292 d:sea.ses op the horse. 



The lower jaw bone Is sometimes injured to such a degree, 

 either by a kick, a blow, or the pressure of the halter from hang- 

 ing back, that an abscess forms within the plates of the jaw, and 

 close to the teeth, and sometimes the bone is fractured. The 

 external opening being exceedingly small, the mischief often 

 goes on for months, and proves a source of great annoyance. 

 To effect a cure, the horse should be cast, and a portion of the 

 bone removed by means of a trephine, and caustic applied to 

 the exposed cavity, so as to cause an exfoliation of the injured 

 bone. — Ed.] 



JFoimds of the Abdomen, or Bdli/. 



Wounds in the belly may happen in leaping over hedges, or 

 pale gates, or may be inflicted by the horns of a cow. Some- 

 times the strong tendinous covering of the belly is ruptured, 

 while the skin remains entire ; the gut then protrudes and forces 

 out the skin like a tumour. This is a rupture of tlie belly, and 

 is thought incurable. I have known one very large rupture 

 cured by cutting out a piece of the skin which covered it, and 

 then sewing up the wound and sujjporting it with a bandage. 

 In some accidents the skin also is divided, with its peritoneal 

 covering ; the gut then comes out, and the wound is of a very 

 dangerous nature, still more so if the gut itself is wounded. The 

 first thing to be done is to put the gut back, taking care to re- 

 move any dirt or other matter that may be sticking to it ; for 

 Avhich purpose, should It be found necessary, it may be washed 

 Avith warm water alone. If the gut cannot be returned, from 

 its being full of air, and the opening in the belly too small to 

 put it back ngaln, that opening may be carefully enlarged to 

 the necessary size. But if the animal can be thrown upon his 

 back conveniently, a great deal may be done that cannot be 

 otherwise accomplished. After the gut is retui-ned, the skin 

 onlij should be stitched up ; and a cushion of several folds of old 

 linen and tow being placed on the wound, it should be kept in 

 its situation by means of a wide bandage rolled round the body, 

 and carefully secured. The animal should then be copiously 

 bled, and have his bowels emptied by clysters. The only food 

 he should be allowed is grass or bran mashes, and that only in 

 moderate quantity. 



Jl^oundsfrom thorns are often very troublesome. It is neces- 

 sary in the fii'st place to examine the part carefully, and extract, 

 with a pair of dissecting forceps or pliers, every part of the thorn 

 that may remain. When a tendinous part or a joint has been 

 punctured by a thorn, a very troublesome lameness is sometimes 

 the consequence, especially when the thorn has not been ex- 

 tracted immediately, or soon after the accident. Emollient 

 poultices do not always remove the inflammation produced by 



