DISEASES OF THE HORSE. 279 



X. Forms of Medicines and how to Administer. 



Medicines should always be given in the food or drink, when possible, 

 to av^oid worrying the patient and also to avoid the danger of choking from 

 the liquid running into the lungs. When the medicine is nearly inodor- 

 ours and tasteless it can be mixed with bran mashes, or other soft feed. 

 Aloes should be made into a roll the size and shape of your linger and 

 wrapped in thin paper or put into a gelatine capsule, and passed back onto 

 the root of the tongue of the horse. 



Liquid medicine, in large doses, is given as drenches out of a strong- 

 necked bottle or horn, the head being elevated and the neck of the bot- 

 tle inserted at the side of the mouth and ^ y 

 poured verj'^ slowly in, the head being 

 kept raised till all is swallowed. If the 



patient coughs while being drenched, let /l^^^^Sl^^Wl^iilil^v,^' 

 the head down instantl}^ regardless of the 

 loss of the medicine, for, if kept up, it is 

 apt to run into the lungs, and cause death 

 in two minutes. 



Small doses are best given with a s}^- 



, T ,1 '^u ^1 1 Xi. 1 1 M-A^NNER OF GIVING a DREKCH TO 



mge ; open the mouth with the left hand ahorse. 



and insert the syringe in the left side of the mouth, and shoot the con- 

 tents well back into the throat. A syringe or s-poon may be u«ed on 

 all small animals. 



Medicine for cattle and and sheep needs to be more bulky and watery, 

 on account of the great size, comparatively, of the stomach, and Avhen 

 not practicable to administer it in the food, it siiould be dissolved in 

 from one to two quarts of water for cattle, and one to two pints for 

 sheep, and given as a drench from a bottle or horn. 



Care should be taken to avoid letting the animal bite the bottle ; keep 

 the neck of it firmly up agai^ist the roof of the mouth between the 

 two rows of upper teeth. If the animal should break the bottle, let the 

 head down instantly and remove the broken glass as quickly as possiblco 



