304: TRAINING THE TROTTING HORSE. 



remedy fail to work successfully twice on the same 

 horse. 



"Distemper" is the usual name applied to various 

 forms of a common epidemic of a catarrhal nature that 

 usually makes a clean march through a stable, and may 

 prevail in all degrees of severity, from the form of a 

 light cold to that of a most distressing and dangerous 

 influenza. The horse shivers and shrinks; his coat 

 becomes rough and staring ; the appetite fails ; the 

 mouth and eyes bespeak high fever ; a cough develops ; 

 swelling may appear in the legs and about the head 

 and neck. The throat is generally the point where the 

 attack develops its greatest severity ; and in some cases, 

 as in that of Wildflower, the membranes of the nostrils 

 may be so destroyed as to permanently interfere with 

 breathing, and the body may forever carry the scars 

 following eruptions all over it. You cannot well 

 imag-ine a more woe-beo:one and demoralized creature 

 than a horse in the grip of severe distemper. 



The horse must be kept warm and clean, and if run- 

 ning freely so much the better. Sometimes we steam 

 the head and throat and administer aconite — dose, fif- 

 teen drops in a little water, say every two hours, if the 

 fever is moderately high. In very severe fevers we 

 give the aconite every half-hour for a time. When it 

 is deemed best to poultice the throat, a poultice of slip- 

 pery elm bark, hops and oil cake is good. Some 

 strongly recommend quinine for distemper. It is so 

 varying, and in severe cases so dangerous a disease, 

 that a veterinarian should be called if the symptoms 

 indicate anything Avorse than a severe cold, unless you 

 are somewhat accustomed to its treatment. 



