290 MERCIFUL DESTRUCTION, 



congested, or hopelessly obstructed by blood that is fast becoming 

 an immovable, and therefore putrifyino; mass, the only humane, 

 and the only wise thing to do is to put a charge of shot through 

 the horse's brain, or consign him to some equally painless death. 

 He must suffer intensely ; he will require a great deal of careful 

 nursing day and night ; he will most likely not recover at all ; 

 he will be some months before he can be fit for anything, and 

 then he will never be a sound horse : never one that a humane 

 man would like to work himself or to- sell to a brute that would 

 work him. 



701). — We have known a man who could well afford to shoot 

 s, poor animal that had served him well for some years, pay eight 

 pounds to a veterinary surgeon, four pounds for day and night 

 nursing, and certainly not less than ten pounds for four months 

 keep, and then sell the poor free animal for four pounds, to see 

 him come panting and roaring by his house every day in a baker's 

 cart. 



710. — S. Sidney, in his sensible and beautifully illustrated 

 ■" Book of the Horse," says, speaking of this disease — " In the 

 ■case of a low priced horse, with an acute attack we are convinced 

 that the cheapest plan is to have him killed at once. He 

 will be three months on the sick list ; the surgeon's bill, night 

 work included, will be ten or twelve pounds ; and if he comes 

 ■out a roarer, as he probably will, he will not be worth that sum, 

 unless he is big enough and strong enough for a plough or 

 harrow horse." We fail to see why this should be limited to a 

 low priced horse, as that would not affect his value as a 

 wreck. 



711. — Youatt puts the hopelessness of complete recovery- 

 very clearly when he says in reference to this disease, — "A 

 surgeon who practises on the human body will obtain the 

 gratitude of his patient, if he so far removes a severe affection as 

 to enable him to live on with a certain degree of comfort, 

 although his activity and his power of exertion may be consider- 

 ably impaired ; but the veterinary surgeon is thought to have 

 •done nothing unless he renders the animal perfectly sound — 

 unless, in fact, he does that which is absolutely impossible to 

 accomplish." 



