112 THEORY AND PRACTICE 



timothy, clover and red-top. Early cut timothy will do. Crush 

 the grain for a change and add at least 25 per cent bran to the 

 mass. Salt the feed with common salt. 



Give antacids and an occasional laxative such as a pint of raw 

 linseed oil. The best antacid is bicarbonate of soda. For the 

 digestive apparatus prescribe arsenic, gentian, nux vomica, gin- 

 ger, charcoal, etc. The antacids have a peculiar physiological in- 

 fluence upon the hydrochloric acid secretion of the stomach 

 glands. 



If the flatulence occurs within two hours after eatings there 

 is a denCiency of the hydrochloric acid, and in this case give the 

 hydrochloric acid instead of the soda, or alternate the two. Do 

 not give the two together. Alternate them for a week at a time. 

 A dose of strong hydrochloric acid is about 7 drops of the pure 

 acid (freely diluted). Make up a pint of water and a dram 

 of the acid — add any other drug that you wish. 



If the flatulence occurs about five hours after eating, that 

 is indicative of an excess of hydrochloric acid. In such a case 

 give anticids four hours after eating. This will intercept the se- 

 cretions of gastric juice and limit the quantity, or at any rate 

 will prevent any injurious effects from the excess. If the 

 horse has a fair appetite and will eat powders, give him ordinary 

 white arsenic in his feed along with the anticid ; but if his ap- 

 petite is poor, in addition to the mixture of the tinctures give 

 him Fowler's solution. Calculate to give him arsenic three times 

 a day and it should always be given after eating. Do not allow 

 the arsenic to go into an empty stomach. Never put a strong 

 solution into the mouth in concentrated form — small doses will 

 produce poisonous results. Do not give Fowler's solution clear 

 — it is too strong; it will arrest the appetite and loosen the bow- 

 els. Dilute it freely. 



In cases of this kind you will have to make many changes ir 

 the hygiene usually. You will find, for instance, that young 

 stallions, between one and two years old, and older ones if they 

 belong to the draft class, suffer from confinement. You will 

 frequently find over acute, subacute or chronic indigestion in 

 stallions, especially in young ones. Often the main symptom 

 noticed by the owner is the refusal of the animal to eat, and this 



