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THE STOCKFEEDER'S COMPANION 



XXXIX. FEEDING SICK ANIMALS. 

 Horses. 



It is rather important for the horse owner to have a 

 fair knowledge of the manner in which horses suffering 

 from any of the commoner ailments should be fed. 

 Obviously the first thing of importance is to know 

 roughly how to diagnose the various ailments, before 

 suitable feeding can be prescribed. 



There will be no attempt made here to give any- 

 thing more than a mere outline of the various ailments 

 of horses, except what is considered necessary to enable 

 one to feed the horse intelligently in the primary stages 

 of sickness. Full accounts must be sought in special 

 works on the subject. 



The body temperature of the animal, character of 

 the pulse, and breathing (respiration), often indicate 

 the ailment from which an animal is suffering. If one 

 knows the normal body temperature, the normal pulse- 

 beats, and the normal mode and rate of breathing, then 

 any departure from these either in one direction or the 

 other guides one very considerably in making an accurate 

 diagnosis. Of course some experience is necessary ; 

 but if one can only learn to decide when an ailment is 

 serious or not, then this knowledge is most useful. 



The normal body temperatures of the common farm 

 animals are all given together, for convenience, in the 

 following table : 



