200 ELEMENTS OF HIPPOLOGY. 



a stimulant that acts on the kidneys; it neutraUzes irritating 

 acids. Its frequent use is very debiUtating and injurious to 

 the kidneys. 



For obstruction colic, four tablespoons of oil of turpen- 

 tine in a pint of raw linseed oil, given at one dose, will usually 

 expel the obstruction. 



It should not be very difficult to distinguish between the 

 three kinds' of colic mentioned above. The stablemen will know 

 if the horse has drunk too much cold water. The presence of 

 fresh dung in the stall will argue against obstruction colic, and 

 if the distress is not caused by cold water, the assumption in 

 this case would be that the horse was suffering from colic re- 

 sulting from indigestion. 



For coughs, a useful mixture is made of two tablespoons 

 of oil of tar, two tablespoons of glycerine, and two tablespoons 

 of chloroform, mixed in one pint of raw linseed oil. Two table- 

 spoons given two or three times a day is the dose. 



For coughs and colds, nursing will do more than drugs. 

 The patient should be kept warm — ^with blankets in the winter — 

 dry and away from draughts. He should have hay in small 

 quantities and frequently changed, for the discharge from his 

 nose will soil it if left before him long. He should have hot 

 steamed bran-mashes and have constant access to water. The 

 disease will then run its course, in the usual case, in a few days. 

 Exercise should be avoided. His nostrils and lips should be 

 frequently washed. 



Scratches, whose seat is in the back of the pastern, is a 

 disease that is brought about by the same conditions that pro- 

 duce chapped hands in human beings. Thepart affected should 

 be carefully washed and dried and kept greased with an ointment 

 made of one part of oxide of zinc to ten parts of cosmoline, vas- 

 eline, or lanolin. This dressing should be changed frequently, 

 by thoroughly cleansing the part and re-applying the ointment. 

 The horse can be used, in mild cases, during the treatment. 

 Severer cases demand rest as a part of the treatment, because 

 bending the. pastern keeps the cracks open. 

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