15 



treatment will be needed, except giving nitre water and soft cooling 

 food for a few days (this I have seen done in scores of cases) ; but 

 the bleeding should only be done by a Veterinary Surgeon. The 

 advantage of blood-letting is, that it relieves the overloaded system 

 quickly. To depend upon purgatives for this purpose, either for horses 

 or cattle, would be loss of time, because it takes from 24 to 30 hours 

 in the horse, and frequently longer in cattle, to act on the bowels, 

 while it is very difficult to unload the system by perspiration ; 

 therefore, early blood-letting, in many cases, is advantageous, at least, 

 it is so in country practice. Bleeding in the past was abused ; in the 

 present, as a remedy, it needs to he judiciously used. 



41. Septic Fever. — Again, we have fever arising from specific or 

 germic causes, such as Influenza, Pink Eye — Exudative Cellulitis, 

 — Septicaemia, and Pyaemia. Such cases are of a more formidable 

 character than simple fever, and should at once be put under the care 

 of a qualified practitioner, as the treatment is quite different to that 

 of simple fever, requiring antiseptics and nourishing diet to keep up 

 the strength. Quinine in these cases stands well to the front, and 

 may be given three or four times a day ; Hyposulphate of Soda in 

 2 oz. doses, and Chlorate of Potash in 3 dr. doses, are also given 

 alternately every six or eight hours, with nourishing gruels, linseed 

 jellies, green food, carrots, hay tea, &c. (See Appendix.) 



42. From these remarks it will be seen that from the various 

 constitutions and the different forms of disease which are met with, 

 and the great differences in their treatment, it is quite unsafe to start 

 and tinker with them unless the nature of the complaint is thoroughl}^ 

 understood. My advice is this : In the first place, get a clinical 

 thermometer, which can be had from 3/6 to 10/- each ; and, if you 

 have an animal ailing, take its temperature, by passing the thermometer 

 into the rectum. If it rises to 103° or 104° (normal temperature of the 

 horse being 100° to loi"; cow, 101° to 102°; sheep, 103° to 104°) (See 

 Appendix), you should lose no time in calling in a qualified veterinary 

 practitioner ; as the case may be looked upon as tending to be serious. 



