DISEASES OF THE DIGESTIVE ORGANS. 39 



each dose ton drops of tincture of aconite should be combined. The 

 food should be soft and easily digested, such as small quantities of 

 bran mash and oatmeal gruel. It is also advisable as early as the 

 second day of the animal's sickness to give small quantities of hay or 

 grass, so as to encourage the animal to ruminate, which it will not do if 

 kept entirely on very soft and liquid food. Care must be exercised not 

 to give too much of such food as grass and hay, but to gradually in- 

 crease the proportion of such diet as the animal's digestive organs seem 

 to be returning to their natural function. Purgative medicine must be 

 administered only when absolutely necessary, as a restoration of the 

 digestive organs to their natural functions is desired, rather than to 

 produce purgation. 



DISEASES OF THE BOWELS. 

 DIARRHEA. 



Diarrhea results either from increased action of the muscular coat of 

 the intestines, an unusually liquid state of their contents, or, generally, 

 from both of those conditions combined. 



Causes. The exciting causes of diarrhea maybe thus arranged: Irri- 

 tation of the intestines by food taken in excess, or of improper quality, 

 and this especially applies to soft, watery, green food; excessive secre- 

 tions, especially bile; impure water and water drunk in excess; mechan- 

 ical congestion of the intestinal vessels; acute or chronic inflammation 

 of the bowels. It may be a symptom of other diseases which depend 

 on the presence of an animal poison in the blood, as may be observed 

 in Texas fever and contagious pleuro-pneumonia. Causes of a more 

 general character, viz., exposure to changes of temperature, either 

 excessive cold or heat may produce it. 



Symptoms. The animal is dull, places its feet well under the body, 

 arches its back, and shows thirst. Passages from the bowels arc fre- 

 quent, at first consisting of thin dung, but as the disease continues they 

 become watery and offensive smelling, and may even be streaked with 

 blood. Frequently this malady is accompanied by fever, great depres- 

 sion, loss of strength, rapid loss of flesh, and it may terminate in death. 



Treatment. When the disease depends on irritating proj)erl ie.s of the 

 food which has been supplied to the animal it is advisable to give a mild 

 purgative, such as a pint of castor or linseed oil. When the secretions 

 of the bowels are irritating iui ounce of carbonate of magnesia and half 

 an ounce of tincture of opium should be shaken up in a quart of lin- 

 seed tea and given to the animal three times a day until the passages 

 present a natural appearance. When there is debility, want of uppetilt', 

 no fever, but a continuance of the watery discharges from the bowels, 

 then an astringent may be given. For such cases we have found the 

 following serviceable: Powdered galls, G ounces; powdered gentian, 2 

 ounces. Mix and divide into twelve powders. One powder to IK- given 



