48 



slow to resort to either the vegetable or mineral astringents, sinoe the 

 majorit}^ of cases will yield to change of food and water, or the admin- 

 istration of oils. Afterwards feed upon wheat-flour gruel or other 

 light foods. The body should he warmly clothed. 



Superpurgcdlon. — This is the designation of that diarrhea or flux 

 from the bowels that at times is induced by and follows the action of 

 a physic. It is accompanied by much irritation or even inflammation 

 of the bowels, and is always of a serious character. Although in rare 

 instances it follows from a usual dose of physic and where every pre- 

 caution has been taken, it is most likelj^ to result under the following 

 circumstances : Too large a dose of physic ; to giving physics to horses 

 suffering from pneumonia, influenza, or other debilitating diseases; 

 to riding or driving a horse when purging; to exposure or draughts 

 of cold air, or giving large quantities of cold water while the physic 

 is operating. There is always danger of superpurgation if a physic is 

 given to a horse suffering from diseases of the respiratory organs. 

 Small and often-repeated physics are also to be avoided, as they pro- 

 duce debility and great depression of the sj'stem and j^redispose to 

 this disorder. When a jjli^'sic is to be given we should give the horse 

 sloppy food until the medicine begins to operate; we must clothe the 

 body with a warm blanket; keej) out of draughts; give only chilled 

 water in small quantities. After a horse has iDurged from twelve to 

 twenty-four hours it can mostly be stopped or " set," as horsemen say, 

 by feeding on dry oats and liaj'. Should the purging continue, how- 

 ever, it is best treated by giving demulcent drinks — linseed tea, oat- 

 meal or wheat-flour gruel. After this the astringents spoken of for 

 diarrhea may be given. Besides this the horse is to receive brandy in 

 doses of from 2 to 4 ounces, with milk and eggs, four or five times a da3^ 



Laminitis "founder" is a frequent sequelae of superpurgation and 

 is to be guarded against by removing the shoes and standing the horse 

 on moist sawdust or some similar bedding. 



Dysentery. — Williams defines dysentery, or blood}' flux, as an intes- 

 tinal inflammatory action of a peculiar or specific character, attended 

 with fever, occasional abdominal iiain, and fluid alvine discharges, 

 mingled witli blood or albuminous materials ; the tissue changes, which 

 are usually regarded as special, being situated chiefly in the minute 

 gland structures and inter-connective tissue of the large intestine, and 

 of an ulcerative or gangrenous character. To be plainer, dysentery is 

 characterized by coffee-colored or bloody discharges, liquid, and very 

 offensive in odor, and passed with much tenesmus (straining). It is 

 very rare in tlie horse. 



Causes. — Probably tlie most common cause is keeping j^oung horses 

 in particular for a long time on low, wet, marshj^ pastures, without 

 other feed (a diarrhea of long standing sometimes terminates in dysen- 

 tery); exposure during cold, wet weather; decomposed foods; stag- 

 nant water that contains large quantities of decomposing vegetable 



