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MANUAL OF MODERN FARRIERY. 
STOMACH-STAGGERS. 
Symptoms.- —This disease is indicated by the dull, stupid, 
sleepy appearance of the horse, and he staggers about in 
his stall. He seems unconscious of what he is doing, and 
if roused from his lethargy will probably take a mouthful 
of hay, in a few seconds desist from chewing, and the hay 
will fall from his mouth. Many instances have occurred, 
when the disease has been allowed to acquire an ascen¬ 
dancy, that the horse would drop down and die while in the 
act of eating. In other cases the drowsiness goes off, and 
is succeeded by delirium; and after falling, rising, and 
staggering about, will die in convulsions. The stomach- 
staggers are indicated by a twitching in the breast, and 
a yellowness in the eyes. 
Cause. —Over-feeding is too often the cause of this sad 
disease, and especially if the food is of a bad quality. 
Careless servants will too often neglect a horse; and after¬ 
wards, by food being placed before him while ravenously 
hungry, he will swallow it rapidly and in too large quantity, 
without being properly masticated, consequently it swells 
in the stomach, and thus stretches it far beyond its natural 
capacity : its action is thereby impaired; the consequence 
is, the brain is unduly acted upon, and giddiness and 
drowsiness induced, which occasion staggering. Besides 
the horse being allowed to eat in this manner, the groom 
may neglect to give the animal water to assist it in con¬ 
verting it into a pulp and facilitating the operation of 
digestion, the natural juices of the stomach, from its gorged 
state, being inadequate to the performance of their office. 
Remedies. —Before remedies are attempted it must first 
be ascertained what has caused the staggers; as the mad 
staggers present exactly the same symptoms in their early 
