STABRnSA.] 



MODERN VETERINAHY PRACTICE. [cbib-bxtino. 



is called tvash-hcUird. AViion it ia protrnctcd, 

 the niiiinal lo.-;ea his a]r|)t.'titt.', his couiitiMianco 

 becomes dull, the ekiu KeiieniUy liiv, hard, 

 and the coat staring. Ultimately great de- 

 bility and emaciation, and swelling of the legs, 

 ot'ten supervene. Sometimea the disease arisis 

 from ulceration of the surface of the in- 

 testines. The bile also, from some peculiar 

 change in its nature, occasioned principally 

 by bad food, will produce diarrhoea. The 

 disease, though not so much thought of as it 

 ought to be, is the cause of many a valuable 

 animal becoming a victim, from iiiij)roper 

 treatment ; for some people are apt to go to 

 the other extreme, and administer a long list 

 of astringents to stay the purging, which is 

 liighly improper. Debility, and dtbility alone, 

 is the cause of diarrhoea, let it be brought on 

 by whatever means it may. 



For its treatment, first, a proper attention 

 should be paid to the food of the animal, such 

 as his hay and corn, which ought to be of the 

 very best quality. Then give of 



Blue Pill .... U oz. 



Sulphate of Iron. . . 16 drachms. 



Glauber Salts ... 16 do. 



Liquid Laudanum . . 16 do. 



Linseed Meal ... 16 do. 



Mix the sulphate of irou with the glauber 

 salts together in a mortar, and pound them 

 very fine ; then add the other ingredients, 

 working them well together. 



Divide into twelve balls, and give one morn- 

 ing and night. 



Boil a teacupful of rice, until it is entirely 

 soft; then squeeze it through a thin tamis, or 

 cloth, and give it in the horse's water to drink. 



Should these means not succeed, give the 

 following : — 



Sulphate of Iron . . 

 Arsenic .... 

 Gentian .... 

 Cape Aloes . 

 Mix well together, and form into a mass, with soft 

 soap. 



Divide into twelve balls, and give one every 

 morning. 



By pursuing this course of strengthening 

 medicine, the horse will speedily regain his 

 appetite, and his usual courage and power. 

 In some cases it is recommended to give a 

 few cordial halls, aa prescribed in the foregoing 

 2 H 



12 drachms. 



1 do. 

 12 do. 

 12 do. 



case, at intervals, until the diHoaso id i-ntirely 

 removed. 



CIUIMHTING. 



The peculiar action of crib-biting cannot bo 

 mistaken, on seeing the horse? that has it, feed ; 

 for, at every swallow, an eructation is [)roduced, 

 which, by making the edge of the mangiT a 

 fixed point, he is enabled to do with ease. 

 This has, by sume writers, been said to be ex- 

 ceedingly ])ainful to the animal; but, very fre- 

 quently, we find crib-bitters not only high-con- 

 ditioned animals, but fat ; and whatever creates 

 pain, cannot produce fat. Still there is a dif- 

 ference in crib-biting horses. Some will crib 

 badly, and get fat ; others will become lean ; 

 and this appears extraordinary at first sight, 

 but is of great importance ; for, as the horso 

 keeps in ilesh or condition with crib-biting, or 

 falls ofi', so will he bo sound or otherwise. 



The disease, or habit, more properly speaking, 

 takes place mostly in young animals ; and here 

 our opinion diifers from many others ; for wo 

 think it is frequently occasioned by uneasiness 

 in cutting the breeding-teeth. Sometimes the 

 cause is, from horses being ill- fed, when they 

 are particularly hungry. Many animals wear 

 away their fore teeth to such a degree that 

 these will not meet, which arises from the 

 inability to gather up their food. But there 

 is one decided symptom of taking in air, and 

 expelling it also at the same moment; for, if it 

 is observed that the horse, while swallowing, 

 expels air, and at the same moment inhales 

 fresh, it is shown in the operation by the ex- 

 pansion of his nostrils. 



By some writers, crib-biting has been de- 

 scribed as similar to dyspepsia in the human 

 subject ; but this is impossible, or bow would 

 one Iwrse take it from the other standing in 

 the same stable ? — which we have known fre- 

 quently to be the case ; and it is a well-knowu 

 fact, that no training groom will allow a crib- 

 biter to stand in his stable. "We could give 

 numbers of instances to prove the propensity 

 of its being infectious, having had upwards of 

 one hundred and fifty hack horses at one time, 

 and four or five of them rank cribbers. 

 There have been persons who have attempted 

 to introduce cures for crib-biting, but they have 

 not always proved infallible. One is, to buckle 

 a strap round the neck of the horse tightly, 



233 



