Treatment. 295 



gestion of food. The diagnosis may be assisted by ascertaining 

 whether any errors in diet have been committed. 



Treatment. The proper regulation of diet is of much more 

 importance in the treatment of chronic gastric catarrh than the 

 adniinistration of medicines. By properly selected food, given 

 in a proper manner, it is indeed frequently possible to cure di- 

 gestive disturbances or at least to keep the animals in a fair 

 state of nutrition, while the administration of medicines alone 

 has very little value and an often repeated medication will fre- 

 quently make the condition worse. 



Those food stuffs are best which are juicy, soft, mashy in 

 consistency, since they remain in the stomach a comparatively 

 short time and are easily passed into the intestines. Her- 

 bivora do best wdth fresh green feed, soft hay, oats, straw not 

 chopped too short with some oats, bran or oat-cuttings, also 

 bulbous plants; the cereals which are more difficult to digest 

 are less to be recommended; if they cannot be avoided, how- 

 ever, they ought to be superficially roasted or their flour ought 

 to be first macerated at body temperature. In some cases prep- 

 arations containing diastase, such as diastasolin or diafarin 

 may be administered with floury suspensions. (According to 

 Scliade a horse ought to receive one-half pound of oat-flour 

 stirred ^\ith one quart of cold water; this is then poured into 

 two quarts of boiling water ; when the starchy emulsion so pre- 

 pared has cooled down to 55° C, 13 gin. diastolin, previously 

 stirred up in a cupful of lukewarm water, is added ; the sacchari- 

 fication of the starch is complete in twenty to thirty minutes. In 

 carnivora one may advantageously give meat broth wath the yolk 

 of eggs, finely chopped and salted meat of young animals, also 

 milk-stews, etc. All conditions which prevent proper mastication 

 must be looked after; the improvement of the condition of the 

 teeth in older horses frequently leads to long-lasting improve- 

 ment of digestion. 



Drugs should be administered only in combination 

 with the proper food, and as a measure to support the 

 dietetic regime. Hydrochloric acid does very well in small 

 doses (for large animals 10.0-15.0 gm., for small ones 0.5-1.0 

 gm.) added to the drinking water or given very much diluted 

 (1:250 may be given as a draught); such doses may be con- 

 tinued for a considerable time. Their effect may be increased 

 by the addition of pepsin (5-10 gm. for large or 0.1-1 gm. for 

 small animals). The neutral salts are to be recommended; her- 

 bivora may have access to rock salt, so that they can lick it when 

 they like, or the salt may be powdered and added to the feed. 

 Artificial Carlsbad salt has a good effect; it is mixed with the 

 food for horses (30-50.0 gm.) or given in the form of pills to 

 ruminants (50-80 gm.) or it may be given for weeks, dissolved in 

 water one-half to one hour before ingestion of food. In order to 

 stimulate the secretion of the peptic glands, bitters may be added 



