C38 THE HORSE 



In giving a drench two persons are necessary, the operator standing at 

 tLe right shoulder, while the assistant is ready to steady the head and aid 

 him on the left. The operator raises the head with his left hand beneath 

 the jaw, and with his right he forces the lip of the bottle or horn into the 

 side of the mouth, and, raising the small end, pours the contents in. If 

 the horse is violent, a twitch must be placed on the nose, and held by 

 the assistant. The horn must not be passed far into the mouth, or any 

 unnecessary violence used, for fear of producing a cough ; in which case, 

 the hand must be instantly lowered. A neglect of this precaution will 

 probably cause some of the liquid to pass into the larynx. 



CLYSTERS 



Are most valuable agents, if properly administered. The best syringe 

 for the purpose is Read's, by which any quantity may be thrown up ; and 

 in colic, some gallons of warm water are sometimes required to produce the 

 desired effect. For an ordinary opening clyster, a handful or two of com- 

 mon salt may be dissolved in five or six quarts of warm water. 



BACK-RAKING 



Is effected by passing the greased hand and arm into the rectum, and 

 withdrawing any hardened faeces which may have accumulated there. 

 When the quantity of these is great, the hand must be passed several times, 

 until it cannot reach any more. Whenever physic is given to an unprepared 

 horse, as is sometimes necessary in severe disease, this precaution should 

 never be neglected. There may be some trouble in passing an unusually 

 large hand into the rectum of a very small ponj'^, but no hand of average 

 size is nearly so large as the mass of dung commonly present ; and those 

 who are not above doing a dirty job when duty requires it, well know by 

 experience that the hand and arm may be passed to the shoulder without 

 giving any pain whatever. Instruments are useful when they cannot be 

 dispensed with, but they are always Hable to cause laceration. 



