358 DISEASES OF HORSES AND CATTLE. 



Constipation. — This is a troublesome and dan- 

 gerous condition in newly born foals. There is an 

 accumulation of very hard material in the bowels 

 of the foetus called "meconium," and in some cases 

 the young creature has not strength enough to 

 expel it, and will give rise to colic, and will cause 

 death if not relieved. The foal should be watched, 

 and if it cannot expel this accumulation use in- 

 jections of warm water and soap. Do not put 

 any salt in the water; it is not necessary to do so, 

 and there is danger of it causing irritation. If 

 you do not succeed with the injections give two 

 ounces castor oil, or four ounces raw linseed oil 

 at a dose. If from some cause the foal does not 

 get its mother's milk and has to be fed on cow's 

 milk, one-third water should be added and a little 

 brown sugar, enough to sweeten it. It should only 

 have about a pint at a time, and receive it every 

 hour for the first twenty-four hours; then more 

 at a time and not so often, and so on, and after two 

 or three weeks it can get all it wants. Flaxseed 

 boiled into a pulp and mixed with the milk is very 

 excellent, as it is nutritious and prevents the milk 

 from becoming too hard in the stomach. I have 

 known foals to be killed by getting a large quan- 

 tity of cow's milk before the stomach became ac- 

 customed to it. If this is not properly attended to 

 it will likely cause diarrhoea or constipation. 



Diarrhoea. — This is a very common complaint 

 in the foal, caused by the food the mother has 

 eaten or something the colt has itself gotten. In 

 cases where the mother has been separated from 



