ASCARIDES AND LUMBRICI. 



797 



are small white worms — needle or whip worms — which com 

 monly infest the rectum, and very often the colon, being very 

 abundant in the flexures of that intestine. They escape by the 

 anus, and cause irritation, manifested by the horse rubbing its 

 tail against any hard substance, such as the walls of its stable, 

 or whisking it about in an irritable manner. If the anus and 

 perineum be examined, small masses of a yellowish- white looking 

 substance will be found adhering to the skin : these are the eggs 

 of the worms discharged from the body. 



Treatment. — It is a difficult matter to destroy these parasites. 

 Sometimes an aloetic cathartic will cause the expulsion of nume- 

 rous lumhrici from the horse, but the remedy is uncertain. Oil 

 of turpentine stands in high repute, and doubtless is more 

 anthelmintic than any other in the horse, but it cannot always 

 be depended upon. Aconite, in some instances, wiU cause the 

 expulsion of the parasites, as is seen when it is employed in 

 the treatment of inflammatory diseases. When associated with 

 emaciation and debility, the salts of iron prove of much service ; 

 they not only have the effect of destroying the worms, but, by 

 causing an improvement in the general health of the animal 

 which they infest, render it an unfit habitat for the parasites, for 

 it is a well-known fact that when the condition of the animal's 

 body is weakly, it is more liable to be infested by parasites of 

 various kinds. 



In the dog, emetics will sometimes cause the expulsion of the 

 Ascaris marginata when in the stomach ; if these fail, santonine, 

 in from three to five or eight grain doses, according to the size 

 of the animal, or the etherial extract of the male shield fern, is 

 to be administered every second or third day, taking care to 

 watch their action upon the patient, as santonine will some- 

 times cause straining and other signs of irritation. 



The oxyuris may sometimes be destroyed in great numbers by 

 enemas, consisting of decoctions of quassia, gentian, or even 

 wormwood. These enemata are to be frequently repeated, and 

 their action may be aided by purgatives. The introduction of a 

 small piece of mercurial ointment into the rectum is a very 

 common practice in some parts of the country, and it seems to 

 answer very well, not only preventing the migration of the 

 parasites, but actually destroying them. 



