212 DISEASES OP THE HOUSE. 



be cured. For sprains of different parts of the body see 

 Shoulder and Shoulder Joint Sprains, etc. 



Staggers. — A disease familiar to every horseman, and 

 of a serious character. It presents different symptoms in 

 different horses, depending altogether upon the extent to 

 which the brain and nervous centres are affected, and 

 whether the variety be mad, grass, stomach, or sleepy 

 staggers. 



(1.) Stomach Staggers. — This is an attack of acute 

 indigestion, from overloading the stomach ; digestion is 

 arrested, fermentation is set up, and the evolution or giving 

 off of carbonic acid gas distends the stomach and bowels, 

 and presses on the space allotted for the lungs to play in, 

 depriving them of serating the blood, thereby affecting the 

 healthy action of the brain and nervous centres, and 

 producing death in from twelve to twenty hours. 



Treatment. Injections of warm water and soap, and a 

 handful of salt to clean out the bowels, so that the gas can 

 get free passage. Arrest fermentation by dissolving two 

 ounces of the sulphite of soda in a little water, and giving 

 it at one dose, the dose to be repeated every hour. Mix 

 eight drachms of powdered aloes in a little warm water, 

 and drench the horse with it to stimulate digestion, and 

 open the bowels. 



(2.) Grass or Sleepy Staggers. — A chronic 

 variety of stomach staggers, and should be treated as the 

 above variety. 



(3.) Mad Staggers. — This is inflammation of the 

 brain, and is sometimes called Phrenitis. 



Symptoms. Dullness, followed by excitement and mad-> 

 ness. The sleepy stage, or the congestive period passing 

 off, then the madness is seen. The horse unconsciously 

 throws and dashes himself about, and sometimes endeavors 



