59 



SKIN DISEASES, SURFEIT. ETC. 



An able correspondent of the Field tliiis write.-^ : •• Two distinct 

 foi-ms of sui-feit, attended . with intense itching, occur very fre- 

 quenth^ among working horses, and are sometimes very difficult 

 to cure. One form of the disease is characterised by redness and 

 itching, without positive eruption ; and the other by itching, with 

 the breaking out of small pimples, which, however, are not 

 apparent unless the hair is divided carefully for the purpose of 

 searching for them. Both varieties of the derangement appear to 

 depend upon the same general causes — digestive disorder, arising 

 from the consumption of coarse or unaccustomed food, want of 

 exercise, imperfect grooming of the skin, and exposure to cold and 

 wet weather. Certain periods of the year are fruitful in the produc- 

 tion of these cases, and both spring and autumn are celebrated on 

 this account. 



" Among the most successful of external remedies stands sulphur 

 in the form of ointment or soap. 



'• Treatment of surfeit accompanied with irritation of the skin, 

 indicated by itching, should always in the acute stage be of a bland 

 character. A lotion composed of carbonate of potash, one part to 

 fifty parts of water, will be found very useful ; or, instead, one pint 

 of vinegar to four of water will be equally beneficial. The lotion 

 should be applied with a soft sponge, and repeated frequently until 

 the irritation subsides. Internal remedies ma}^ consist of alkalies 

 and saline laxatives ; bicarbonate of potash, with sulphate of mag- 

 nesia in alternation, may be administered in the food or water, and 

 the diet regulated by the animal's condition. Plethoric subjects 

 are often affected, and in their case exercise and low diet are neces- 

 sary ; but the treatment of the disease in emaciated animals must 

 be associated with a liberal regiJne. When the itching is relieved 

 by the use of the lotions prescribed, the integument should be 

 thoroughly washed with warm water and soap, and, if any bare 

 patches are observed, the use of a little mercurial ointment will 

 assist in restoring the hair. 



'•' Surfeit of various kinds may be considered as the result of 

 internal disease. In its most common form of blotches, it depends 

 equally upon irritation of mucous membranes and obstruction of the 

 excretory functions of the skin. In hot weather, perfectly healthy 

 horses are frequently attacked, and at all seasons animals affected 

 with catarrh or influenza are often the subjects of the eruption. 

 Sometimes the • breaking out ' occurs suddenly, and immediately 



