382 AMERICAN AGRICULTURE. 



inflamed part; and, for the same reason, the horse should be 

 warmly clothed, but the air of the stable or box should be 

 cool. No corn or hay should be allowed during the disease, 

 but bran mashes, and green meat if it can be procured. The 

 latter will be the best of all food, and may be given without 

 the slightest apprehension of danger. When the horse 

 begins to recover, a handful of grain may be given two or three 

 times in the day; and, if the weather is warm, he may be 

 turned into a paddock for a tew hours in the middle of the 

 day. Clysters of gruel should be continued for three or four 

 days after the inflammation is beginning to subside, and good 

 hand-rubbing applied to the legs. 



The second variety of inflammation of the bowels affects 

 the internal or mucous coat, and is generally the consequence 

 of physic in too great quantity, or of an improper kind. The 

 purging is more violent and continues longer than was inten- 

 ded ; the animal shows that he is suffering great pain ; he 

 frequently looks round at his flanks; his breathing is labori- 

 ous, and the pulse is quick and small, and the mouth is hot 

 and the legs and ears are warm. Unless the purging is 

 excessive, and the pain and distress great, the surgeon should 

 hesitate at giving any astringent medicine at first; but he 

 should plentifully administer gruel or thin starch, or arrow- 

 root, by the mouth and by clyster, removing all hay and corn, 

 and particularly green meat. He should thus endeavor to 

 soothe the irritated surface of the bowels, while he permits 

 all remains of the purgative to be carried off". If, however, 

 twelve hours have passed, and the purging and the pain 

 remain undiminished, he should continue the gruel, adding 

 to it chalk, catechu, and opium, repeated every six hours. 

 As soon as the purging begins to subside, the astringent med- 

 icine should be lessened in quantity, and gradually discon- 

 tinued. Bleeding will rarely be necessary, unless the inflam- 

 mation is very great, and attended by symptoms of general 

 fever. The horse should be warmly clothed, and placed in 

 a comfortable stable, and his legs should be hand-rubbed and 

 bandaged. Violent purging, and attended, with much inflam- 

 mation and fever, will occur from other causes. Green meat 

 will frequently purge. A horse worked hard upon green meat 

 will sometimes scour. The remedy is change of diet, or less 

 labor. Young horses will often be strongly purged, without 

 any apparent cause. Astringents should be used with much 

 caution here. It is probably an effort of nature to get rid of 

 something that offends. A few doses of gruel will assist in 



