE, Chapped Heelr. — When a 

 horse suffers from oedema of the legs, he 

 is particularly prone to an eruption of a 

 watery nature in the cleft between the heels 

 and behind the lesser pastern. Those also 

 whose legs are washed and not dried are 

 still more prone to it, especially if the 

 hair is white. The skin cracks, and, in 

 bad cases, is so inflamed and swollen that 

 the leg cannot be bent without great pain, 

 and often there is a bleeding from the 



