576 THE PRACTICE OF VETERINARY MEDICINE. 



weather the bod}^ should be judiciously clothed. Patients 

 are often lost through neglect of this precaution. The legs 

 should be well hand-rubbed and flannel-bandaged. Pure 

 cold water, which the animal should be encouraged to take 

 freely, and good wholesome food of a light character, but 

 nutritious and laxative, should be allowed. If the appetite 

 is very poor, anything may be given that the animal will eat, 

 as a carrot, a bit of nice hay, grass, etc. In certain cases 

 beef- tea, milk, and eggs may be given occasionally. 



Medicinal remedies, as a rule, are those that tend to sup- 

 port the system and assist nature to throw off the disease, 

 such as the preparations of sodium and potassium, particu- 

 larly the latter. Full doses of potassse nitras may be 

 administered for the first twenty-four or forty-eight hours, 

 then followed with potassse chlorat. in doses of 5ii. — 3iii. 

 three times a day for four or five days. Medicines may 

 be given in the drinking-water if the animal will take them 

 in that way ; if not, they must be given in a draught ; but 

 if the throat is involved, great care must be exercised in the 

 administration of draughts, and the slightest cough should 

 be regarded as a signal to allow the head of the animal to 

 descend, even at the risk of wasting the medicine. In over- 

 acidity of the stomach, soda3 bicarb, should be given. The 

 judicious administration of stimulants is highly beneficial, 

 as liq. acet. amnion, in doses of 5ii. — 5iii. in water; alcohol, 

 ale or beer, whisky, wine, nitrous ether, ammonia carb., 

 etc., are all good. On the whole, alcoholic stimulants are 

 the best of all to use. Where much depression exists, milk 

 and good whisky may be given with great benefit, in the 

 proportion of two parts of the former to one of the latter 

 Occasionally a case is met with where sedatives are indicated, 

 but such cases are extremely rare. 



Purgation and venesection should never be resorted to 

 under any circumstances. If the throat is sore, fomenta- 



