810 WEST OF SCOTLAND VETERINARY MEDICAL ASSOCIATION. 
grass, are common, I believe, in most parts of the country, 
and generally easily treated by giving a laxative and altering 
the diet; the changing to old hay or straw in many in¬ 
stances being quite sufficient to restore the animal to health. 
By this, time is allowed the organs of digestion to regain and 
perform their proper functions, as it is but seldom that an 
animal will at once eat too freely of dry food after he has been 
fed on green. 
I have occasionally met with paralysis paraplegia during 
winter. In some cases the owners have confessed that the 
horse had slight general paralysis or grass staggers during 
the summer, but they had taken little notice of it, as, perhaps, 
the animal was not working at the time. The master expecting 
the animal to recover without medical treatment, the feeding 
even had not been changed, and the disease had lingered on till 
the system became relaxed and enervated, so much as to cause 
danger of falling when the animal was backed in a cart or 
walked on a rough field. In these cases I generally give a 
purgative with calomel, and then tonics and stimulants. 
I have said that we have paralysis arising even when horses 
are fed on corn and hay, to prove which I will give the history 
and treatment of two cases that came under my notice. The 
first was a brown carriage-horse, six years old, the property 
of Mr. Ralston, of Warwick Hill. On the 3rd June, 1859, 
I was called to attend him, the coachman informing me he 
had been unwell all night, and had been down once or twice. 
When I arrived I found my patient quiet and dull, pulse 
natural. From his movement in the stall I observed a swing¬ 
ing action, and therefore had him led out, which convinced 
me that I had derangement of the digestive organs to deal 
with. I gave a physic-ball, which operated well, and in two 
days after the horse appeared all right, and was put to work. 
On the 8th I was again called to attend my old patient at 
Irvine. He had taken the carriage there all right, a distance 
of about four miles, and was stabled at an inn; but when 
required for the carriage again, he was found unable to walk. 
When I arrived I found him worse than before; more dul- 
ness, severer paralysis, the head drooping a little, and the 
pulse rather oppressed. With difficulty I got him led to a 
loose box, put a rug on him, and gave a laxative draught, 
followed by a clyster. A few hours after he took a mash, 
and at times a little hay. Next day the bow r els acted slightly, 
but there w r as little improvement in his walking. I ordered 
a sheepskin to be put over his loins, and boiled barley and 
mashes be given him to eat; tw r o days later, only little im¬ 
provement had taken place. I now applied a mustard poultice 
