110 DISEASES OF THE DIGESTIVE ORGANS, ETC. 



red-liot iron, or scarifying it with a knife. The reason- 

 able treatment of an ailment proceeding from heat or 

 disorder of the stomach will be to withhold all heating 

 food, at all events to a great extent, giving occasional 

 mashes, also tonics and alteratives, the latter to those of 

 full habit, the former in cases of evident debility. 



DISEASES OF THE DIGESTIVE AND URINARY 



ORGANS. 



Diarrhoea and Dysentery. — The first (diarrhcea, or 

 mere looseness) is, in the horse, seldom more than a tem- 

 porary debility. In many cases it is an effort of nature 

 to relieve herself, and will probably effect its own cure. 



The symptoms require no definition, except that it 

 may be remarked that they are almost invariably unac- 

 companied by pain or any other inconvenience. Rest, 

 and the use of more astringent food, and leaving a piece 

 of chalk in the manger (which, with horses subject to 

 diarrhoea, should never be absent), will in all probability 

 arrest the attack, which may, to a certain extent, proceed 

 from a predisposition to acidity. 



Animals disposed to this disease should be fed on a 

 drier description of food. 



Dysentery is, on the contrary, a highly dangerous 

 illness, accompanied with pain. 



It mostly commences with excessive purgation, the 

 evacuations being mere foul Avater in appearance, and 

 stinking. The beast will drink greedily ; the jDulse is 

 w^eak ; great anguish of body perceptible, the perspira- 

 tion breaking out in patches. 

 ' On the first appearance of such dangerous symptoms, 



