HORSE— DISEASES AND REMEDIES. 



skewers through the opposite edges of the 

 opening, and then winding some waxed 

 twine round them, with a moderate de- 

 gree of force. This should not be suffi- 

 cient to cause mortification, or the open- 

 ing will only be increased in size, and the 

 bowel will protrude without any covering 

 of skin; but it should be just sufficient 

 to cause adhesive inflammation ; experi- 

 ence in such matters alone enabling the 

 operator to hit upon the right amount. 



In all operations for hernia, chloroform 

 is of great assistance, as it prevents the 

 risk of a protrusion of the bowel while 

 the knife is being used, which will other- 

 wise sometimes happen during the strug- 

 gles of the horse. 



HORSE, Physic, Administration of. — 

 Medicine may be given to the horse 

 either in the solid form as a ball, or 

 liquid, and then called a drench, or as a 

 • dry powder, when in small compass and 

 with little taste, mixed with the corn or 

 .mash. Sometimes also a small quantity 

 of a tasteless liquid, such as liquor arsen- 

 icalis, may be given with the food. 



In giving a ball place a halter on the 

 head with a knot, so that the jaws may 

 be widely opened. Then turn the horse 

 round in the stall and back him up to the 

 manger, lay hold of the tongue and draw 

 it out of the mouth, grasp it with the left 

 hand, which must also hold the halter- 

 cord so short that the strain is partly 

 taken off the tongue, and then holding 

 the ball in the right hand with the fingers 

 inclosing it like a cone, and, the arm 

 bare, it should be rapidly carried to the 

 back of the mouth and deposited there, 

 .holding the head up till it is seen to pass 

 down the gullet. Cautious grooms use a 

 balling iron, which gags the mouth and 

 protects the arm, but a handy man will 

 have less difficulty in introducing his 

 hand than in inserting the gag, unless the 

 horse is a determined biter, when it may 

 be absolutely necessary. In that case the 

 gag is insinuated with as much case as a 

 bit in a flat direction, and the handle be- 

 ing suddenly depressed, the mouth gapes 

 (and the teeth cannot be brought togeth- 

 er. Then holding its handle together 

 with the halter in the left hand, the right 

 easily introduces the ball into the 

 pharynx. 



In giving a drench, two persons are 

 necessary, the operator standing at the 



right shoulder, while the assistant is ready 

 to steady the head and aid him on th^ 

 the left. The operator raises the head 

 with his left hand beneath the jaw, and 

 with his right he forces the lip of the horn 

 into the side of the mouth, and, raising 

 the small end, pours the contents in. If 

 the horse is violent, a twitch must be 

 placed on the nose and held by the 

 assistant. The horn must not be passed 

 far into the mouth, or any unnecessary vio- 

 lence used, for fear of producing a 

 cough ; in which case the hand must be 

 instantly lowered. A neglect of this pre- 

 caution will probably cause some of the 

 liquid to pass into the larynx. 



HORSE— Clysters are most valuable 

 agents, if properly administered. The 

 best syringe for the purpose is Read's, by 

 which any quantity may be thrown up ; 

 and in colic, some gallons of warm water 

 are sometimes required to produce the 

 desired effect. For an ordinary opening 

 clyster, a handful or two of common salt 

 may be dissolved in five or six quarts of 

 warm water. 



HORSE— Back-Raking is effected by 

 passing the greased hand and arm into 

 the rectum and withdrawing any harden- 

 ed faeces which may have accumulated 

 there. When the quantity of these is 

 great, the hand must be passed several 

 times, until it cannot reach any more. 

 Whenever physic is given to an unpre- 

 pared horse, as is sometimes necessary in 

 severe disease, this precaution should 

 never be neglected. Mr. Gamgee, of Ed- 

 inburgh, is of opinion that this opera- 

 tion is more safely and easily performed 

 by the aid of instruments, supporting his 

 views by the assertion that the introduc- 

 tion of the hand gives unnecessary pain. 

 On one or two occasions we have cer- 

 tainly seen a shoulder of mutton at the 

 end of a human arm, and this would per- 

 haps cause some little difficulty ; but no 

 hand of average size is nearly so large as 

 the mass of dung usually passed; and 

 those who are not above doing a dirty 

 job when duty requires it, well know by 

 experience that the hand and arm may 

 be passed to the shoulder without giving 

 any pain whatsoever. Instruments are 

 useful when they cannot be dispensed 

 with, but they are always liable to cause 

 laceration. 



HORSE, Bowels, Loose. — In cases of 



