96 THE HORSE. 



Constipation. — This is caused by the food beiug of a 

 dry nature, and by the want of laxative food in the diet. When 

 a horse is suffering from constipation, the dung is hard and 

 dry in texture, dark in colour, bad-smelling, and closely balled 

 into small-sized pellets. Treatment consists in administering 

 a pint or a pint-and-a-half of linseed oil, and giving plenty of 

 laxative food, such as green forage, roots, and bi-an and linseed 

 mashes. The allowance of corn should be somewliat reduced, 

 and no straw must be fed. In default of linseed oil, Epsom 

 salts may be given, the dose being half a pound, to be given 

 as a drench, dissolved in water. Should linseed oil fail to act 

 satisfactorily, Epsom salts must be tried after a couple of days. 

 The horse can be worked as usual. 



Lampa.s. — The complaint known as " lanipas " consists 

 in a swollen condition of the roof of the mouth, which latter 

 will, as a consequence, j^roject beyond the level of the incisor 

 teeth. The roof of the nmuth is also more or less tender. A 

 horse suffering from lamjDas does not eat his food with relish 

 on account of the tenderness of the i^alate. The causes of the 

 complaint are indigestion and cold, while in the case of young 

 horses, the cause is frequently teething. Treatment consists 

 in giving a quarter of a pound of Epsom salts daily in the 

 food for three days, and increasing the allowance of laxative 

 food. If cold is the cause, the latter must be treated. In the 

 case of lampas caused through teething, the palate may be 

 bathed with a strong solution of alum in water about three 

 times a day, until the swollen condition subsides. The horse 

 should only be Avorked lightly until it eats its food as usual. 



Worms. — Young horses are particularly liable to suffer 

 from worms, but these parasites also affect old or very poor 

 horses. A horse infested with worms loses condition, becomes 

 pot-bellied, and the coat looks rough ; there is a general a]> 

 pearance of unthriftiness, despite a good appetite and plenty of 

 food. Worms are also frequently passed in the dung. There 

 are several different kinds of worms parasitic in the liorse, 

 which vary in size and shape. All are whitish or yellowish in 



