CHAPTER XXXVII. 



MEDICINES. 



The practical sheep doctor will give the tarpot the first place 

 in his materia medica, because it is both a preventive and a curative 

 agent for a variety of troubles both of the skin, the flesh, and 

 the hoofs, and he can trust anybody to apply a dab of tar, which may 

 save fly-striking and infection of wounds, and preserve injured or 

 foot-rotted feet until more particular attention can be given. 

 Stockholm or Archangel tar is always meant, and the purchaser 

 should be explicit about this, or he may be supplied with coal 

 tar. 



Simple remedies are throughout this veterinary section recom- 

 mended, because they are obtainable almost everywhere ; they 

 are usually safe, and it is far better to have an intimate knowledge 

 of the effects of a few tried drugs than to rely on nostrums which 

 may not be available when wanted. 



Remedies have for the most part to be given to sheep in their 

 food, and powders are preferred. They should be intimately mixed 

 in order to give an approximate dose to each animal, and no more 

 food should be given at the time than is likely to be cleared up 

 at one meal and one dose. 



If drenching has to be performed, the doctor or " nurse " will 

 keep dogs out of the way, and get his patient into a corner and 

 secure him with the least possible excitement and noise. The 

 drench may be given in a horn, but a stout sauce bottle has the 

 advantage of transparency, and one can see how much has been 

 given. The head of the patient should never be turned, but held 

 straight many accidents resulting from neglect of this precaution. 

 The gullet of the sheep is relatively large, and a good quantity is 

 easily swallowed if the lip of the bottle is first pressed against the 

 palate so as to let the sheep know that something is coming, and 

 then he involuntarily closes the glottis to prevent medicine " going 

 the wrong way." With cattle as well as sheep, ninety-nine per 

 cent, of accidents occur for want of this simple precaution. 



Medicines should be diluted with plenty of water, although 

 this necessitates more time in administration. Salines act better 



