1870. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



295 



WHAT AILS THE COLTS ? 



A few weeks ago I lost a very valuahle colt, four 

 years old, under the following circumstances. He 

 had in the first place, what is known here as the 

 ''horte ail ;" (strangles, by some writers,) and had a 

 pretty sick time of it ; but finally got better — well, 

 as I thought. His head all cleaned out ; sore un- 

 der his jaw all healed up, and he was feeling 

 nicely — could kick up his heels or roll with the 

 best of them. I used him a little, carefully. One 

 morning I went to the barn and found him stiff 

 and sore all over; a lump puffed up on his left 

 breast rather larger than a man's fist, and another 

 bunch behind hi.s left fore leg, on his belly, about 

 as wide and as long as a man's hand; then his legs 

 began to swell, and finally swelled clear to his 

 body ; the swelling on his belly extended clear 

 back and all over the belly ; then his sheath and 

 testicle bag swelled; then one side of his upper 

 lip ana muzzle; then his right eye puffed out, 

 looking as though it had burst, (but an alum curd 

 and charcoal poultice reduced that in about two 

 days and he soon began to see again with it ;) then 

 his face swelled some. The swelling was invari- 

 ably hard ; would go down partly in one place, 

 and come out in a new locality, but finally began 

 to abate all over, and when he died was not swelled 

 a particle anywhere. His appetite was good, — 

 never better — until about a week before he died, 

 when he began to fail gradually. A little white 

 matter run from his nose for a few days just be- 

 fore he died. There was no smell or disagreeable 

 odor from him, more than from any other horse, 

 at any stage of his sickness or after death. Did 

 not lie down all the time he was sick until he laid 

 down to die; had no ulcers or sores on him, ex- 

 cept one on his hind leg, just above his ankle, 

 which broke the day before he died. Was sick 

 the last time just four weeks. Now if there is a 

 name and cure for such a disease, I should be glad 

 to know thereof. Although too late to save that 

 colt, it may benefit some one, as there are other 

 horses in this vicinity taken the same way. 

 Would bleeding be of any use m such a case ? My 

 three-year-old and two-year-old had the distemper 

 together, and got better some four or five weeks 

 ago. The three-year-old, although she seems well 

 and appears to feel well, does not gain in flesh as 

 fast as she should ; in fact seems as though she 

 had fell away for the last week. What shall I do 

 for her ? 



The two-year-old seems to feel well, but his 

 cough still bangs on, and about four days ago 1 

 found a bunch on his breast about the size of a 

 hen's egg, though not very hard. I immediately 

 inserted an onion and seton, and he has swelled 

 "big" on his breast, but nowhere else as yet. The 

 same colt is lousy. What can I do to kill the lice 

 without endangering the colt ? I dare not do 

 much for fear he might take cold. 



Lastly I have a little colt, dropped August 17, 

 1869, that got>along finely until ^about four weeks 

 ago, (I had got over my fears of her having the 

 horse-ail,) when her appetite began to fail, and 

 sbe began to shrink up, until now she looks as 

 though she was all dried up. Her eyes are bright, 

 but she will not eat and is weak. What is the 

 matter with her ? And what can 1 do for her ? 

 What is the best physic for a horse ? And what 

 the best to cleanse the blood ? Will it do to rowel 

 a mare that Is with foal ? g. c. h. 



Lyndon, Aroostook Co., Me., April 12, 1870. 



Remakks. — The foregoing inquiries were sub- 

 mitted to Prof. James Law, Veterinary Lecturer 

 of the Massachusetts Agricultural College, and 

 we take much pleasure in publishing his replies, 

 as the information in relation to a disease that ap- 

 pears to be unusually prevalent and fatal this sea- 



son throughout the country will be of value to 

 many of our readers in other sections, as well as 

 to our correspondent. 



CAUSE OF DEATH IN THE COLTS. 



The disease was a low or typhus fever, associ- 

 ated with destructive changes in the blood, and 

 with a tendency to the effusion of serum or pure 

 blood in different parts of the body. It is known 

 in Great Britain as Purpura Hemorrhagica, and on 

 the continent of Europe as TypMis ; but is now 

 generally acknowledged to belong to the same 

 family of diseases as the Charhon of our Southern 

 States, and the Blackleg or Black tongue of the 

 Northern ones. 



Ic often arises as a sequel of strangles or other 

 debilitating diseases, and probably because these 

 leave the blood in an impoverished condition, and 

 loaded with waste products which make it a suit- 

 able field for the propagation of destructive poisons. 

 Every debilitating condition of life, however, con- 

 duces equally to its development; and like the 

 other members of the same class of maladies, it is 

 especially to be found in undrained or malarious 

 localities. The past winter seems to have been 

 unusually prolific of this fatal affection, probably 

 for the same reason that it has been attended with 

 bilious and other fevers so disastrous to the human 

 family. 



TREATMENT. 



To prove satisfactory this must be mainly of a 

 preservative character, since if the disease is once 

 fully developed, not more than one in two patients 

 recover. It will consist chiefly in giving support 

 to the system, and obviating any undue prostra- 

 tion of the vital powers. Clean, dry, airy, well- 

 drained stables, nourishing, good food, grooming, 

 and exhilarating work or exercise are important 

 points. Colts suffering from strangles, should be 

 fed freely on boiled grain, and should be made 

 to inhale warm water vapor several hours dally, 

 and have soft poultices kept continuously to the 

 swellings to hasten the formation of matter. After 

 the abscess bursts the feeding should be even more 

 nutritious ; and two drachms each of gentian and 

 sulphate of iron may be given daily to maintain 

 the<streugth. Other complaints, should be treated 

 with equal promptitude, that they may not linger 

 in the system, impairing the blood and vital energy 

 and thus paving the way for this destructive malady. 



THE CURATIVE TREATMENT 



will differ according to whether the effusions take 

 place into the skin or superficial parts, or into deep 

 seated and more or less vital organs. It will tax 

 all the ability of the professional man to meet the 

 different phases as they appear; but in general 

 terms, treatment, alike dietetic and medicinal, must 

 be tonic, supporting, and febrifuge. Ounce doses 

 of sweet spirits of nitre may be given several times 

 a day, as a stimulating febrifuge and diuretic; 

 two drachms each of gentian and iodide of iron, 

 and ten grains of nux vomica may be allowed 

 daily as a tonic ; half drachm doses of carbolic 

 acid, or drachm doses of bisulphite of soda have 

 been found useful as counteracting fermentation 

 or zymotic changes in the blood ; and a lotion of 

 one part of carbolic acid to ten of oil may be ad- 

 vantageously rubbed over the swellings. As the 

 disease is essentially one of weakness and pros- 

 trai'ion, bleeding and other debilitating measures 

 will only aggravate. 



LICE. 



The carbolic acid and oil will destroy the lice, if 

 freely applied. 



DEBILITY IN THE COLT. 



The cause is not apparent. It may be taking 

 strangles in the irregular form with the swellings 



