DISEASES AND TREATMENT OF THE HORSE 155 



II. — Diarrhoea in Young Animals. 



Causes. — Exposure to cold or lying upon the damp 

 ground in the spring or fall may bring it on because of the 

 chilling effect on the bowels. Should the mother's milk 

 be very rich, or on the other hand very weak, it will have a 

 tendency to affect the foal in this way. Hot milk from the' 

 mother when overheated from working hard acts in the same 

 manner. 



Symptoms. — Passage of much fluid manure, which sticks 

 around his legs and tail, is an important symptom. The 

 patient becomes weak, sickly and very gaunt, and his coat 

 will be staring. 



Treatment. — If the mother's milk be weak, try to im- 

 prove it by giving plenty of nourishing food. Should the 

 cause be mother's milk when she is heated, always milk a 

 little out before the foal gets a chance to suck. 



If a strong foal, give: 



Castor Oil 1 ounce or 4 dessertspoonfuls. 



Laudanum 10 to 15 drops 



If this does not relieve him in five hours, follow up with 



Laudanum 10 to 20 drops. 



Brandy or Whisky...^ to 1 ounce or 2 to 4 dessertspoonfuls. 



Mix with some of the mother's milk and give as a drench 

 three times a day. In severe cases keep the foal warm and 

 apply a light mustard plaster to his belly. 

 12. Bloody Flux (Dysentery). 



This disease affects the lining of the large bowels, in 

 which large ulcers are formed. These bleed and cause the 

 manure to be streaked with blood. 



Causes. — It is often the result of a severe attack of 

 diarrhcea, of pasturing on wet, marshy lands, of eating hay 

 on such lands, or of using impure water. 



Symptoms.— The passages from the bowels are streaked 

 with blood and have a bad smell. Sometimes slime comes 

 away with the manure. The appetite is poor and in some 

 cases entirely gone. The pulse is weak and about 50 beats 

 per minute. Colicky or cramping pains in the bowels accom- 

 panies these symptoms. 



Treatment. — This disease is in some cases treated with- 

 out success, and bad cases are considered very serious. Give 

 the following: 



Raw Linseed Oi 

 Castor Oil 



pint, 

 pint. 



Laudanum . 1 ounce or 4 dessertspoonfuls 



