176 Veterinary Elements. 



Scours (or diarrhoea) is as a rule more or less serious, 

 the contagious form in calves, termed calf cholera or dys- 

 entery being especially so. The common cause of scours 

 is the food, either as to its quality or quantity, or regu- 

 larity in giving it. In foals the disease is often due to 

 the use of purgatives to overcome the preceding trouble 

 (constipation); the drinking of warm stale milk, the 

 mare being worked and the foal only allowed to suckle 

 at long intervals; too rich or too much milk. We may 

 then consider scours in any animal a symptom of indi- 

 gestion, not as a disease in itself; the looseness of the 

 bowels being one evidence of Nature's endeavor to over- 

 come the trouble. In calves especially is scouring due 

 to over feeding, feeding at too long intervals and the use 

 of milk of a poor quality. Lambs sometimes scour if the 

 ewes are on pasture of a watery nature, green oats, etc. 

 The disease is soon evidenced by colicky pains, refusal 

 of food, sour smelling passages, the passage of watery 

 feces with rapid loss of strength, in some cases curdled 

 milk is mixed with the dung. 



The causes being known the first thing in the treat- 

 ment is to remove those causes; if the disease is seen in 

 its earliest stages give as one dose: 



Laudanum 1 dram. 



Tincture of Catechu 1 dram. 



Castor Oil 1 ounce. 



The dose may be larger or smaller depending on the size 

 of the animal (see dose table p. 129) Lime water in one or 

 two ounce doses fed with the milk is useful in overcom- 

 ing acidity and the consequent indigestion. Foals 

 affected with indigestion due to the dam's milk being 



