Stomach Staggers ; its Symptoms. 171 



chewing it, the hay falling from its mouth. 

 Many instances have occurred where the disease 

 has been allowed to acquire such an ascendency 

 that the horse will drop down and die while in 

 the act of eating. In other cases the drowsiness 

 goes off, and is succeeded by delirium, and after 

 falling, rising, and staggering about will die in 

 convulsions. The stomach staggers are indicated 

 by a twitching of the muscles of the breast, and 

 a yellowness of the eyes. Before a remedy is 

 attempted, it must first be ascertained what has 

 been the cause; the more so from the fact that 

 mad staggers in its early symptoms are exactly 

 the same. In this disorder it may be well sup- 

 posed that medicine Avill have but little effect 

 from the gorged state of the stomach. Some 

 veterinary surgeons recommend bleeding, but for 

 why, it is impossible to tell, as no benefit is 

 derived from it. That which debilitates the 

 system can hardly be expected to assist the 

 action of the stomach. Probably the best thing 

 to do is to let nature work its own cure, by 

 abstaining from giving food. As no certain cure 

 is known, it is best to use prevention, and guard 

 against it. The author has always adopted the 

 following plan — Take away every particle of 

 food, tie the horse's head up so that it cannot 

 get at anything to eat; dissolve six drachms of 

 Barbadoes aloes in warm water, and drench the 

 horse with it ; keep giving warm water at inter- 

 vals, and when the stomach is relieved of its 

 load, it may recover. Many instances occur of 

 rupture of the stomach from expansion by con- 



