124 



MODERN HORSE MANAGEMENT 



[chap. 



or in the form of a powder. The action, how- 

 ever, is slow. 



6. Rectal injection, i.e. per rectum, used 

 when the patient is in convulsions or a coma, 

 also in tetanus and for local effects, as for the 

 cure of worms in the large intestine. 



7. Inunction consists in mixing the drugs up 

 with a vehicle to form an ointment or liniment 

 which is rubbed through the skin. The vehicle 

 must be either an animal or vegetable fat ; 

 mineral fats are only absorbed very slightly, if 

 at all, by the skin. 



Wool fat, lanoline, lard, and oleic acid are 

 absorbed rapidly through the skin, and should 

 always be used for making ointments ; petrola- 

 tum and vaseline are not. 



494. Notes on the Use of Drugs. — Absorp- 

 tion occurs through wounds and abscesses very 

 rapidly, therefore great care must be taken in 

 applying drugs to these cases. I remember a 

 horse that died after its coat had been soaked 

 all over with kerosene oil, and another that 

 almost died from having its coat soaked all over 

 with 5 per cent, solution of creolin, in each case 

 with the idea of curing mange. The symptoms 

 are identical with those of taking the poison by 

 the mouth. Iodoform is a dangerous drug if 

 used over large surfaces, especially wounds. 



An animal can do without food for several 

 days provided large quantities of normal saline 

 solution (-85 per cent, solution of salt, NaCl, 

 in distilled water) is injected per rectum. An 

 empty stomach absorbs more rapidly than a full 

 one, although it is not so vascular, i.e. its blood 

 vessels are not so well filled with blood. In cases 

 of puncturing from bloating, drugs may be intro- 

 duced through the opening, i.e. through the 

 cannula before it is withdrawn. 



495. In whichever way a drug is adminis- 

 tered it eventually reaches the blood ; if given 

 per Oram it reaches the intestines and the blood 

 by passing, by means of osmosis, through the 

 cells of the intestines and of the walls of the 

 blood vessels. From the blood it reaches the 

 liver, and certain cumulative poisons such as 

 salts of mercury, arsenic, antimony, silver, tin, 

 bismuth, and lead, remain in the liver, and if re- 

 peated continually, cause a slow death, hence the 

 danger of playing with these metallic salts. 



496. Administering Drugs. 



Balling. — The most convenient way of giving 

 a horse medicine is to give it in the form of a 

 ball or a capsule. 



A ball is composed of the drug in powder or 

 syrup form, mixed with a vehicle to make it of 

 the right consistency. {See " Purgatives," Sec. 

 514.) A capsule consists of a hard gelatine cup- 

 shaped box, with a lid that slips on ; it holds 

 nearly an ounce of most drugs. Any form of 

 drug can be put into it, but warm drugs must 

 not be left in many minutes, because they will 

 melt the gelatine. 



To give a ball, take a good but gentle hold of 

 the tongue with the left hand, and draw it out 

 of the mouth a little way, holding it between the 

 right molars so that the horse cannot close his 

 mouth. With the right-hand fingers take hold of 

 the ball or capsule parallel to the fingers, be- 

 tween thumb, first, and fourth fingers, squeezing 

 the hand so as to make it of as small a compass 

 as possible. Turn the sleeve up and insert the 

 hand rapidly right to the back of the tongue, and 

 throw the ball over the tongue into the foramen 

 caecum, which is directly in front of the pharynx. 

 At the same time let go the tongue, and the horse 

 will withdraw the tongue and cause the ball to 

 slip down his throat. If the tongue is held for 

 too long a period, the horse may be able to cough 

 the ball up again. There are mucous glands 

 around the base of the tongue that make the ball 

 slip easily into the pharynx and down the gullet. 

 The horse must not be frightened, but taken 

 quite quietly. The weight of a ball must not ex- 

 ceed 1 oz. ; the size not greater than 3 in. in 

 length and 1 in. in diameter. It is a good plan 

 to put a glove, with the fingers cut off, on the 

 right hand, to prevent the molars from scratch- 

 ing it. 



497. Drenching. — In giving a drench the 

 horse's head must not be tied up, as there is 

 always a danger of the horse choking. However, 

 unlike the cow, sheep and pig, a horse can 

 completely close the back of its mouth if it 

 wishes ; the other animals named cannot. And 

 thus many cases have occurred where liquids 

 have been poured directly into the lungs of the 

 unfortunate animal who has refused to swallow 

 the drench. 



The horse must be handled quietly so that he 

 may associate pleasant sensations with the pro- 

 cess, and a tit-bit should be given afterwards. 

 One can easily hold the jaw up with one hand 

 and pour a little of the drench from a soda- 

 water bottle or drenching horn over the bars of 

 the mouth in front of the molar teeth, though 

 an assistant to hold the horse's head up may be 

 necessary. If the head is held up at all by a 

 rope, the rope must pass over a pulley in the ceil- 

 ing, so that it can be let loose directly there is 

 any sign of choking. The drench must always 

 be diluted with a pint or more of water. After 

 each mouthful is poured into the mouth the 

 throat should not be rubbed, which is a dan- 

 gerous habit, but the horse should be made to 

 swallov/ by pressing one's thumb gently but 

 firmly up against the hyoid bone, in between the 

 rami of the lower jawbone, which can be felt as 

 a little lump about half-way down the jaw. The 

 dangers of harming a horse from drenching are 

 very slight compared with those in the case of a 

 cow. I remember one cow which died before its 

 head was let down. The ignorant vet. had tied 

 its head up securely, and poured a bottle of liquid 

 into its mouth. The cow refused to swallow. 



