M NON-SPECIFIC OR GENERAL DISEASES 



tive treatment is by far the most important. This consists in 

 observing right methods of feeding and caring for horses. The 

 attendant should note the condition of the animal before feeding 

 grain, feed regularly and avoid sudden changes in feed. If a 

 horse has received unusual exercise, it is proper to feed hay 

 first, and when the animal is cooled out, water and feed grain. 

 Drinking a small quantity of water when tired or following 

 a meal is not injurious, but a large quantity of water taken at 

 such times is injurious and dangerous to the health of the animal. 

 The feeding of spoiled or mouldy feeds to horses is highly 

 injurious. 



The horse should be given a roomy, comfortable stall that is 

 well bedded, or a clean grass lot. If the attack appears when the 

 animal is in harness, we should stop working it and remove the 

 harness immediately. Work or exercise usually aggravates the 

 case and may cause congestion and inflammation of important 

 body organs. In cold weather the animal should be protected 

 by blankets. If the pain is violent, sedatives may be given. The 

 gaseous disturbances should be relieved by puncturing the wall 

 of the intestine with the trocar and cannula. Rectal injections 

 of cold water may be resorted to. Fluid extract of cannabis 

 indica in quarter ounce doses and repeated in one hour may be 

 given in linseed oil. In all cases it is advisable to drench the 

 animal with one pint of raw linseed oil and two ounces of turpen- 

 tine. Strychnine, eserine and pilocarpine are the drugs com- 

 monly used by the veterinarians in the treatment of acute indi- 

 gestion. Small and repeated doses of the above drugs are pre- 

 ferred to large doses. This is one of the diseases that requires 

 prompt and skilled attention. 



Sharp, uneven or diseased teeth should receive the necessary 

 attention. In old horses, chopped hay or ground feeds should 

 be fed when necessary. Debility resulting from hard work, 

 wrong methods of feeding and intestinal disorders must be cor- 

 rected before the periodic attacks of indigestion can be relieved. 



