DISEASES OF THE LIVER, URINARY ORGANS, ETC. 343 



and let it remain until the second day. Kow wash out with 

 soap and water, and apply the lard and salt as before. This 

 treatment must be continued until the parts are well, or 

 until the foul smell that communicates to the hand or cloth 

 employed has entirely disappeared. 



Bathe the outside of the sheath, two or three times a day, 

 with cold water, if it is in the summer time, but in the 

 winter have the water warmed. If the horse is in quite 

 a bad condition, or has fever, bleed once, taking three or 

 four quarts of blood, and give him plenty of sulphur and 

 resin. Do not work him until he is well again. 



COLT FOUNDER. 



During the years from 1850 to 1856 inclusive, a remark- 

 able disease prevailed extensively in many parts of the val- 

 ley of the Mississippi among brood-mares, to which the peo- 

 ple of those sections gave the name of colt founder. It 

 always occurred while the mare was heavy with foal, and 

 first showed itself by tenderness and soreness of the loins, 

 accompanied by fever. This soon brought on extreme de- 

 bility, ending in complete prostration and death. In some 

 instances, a few days sufficed to reduce the sufferer so much 

 that she was "on the lift," while in others the disease did 

 its work much more slowly. 



Two out of every three mares thus attacked died sooner 

 or later, and above one-half of these before foaling. If the 

 animal succeeded in giving birth to the colt, she sometimes 

 recovered, but more frequently she died before this took 

 place. We have known a number of colts born when the 

 mothers were so weak that they could not stand on their 

 feet; and, in most of these cases, the offspring were not only 

 born alive, but were raised by hand, and made tine horses. 

 The comparatively few mares that recovered after parturi- 

 tion did so only after a long time, and a large proportion 

 were feeble, and disqualified for service for a twelvemonth 

 afterward. 



One feature of the disease, in particular, was well calculated 



*¥ 



