PRINCIPLES OF FEEDIi\G. 245 



and his muzzle so much swelled that he can not open his 

 mouth. AH these evils are sudden in their attack. They 

 may arise from other causes ; but plethora suddenly attained 

 is the most common cause ; and is the result of feeding be- 

 yond the work. 



Plethora may be produced without any alteration in the 

 quantity or quality of the diet. If the horse be suddenly 

 thrown out of full work, and receive all the food to which he 

 has been accustomed, the result will be very nearly the same 

 as if he were put upon a richer diet. It must be remembered 

 that excess in the supply is excess only when it is greater 

 than the work demands. An idle horse may be eating no 

 more than a w^orking horse, or he may be eating less, yet it 

 may be too much. 



The symptoms of plethora are easily recognised before it 

 has produced, or contributed to the production of any cutane- 

 ous, anasarcous, or inflammatory disease. For one, two, or 

 more days the horse is somewhat dull ; he eats his grain, 

 perhaps, but refuses his hay ; he drinks much, his coat is 

 dry ; on some places, across the loins, the face, and the poll, 

 it is soft and staring ; the eye is red, often yellowish ; the 

 mouth hot and dry ; the bowels costive ; the urine high- 

 colored. When the stables are shut, the horse sweats ; when, 

 open, he shivers, or his coat starts on end. If put to work, 

 he is feeble and without animation ; he soon perspires, and 

 he is soon exhausted. In this febrile state he may remain 

 for several days. Perspiration seems to relieve him a little ; 

 but as the horse eats little, the natural cure is probably per- 

 formed by refusing to take more nutriment till the superfluity 

 be consumed. When the digestive organs continue to main- 

 tain their power, the appetite is not impaired, and the horse, 

 after pining two or three days, or a longer time, in the ple- 

 thoric fever, suffers from an attack of inflammation, or some 

 of the other evils already mentioned fall upon him. Swelled 

 legs and thrushy frogs are among the earliest and least seri- 

 ous consequences. 



The treatment of plethora is very simple. Starvation alone 

 will effect a cure. Bleeding averts its consequences at once ; 

 but, in general, this operation is not imperiously demanded. 

 In ordinary cases, it is enough to diminish or withhold the 

 allowance of grain, to give a little green food, carrots, or 

 bran-mashes ; as medicine, a diuretic or an alterative may be 

 given, or a dose of physic, which is better than anything else, 

 and when the horse can be spared, it should be given. A 



21* 



