228 AMERICAN FARMER'S HORSE BOOK. 



When the bottoms of the feet are well, the ankles will swell 

 no more. In those rare cases where the swelling proceeds 

 from plethora, bleeding will be proper. 



The best diet will be something relaxing. An alterative 

 will be found beneficial in most cases. For this purpose, the 

 powders mentioned in Section YII, of Chapter XXIV, may 

 be employed. 



SURFEIT. 



Unlike the disorders we have been thus far considering 

 in this chapter, surfeit is a general disease of the skin, in- 

 stead of a local affection. It is usually of a mild type in this 

 country, and seldom does any particular injury; and if the 

 horse can have the privilege of a good pasture, it will gen- 

 erally go away of itself. It generally makes its appearance 

 in the spring, either at the time of shedding, or immediately 

 afterward, when the skin is more nearly bared and exposed 

 than at any other period of the year. 



Surfeit always indicates a thick and impure state of the 

 blood. It is not often an evidence of a settled unhealthful- 

 ness of the general system, or of any chronic disease ; for 

 sometimes the best of horses are troubled with it. But it 

 ♦ does tell, very frequently, of neglectful keeping and poor 

 stables, although horses occasionally have it amid the most 

 favorable surroundings possible. 



The blood being too thick and the circulation too slug- 

 gish, when the hair falls oft", the skin is suddenly exposed to 

 the variations of temperature, and other atmospheric condi- 

 tions, and, perhaps, to cold rains and winds. The horse is 

 chilled, slight inflammation arises, and the cuticle of the skin 

 becomes hard and dry^ from the closing of the pores and the 

 retention of the oily secretions, whose proper office is to 

 moisten and lubricate the surface. Little pustules appear 

 upon the skin, and from the tops of these exudes a thin, 

 whitish, oily matter. It is the long-pent-up unctuous secre- 

 tion which is now escaping, somewhat changed by disease. 

 It flows only in very minute quantities, and not much faster 

 than in health. The little, scabby excrescences which it 



