ENTEEITIS. 345 



During the continuance of the disease 1 carefully observe 

 the pulse. At the onset it is always depressed, and somewhat 

 feeble; and so long as these peculiarities continue I steadily 

 pursue the course already laid down, and in numbers of cases I 

 have done so for four or five hours in succession, when at the 

 end of that time, if the animal was not relieved, the pulse 

 continued equally rapid, but stronger and harder, associated 

 with a fretful, irritable state of the patient : I remove the hot 

 water rugs, have the patient well scraped ; and if after ten or 

 fifteen minutes I find matters to remain as they were, I bleed 

 without further delay. The quantity of blood to abstract will 

 depend upon the change produced in the action of the artery. 

 I allow the blood to flow until the beating of the pulse is softer 

 and fuller. The body is next clothed with light but comfortable 

 clothing, and I proceed to administer a Sedative. The one I 

 usually choose foj? this purpose is the Tincture of Opium. The 

 size of the dose will depend upon the size and breed of the 

 patient ; I rarely, however, under the circumstances, give less 

 than 3 ounces by measures, or to very large- sized horses, more 

 than 4 ounces for a dose. The effects which generally succeed 

 are marvellous ; the patient speedily becomes quiet, the surface 

 of the skin becomes dry, and the animal lies down and remains 

 at rest for hours in succession. 



Should this state of repose supervene, every attention should 

 be given to the warmth of the patient. To allow the tempera- 

 ture of the body to fall considerably might prove destructive to 

 the life of the animal. The veterinary attendant ought there- 

 fore to look well to this matter. 



PuEGATiYES. — I vcry rarely give purgatives to animals 

 aff'ected with Enteritis, unless the disease arises from the patient 

 having partaken of short sour grass, or food of that cha- 

 racter. In cases of this kind a purgative is necessary to rid 



