64 AILMENTS AND REMEDIES CONTINUED. 



Horses liable to Staggers and Fits should have harnesses 

 that are carefully adjusted, and should not be pushed in hot 

 weather. No heavy feed should be given them at any time, 

 oats and sweet hay or grass being the best. Such animals 

 should not be driven when it can be avoided. When indi- 

 cations point to an attack, the horse should be stopped, his 

 harness loosened, some cold water given him to drink and 

 his face sponged at the same time. Rye is a bad feed for 

 sleepy staggers. 



Lockjaw is caused by cuts, nail in the hoof, etc. Nothing is 

 so common from wounds in the feet and from docking. The 

 horse is unable to open his jaws to the fullest extent, and 

 mastication is impossible. Various muscles twitch, the head 

 and tail are elevated and the nose protruded, and the anus is 

 compressed. The animal swallows with difficulty ; saliva 

 flows from the mouth. Of course, in this disease the ne- 

 cessity of calling in a skilled veterinary surgeon is indi- 

 cated. 



A horse which is frequently or occasionally overtaken with 

 Giddiness or Megrims is dangerous to use. This trouble is 

 hard to cure. It indicates the need of moderate driving, es- 

 pecially in hot weather, and that a small amount of hay 

 should be fed. 



Horses that are Choked thrust out their heads, bend and 

 stretch the neck, while there is a copious flow of saliva from 

 the mouth. In some cases there is distention of the gullet 

 on the left side of the neck, if it have descended so far. If 

 it be in the upper part of the gullet a man accustomed to 

 giving balls may be able to reach it with his hand. Obstruc- 

 tions that have got lower down may be moved upward gently 

 from the outside. Sometimes an obstruction is soft and may 

 be crushed small enough for the animal to swallow it. A 

 mass of meal or other impacted food is sometimes removed 



