66 THE ARMY HORSE IN ACCIDENT AND DISEASE. 



Treatment. — To control the pain give large doses of powdered 

 opiuju, laudanum, or cannabis indica. 



The following prescription is recommended: Opium, powdered, 2 

 drams; calomel, | dram. Make into a ball; give at once, and repeat 

 in one or two hours if necessary. Blankets wnmg out in hot water 

 and applied to the abdomen are sometimes of benefit, but to obtain 

 good results they must be kept hot for several hours. 



CHRONIC INDIQESTION. 



Chronic indigestion is a chronic catarrh of the stomach and bowels, 

 the causes of which are: Irregularity in feeding and watering; feeding 

 when the animal is in an exhausted condition ; imperfect mastication 

 and incomplete salivation of food due to irregularities of the grinding 

 surfaces of the molar teeth; and food of a poor quality, deficient in 

 nutriment. 



The presence of worms is a frequent cause of this disease, 



Sym/ptoms. — Appetite diminished or capricious and depraved, fre- 

 quent gaping, constipation; periodic colics are frequently observed, 

 the coat is rough and staring, and the skin is tightly adherent to the 

 body, the condition known as "hidebound." The animal has an 

 unthrifty appearance generally. 



Treatment. — Give small quantities of good, nutritious, and well- 

 salted food three times daily. 



The water should be pure and given regularly. 



Regular exercise and good grooming will hasten recovery, by 

 stimulating the skin as well as other parts of the body. 



If the appetite is diminished, give as a tonic: Gentian 2 ounces, iron 

 sulphate 1 ounce, nux vomica 1^ ounces, nitrate potash 1^ ounces. 

 Mix. Make twelve powders. Give one powder twice a day. 



Bicarbonate of' soda is a very useful medicine to counteract the 

 acidity (sourness) of the stomach. Dose, 1 dram, twice a day; the 

 doses may be continued for several days. 



If intestinal worms are the exciting cause, they must be removed, 

 and until this has been accomplished the animal will retain its un- 

 thrifty condition although it may brighten up temporarily. 



The following prescription is recommended: Spirits turpentine 2 

 ounces, oil linseed 4 ounces. Give before feeding and repeat once a 

 day for four days; then follow up with 1 pint of linseed oil. 



DIARRHEA. 



This term is applied to all cases of simple purging in which the 

 feces (dung) are loose, liquid, and frequently discharged. 



Diarrhea may bo a spontaneous effort to discharge from the mtes- 

 tines something which is obnoxious to them or to the system gen- 



