350 ACUTE DIARRHCEA. 



Diet and AriER-TEEATMENT. — When the violence of the 

 attack has subsided, and all immediate danger is warded off, 

 great care will be required in the after-treatment of the animal. 

 The patient should be kept as still as possible ; he should be 

 warmly clothed, and allowed to drink freely of gruel, made as 

 described at pages 68 and 73 ; rice-water may be also allowed ; 

 or rice-water and milk ; also boiled rice, or sago and milk ; also 

 aired water, and occasionally a draught or two of cold water, 

 which at times will prove peculiarly refreshing ; his diet should 

 consist of boiled grain — such as oats, or barley, mixed with bran 

 and boiled linseed ; carrots will also be relished if they should 

 happen to be in season. 



Many individuals commit the error of having recourse to 

 dry food in cases of this kind, of which nothing could be more 

 injurious — its very presence upon the debilitated and irritated 

 mucous membrane of the bowels will greatly tend to keep up 

 the diseased action which but so recently prevailed. Let the 

 food, therefore, be soft, soothing, and nutritious in its nature. 

 It is seldom that the patient (if the attack has been a severe 

 one) will be ready for work in less than six or eight days ; at 

 least, however well he may appear, I would recommend that he 

 be kept from all laborious work for that period of time. For 

 further particulars respecting diet, see Section VI,, Page 108. 



SUB-ACUTE AND CHRONIC DIARRHOEA. 



This form of Diarrhoea is not common, unless the occasional 

 purging which is manifested by what is termed a "Washy 

 Horse" be considered to come under the present arrangement. 

 When existing, it betokens either constitutional feebleness of 

 the animal affected, or a bad state of the organism. Large- 

 sized, flat-sided horr.es, are most frequently affected by it ; 



