HORSES. 



113 



them ; or this vexatious creature may gulp down luxu- 

 rious food, and become so extended as to allow medi- 

 cines to act upon him more powerfully, or he may 

 become drowsy with satiety, or dormant, or drunk, and, 

 like bipeds thus situated, know not what he is about, 

 and let go his hold, and be carried off by a powerful 

 cathartic. 



Many a horse that has had the colic, inflammation of 

 the bowels, obstinate constipation, or other disease, has 

 been doctored for the bots, and sometimes killed by im- 

 proper treatment, or by numerous and powerful doses j 

 when he might have been cured, with good manage- 

 ment, or nature would have done the work if he had 

 been let alone. In one case, boiling water was poured 

 dovm a horse's throat, to destroy the bots, and it was 

 effectual ; but it was similar to the case of poor Pat Mur- 

 phy, who was sentenced to be hanged, and saved his life 

 by dying in prison. Again, a medicine may cure the 

 colic, or the horse may recover in spite of the mtdicine, 

 and then that medicine is recommended as infallible for 

 bots. 



As the symptoms of the bots and colic are similar, and 

 one may be mistaken for the other, it may be well to 

 give a medicine that is good for both. Be cautious 

 about giving powerful doses in uncertain cases. Some- 

 times horses are supposed to have the bots when consti- 

 pation of the bowels is the trouble. 



Symptoms. Sometimes old horses that are hard 

 worked exhibit no symptoms until a short time before a 

 severe attack, or death. In young horses, the symptoms 

 are more evident. In general, the horse loses flesh, eats 

 sparingly, coughs, bites his flanks, strikes forcibly on the 

 ground with his fore feet, and at his belly with his hind 

 ones ; shows symptoms of uneasiness, such as groaning, 

 and looking back on his sides, lying down, &c. His 

 belly projecting and hard. In violent cases, without 

 remedy, these symptoms increase, and a discharge from 

 the nose commonly takes place, and at length stiffness 

 of the legs and neck, staggering, laborious breathing, 

 spasms, and death 



Preventives. ]Make as few sudden changes in food 

 10* 



