ADDING FUEL TO FIRE. 295 



upon the early indications of this disease, that they are obliged 

 to settle the point by trying some of the discharge on the nose of 

 a worthless donkey or horse. It would therefore be impossible to 

 give sufficiently reliable directions in a book. 



DISEASES OF THE URINARY ORGANS. 



726. — The horse that has as much corn as he can eat, with 

 no roots or green food, generally voids thick, ropy urine, passing 

 it in small quantities, with more or less straining, and evident 

 pain. This state of discomfort is often made much worse by the 

 administration of drugs and poisons, called diuretic medicines. 

 In many stables we find nitre, rosin, or turpentine always at hand, 

 and given to a horse as carelessly as if they were a bunch of 

 carrots. Even Youatt says, "When the groom finds this 

 difficulty, or suppression of staling, he immediately has recourse 

 to a diurectic ball to force on the urine, and by thus farther 

 irritating a part already too much excited, he adds fuel to fire, 

 and frequently destroys the horse." Their destructive effect is 

 greatly aggravated by the common, cruel practice of keeping the 

 horse short of water, so that whilst injuriously stimulating the 

 kidneys, to make them do more work, the only medium by which 

 they can do their work at all, is withheld. Mow-burned hay,, 

 and either musty, or kiln-dried oats, act injuriously on the 

 kidneys, and a strain of the loins will some times communicate 

 inflammation to them ; though much more frequently inflammation 

 of the kidneys is mistaken for a strain. 



INFLAMMATION OF THE KIDNEYS 



727.— May be very severe, and destroy the horse in a few 

 days, or it may hang about him for months, and even years, with 

 little notice taken of it. It is indicated by a straddling, stiff 

 gait of the hind legs, a difficulty in turning round, and a crouching 

 with pain when the loins are pressed on. A continual desire to 

 void urine, which comes in small quantities, and is often, but 

 not always, high coloured— sometimes bloody. 



728. — The corn should be withheld, the hay very limited, 

 and very good. Roots and wet bran may be freely given, so as 



