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JERSEY.
THE
DISEASES OF LIVE S
m
AND THEIR MOST EFFICIENT REMEDIES
INCLUDING
HORSES, CATTLE, COWS, SHEEP, SWINE,
FOWLS, DOGS, ETC.
A POPULAR TREATISE, GIVING IN BRIEF AND PLAIN LANGUAGE A DESCRIP-
TION OF ALL THE USUAL DISEASES TO WHICH THESE ANIMALS ARE
LIABLE, AND THE MOST SUCCESSFUL TREATMENT OF
AMERICAN, ENGLISH AND EUROPEAN
VETERINARIANS.
WILLIAM B. E. MILLER, D.V.S.,
PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES VETERINARY ASSOCIATION ; CHIEF VETERINARY SURGECN
OF THE NEW JERSEY STATE BOARD OF HEALTH ; ONE OF THE VETERINARIANS OF
THE BUREAU OF ANIMAL INDUSTRY, DEPARTMENT OF AGBICULTUKE,
WASHINGTON, ETC., ETC.
AND
LLOYD y. TELLOR, M.D.
• lO
PHILADELPHIA: ^- "
H. C. WATTS & CO, PUBLISHEES,
No. 17 NORTH SIXTH STREET.
1885.
00
'^#*^ OP
^ OUPLIl.'E
Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1885, by
D. G. BRINTON,
in the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington, D. C.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Press of WM. F. FELL & CO.
1220-1224 Sansom St.. Phila.
PREFACE.
The authors of this book have endeavored to place be-
fore the public a work embodying all the principal diseases
incident to live stock, together with the most prominent
symptoms and rational modes of treatment.
It is especially designed to meet the necessities of a large
class of farmers and stock owners, who, by the force of cir-
cumstances, are compelled to treat their own animals when
sick or disabled. It will also prove a valuable handbook
for the young practitioner and a desirable acquisition to the
library of the veterinary surgeon. It is full of useful in-
struction, systematically arranged in a clear and comprehen-
sive manner. The many diseases are distinctly and accu-
rately defined, and the symptoms so clearly described that
they should be easily recognized. The remedies recom-
mended, and the methods of treatment prescribed, are safe
and reliable, and, if administered in accordance with the
instructions given, will generally be productive of good
results. The illustrations of the devices and appliances for
surgical operations and treatment are modern and simple,
and the articles therein suggested are easily applied by all
stock owners.
268444
CONTENTS.
PART I,
GENERAL PRINCIPLES OF VETERINARY
MEDICINE.
CHAPTER I. PAGE.
REMARKS ON THE ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY OF DOMESTIC ANIMALS.
The Brain and Nervous System ; The Organs of Breathing ; The
Organs of Digestion ; The Heart, Blood Vessels and Alosorb-
euts ; The Kidneys and Sex Organs ; The Reproductive Acts, 17
CHAPTER II.
NURSING, CARE AND DIET OF SICK ANIMALS.
Separation and Stabling ; Disinfection ; Rest and Sleep ; Cleans-
ing and Dressing j Position, Slings and Cradles j Food and
Drink ; Special Diet Preparations, ... 27
CHAPTER III.
FORMS OF MEDICI^^ES, AND METHODS OF THEIR ADMINISTRATION.
List of Forms and Methods ; Medication by the Mouth ; Injec-
tions into the Nose ; Medication by the Rectum and Vagina ;
Medication by the Blood Vessels ; External Methods of Medi-
cation ; Weights and Measures, and their Domestic Equiva-
lents , . . 88
6 Contents.
PAGE.
CHAPTER IV.
TETERIXART SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS AND MINOR SURGICAL OPERATIONS.
The Veterinary Pocket Case and its Contents ; Preparations for
Operating ; Bleeding ; Setons ; Firing ; Sutures ; Operations
on tlie Teeth ; Blistering, . , - , . 58
CHAPTER V.
GENERAL RULES FOR RECOGNIZING AND DISTINGUISHING DISEASES.
The Pulse ; The Breathing ; The Animal Heat ; The Skin and
Hair ; The Posture ; Indications of Pain ; Special Signs* in
Cattle J Signs of Diseases of Particular Organs, . . 71
PART II.
THE DISEASES OF THE HORSE.
General Remarks on the Diseases of the Horse, . . 81
CHAPTER I.
DISEASES OF THE BRAIN AND NERVOUS SYSTEM.
Congestion and Inflammation of the Brain; Phrenitis ; Mad,
Blind or Sleepy Staggers,, .....
Cerebro-spinal Meningitis, .....
Convulsive Diseases or Fits ; Apoplexy ; Epilepsy 5 Falling Sick-
ness ; St. Vitus' Dance or Stringhalt,
Megrims ; Vertigo ; Giddiness, ...»
Sunstroke, ,.....•
87
89
90
Contents, 7
PAGE.
Paralysis or Palsy, ...... 94
Tetanus or Lockjaw, ...... 96
Hydrophobia, ....... 98
CHAPTER II.
DISEASES OF THE BREATHING ORGAXS.
Cautions in Treating Diseases of the Breathing Organs, . 100
Cold in the Head ; Catarrh, ..... 102
Nasal Gleet ; Running from the Nose, . . . 103
Cold in the Chest ; Bronchitis ; Chronic Cough, . . 105
Influenza ; The Epizootic ; Contagious Catarrhal Fever ; Pink
Eye, ... ... 109
Sore Throat; Laryngitis; Pharyngitis, . . . 112
Inflammation of the Lungs ; Lung Fever; Pneumonia, . 113
Pleurisy, . . . . . . . .116
Heaves; Broken Wind ; Emphysematous Asthma, . . 119
Roaring ; High Blowing ; Thick Wind ; Whistling, . . 120
CHAPTER III.
DISEASES OF THE ORGANS OF DIGESTION.
General Remarks on Diseases of the Digestive Organs, • . 123
Local Inflammation in and around the Mouth ; Lampas ; Vives ;
Barbs and Paps ; Tender and Bleeding Gums ; Decayed
Teeth ; Tooth Cough, . . . . .124
Indigestion and Dyspepsia, . . . . .128
Cribbing ; Crib-biting ; Wind-sucking, . . . 130
Colic ; The Gripes, ...... 131
Tympany ; Flatulent Colic ; Tympanites ; Swollen Belly, . 134
Constipation ; Costiveness, ..... 136
Diarrhea ; Scouring, ...... 137
Inflammation of the Bowels ; Enteritis, . . . 110
Dysentery ; Bloody Flux ; Colitis, .... 143
Congestion and Inflammation of the Liver ; Hepatitis ; Jaundice ;
The Yellows, ...... 146
Intestinal Worms, ...... 148
The Bots, ....... 150
8 Contents,
PAGE.
CHAPTER IV.
DISEASES OF THE HEART, BLOOD VESSELS AXD ABSORBENTS.
Palpitation ; Violent Heart Beat ; Thumps, . . . 152
Enlargement or Hypertrophy of the Heart, . . . 153
Fatty Degeneration of the Heart, .... 154
Aneurism ; Enlargement of the Arteries, . . . 155
Inflammation of the Jugular Vein ; Phlebitis, . . 156
Inflammation of the Absorbent Vessels ; Lymphangitis ; Weed ;
Shot of Grease, ...... 156
CHAPTER V.
DISEASES OF THE KIDXEYS, BLADDER AND SEX ORGANS.
Inflammation of the Kidneys, .... 159
Inflammation of the Bladder, .... 160
Stone in the Bladder ; Gravel, .... 161
Retention or Suppression of Urine ; Strangury ; Difficult or
Painful Staleing, ...... 162
Diabetes ; Profuse Staleing, ..... 164
Black Water in Horses ; Hsematuria ; Azoturia, . . 165
Diseases of the Sex Organs ; Contraction of the Sheath ; Ex-
ternal Inflammation of the Yard ; Internal Inflammation of
the Yard j Inflammation of the Vagina, . . 166
CHAPTER VI.
GENERAL DISEASES, AND DISEASES OF THE BLOOD.
Glanders, . . . . • . . . 170
Farcy ; Bud Farcy ; Button Farcy, .... 173
Charbon in the Horse j Purpura Hemorrhagica ; Spotted
Fever, ....... 175
Rheumatism, . . . . . . . 178
Strangles ; Colt Distemper, ..... 181
Erysipelas; St. Anthony's Fire, ." . . . 185
Dropsy; Ascites, . . . . . .. 136
Contents,
PAGE.
CHAPTER YII.
DISEASES OF THE FOOT OF THE HORSE.
Structure of the Foot of the Horse, • . . . . 189
Lameness in the Horse ; How to Detect Lameness ; How to As-
certain the Cause of the Lameness, . . . 192
Inflammation of the Feet; Laminitis; Founder; Fever in the
Feet, ....... 197
Corns, ........ 201
Thrush or Frush of the Frog, .... 202
Canker, ....... 202
Punctured Wounds of the Feet ; Prickings ; Gathered Nails, 204
Sand Crack, ....... 205
False Quarter, ....... 206
Quittor; Fistula of the Coronet; Fibre- Chondritis of the
Foot, 207
Navicular Disease ; Grogginess ; Contraction of the Foot, . 209
Scratches; Mud Fever ; Cracked Heels ; Erythema of the
Heels, ....... 211
Grease ; Eczema of the Heels, .... 212
CHAPTER Vm.
DISEASES OF THE LEG.
Inflammation of the Bones, ..... 215
Sore Shins ; Inflammation of the Metacarpal Bones, . .' 215
Splints or Splents, ...... 21G
Ring Bones, . . . . . . .217
Bog Spavin ; Blood Spavin ; Inflammation of the Hock Joint, 218
Bone Spavin, . . . . . . . 219
Thorough-pin, ....... 221
Capped Hock, ....... 222
Side Bones, ....... 222
CHAPTER IX.
WOUNDS AND INJURIES, AND THEIR RESULTS.
The General Treatment of "Wounds ; To Check Bleeding ; Clean-
ing the Wound ; Restoring the Position of the Parts ; To Pre-
vent Inflammation, ...... 224
10 Contents,
PAGE.
Sprains or Strains, ...,». 228
Strains of the Shoulder and Leg ; Rheumatic Joint ; Sprain of the
Flexor Muscles ; Shoulder Slip ; Sprain of the Back Sinews,
or Flexor Tendons, ...... 230
Injuries of the Foot and Lower Leg; Interfering; Overreach;
Tread, or Calking ; Speedy Cut ; Brushing, ,. . 232
Wounds of the Knees ; Broken Knees, . . . 233
Elbow Sprain ; Elbow Lameness, .... 234
Breaking Down ; Strain or Rupture of the Suspensory Ligaments, 235
^yind-galls, ....... 235
Curb; Sprain of the Calcaneo-cuboid Ligaments, . . 236
Poll Evil, ....... 237
Fistulous Withers, . . . . . . 238
Rotten Bone ; Necrosis and Caries of Bones, . . . 239
Frostbite, . . . . . ... 241
Burns and Scalds, ...... 242
Stings and Bites, . . • . . . .243
Hernia ; Rupture ; Burst, ..... 244
Choking, , ...... 245
CHAPTER X.
DISEASES OF THE ETES.
Inflammation of the Eyes ; Conjunctivitis, . , . 248
Periodic' Ojjhthalmia ; Moon Blindness, . . . 249
White Spot ; Eye Spot ; Albugo, . ' . . . 251
CHAPTER XI.
DISEASES OF THE SKIN
Ringworm, ....
Nettle Rash ; Surfeit ; Urticaria,
Moist Tetter ; Humid Tetter ; Eczema,
Mallenders and Sallenders; Psoriasis of the
Tarsus, ....
Warbles; Grubs; Sitfasts,
Mange ; Itch, . . . /
Lice, . . . .1
Carpus and the
252
254
254
256
257
253
260
Contents, 1 1
PART III.
DISEASES OF CATTLE, SHEEP AND SWINE.
IXTRODUCTORT.
PAGE.
General Remarks on the Diseases of Cattle, and their Treat-
ment, ....... 263
Peculiarities of the Action of Medicines on Cattle, . - 266
CHAPTER I.
THE CONTAGIOUS OR EPIDEMIC DISEASES OF CATTLE.
The Cattle Plague ; Rinderpest ; Contagious Enteric Fever of
Cattle, 268
Pleuro-Pneumonia; Contagious Lung Fever, . . 27G
Foot and Mouth Disease;. Epizootic Aphtha3 j Contagious Ec-
zema, ....... 274
Charbon ; Black Quarter ; Quarter 111 ; Contagious Anthrax ;
Bloody Murrain, ...... 276
Splenic Fever ; Texas Cattle Disease ; Spanish Fever, . 281
Cow-pox ; Smallpox of Cattle ; Variola Vaccina, . . 284
CHAPTER 11.
KON-COXTAGIOUS AND LOCAL DISEASES OP CATTLE.
Catarrh ; Colds ; Coughs ; Snores ; Snivels, . . 285
Consumption ; Wasting ; Pining, .... 287
Hollow Horn ; Horn-ail ; Annsmia of Cattle, . . . 289
Hoveu ; Blown; Impaction of the Rumen or First Stomach, . 291
Fardel-bound ; Maw-bouhd ; Stomach Staggers ; Impaction of
the Omasum or Third Stomach ; Gastritis of Ruminants ;
Lakeburn, . 293
12
Contents.
Obstruction of the Bowels, ....
Congestion and Inflammation of the Liver ; The Yellows,
Eed Water ; Black Water ; Bloody Urine,
Dysentery ; Bloody Flux ; Scouring Rot,
Milk Sickness ; The Trembles,
Rheumatism ; Felon,
Foul in the Foot ; Foul Claw, .
Lice, Ticks and other Vermin, . .
PAGE.
297
298
300
302
304
306
308
310
CHAPTER III.
DISEASES OF THE COW IN" PREGNANCY AND CAI^YING
Barrenness or Sterility, .....
Abortion ; Slinking ; Slipping ; Dropping the Calf, .
Calving or Parturition ; Rigid Neck of the Womb ; Bending of
the Neck of the Womb,
Unnatural Positions of the Calf,
Flooding,
Retained After-birth,
Inversion of the Womb,
Medical Treatment of Calving,
Management of the Milk ; To Dry the Milk ; To Bring on or
Increase the Milk ; To Correct Bloody and Blue Milk, .
Milk Fever; Puerperal Fever; Parturient Fever; Parturient
Apoplexy; Inflammation of the Womb,
Garget ; Caked Bag ; Mammitis, ....
313
315
318
320
322
323
323
325
327
329
333
CHAPTER IV.
DISEASES OF CALVES.
First Attentions, ....
Diarrhea or Scouring, ....
Epidemic Colic; The Shoote or Shewte of Blood,
Croup, ......
The Husk or Hoose ; Parasitic Bronchitis,
336
336
338
338.
839
Contents.
CHAPTER V.
13
DISEASES OF SHEEP.
General Remarks on Diseases of Sheep, and their Treatment,
Braxy ; Striking of the Blood ; Charbon in Sheep,
Sheep Smallpox ; Variola Ovina,
Louping 111 ; Thorter 111 ; The Gnaw Disease,
Malignant Epizootic Catarrh ; The Sheep Distemper,
Colic ; Blown ; Blast ; Wind Dropsy, .
Red Water ; Hematuria,
Hoof Rot; Foot Rot, ....
Foul in the Foot, ....
Stone in the Bladder, ....
Lambing in the Ewe ; Heaving Pains ; Milk Fever ; Garget
Rheumatism of Lambs, ....
Constipation in Lambs, ....
Diarrhea in Lambs, ....
Turnsick ; Sturdy ; Gid ; Hydatid of the Brain,
Sheep Bots ; Grubs in the Head ; Head Maggots,
Lung Worms ; The Hoose in Lambs ; White Skin ; Paper Sk
Pelt Rot ; The Pale Disease,
The Rot ; The Liver Fluke,
Intestinal Worms, ....
The Scab ; The Mange or Itch in Sheep,
341
o-to
347
349.
351
353
354
355
360
361
362
365
368
368
371
374
375
379
382
383
CHAPTER YI.
DISEASES OF SWIXE.
General Remarks on Diseases of Swine, . . . 388
Hog Cholera, so-called, and its Varieties, . . . 389
Charbon in Swine ; Malignant Anthrax ; Carbuncular Disease ;
White Bristle, ...... 390
Contagious Pueumo-enteritis ; Red Soldier; The Blue Disease:
Purples, 393
Malignant Epizootic Catarrh, ..... 400
Apoplexy and Staggers, ..... 403
Coughs, Colds, Quinsy, and Inflammation of the Lungs, . 404
Diarrheal Diseases ; Scours, . , , , . 406
14
Contents,
Ague Cake ; Milt Swelling ; Splenitis,
Leprosy, . ...
Trichinosis, ......
Hydatids of the Kidneys ; Kidney Worms ; Lard Worms,
Measles, . .
The Mange, Itch, or Scab. ....
Lice. .......
Page
407
40S
4U9
410
411
412
413
CHAPTER VIL
DISEASES OF DOGS.
General Remarks on Diseases cf Dogs and their Treatment.
Colic,
Costiveness,
Diarrhoea and Dysentery.
Distemper,
Mange, .
Canker of the Ear,
Inflammation of the Eves.
Fleas and Lice,
415
416
417
418
420
422
423
424
425
CHAPTER Tin.
DISEASES OF F0"WLS.
General Remarks,
Diarrhoea,
Fowl Cholera, .
The Gapes,
The Roup,
Leg Weakness and Loss of Feathers,
Chicken Lice and Fleas,
426
427
428
430
431
432
432
CHAPTER IX.
THE PROFIIABLE MAXAGEMEXT OF LITE STOCK.
The Cow. The Best Breeds. .
The Dutch, Friesian or Holsteins,
The Shorthorns,
The Devons ; The Ayrshires, .
435
435
437
439
Contents.
15
The Jerseys,
The Guernseys,
The Herefords ; The Galloways ; The Kerry s
Swiss Cattle ; What Farmers Want,
How to Choose a Good Cow,
Guenon's Method,
The Art of Feeding Cows,
The Art of Milking,
Points in Cows,
Stall Feeding Cattle, .
Horse Points, .
The Sanitary Management of Live Stock,
PAGE
441
443
444
445
446
418
449
451
452
454
455
457
PART IV.
HYGIENE AND MEDICINES.
CHAPTER I.
HYGIE^'E OF THE HORSE, AND OF FATTENING.
Hygiene of the Horse, . . .
468
Condition Powders, ....
470
Disinfection, .....
473
Hygienic Rules for Fattening Animals,
475
Cattle Powders and Condimental Food,
476
Diets for Fattening, ....
477
CHAPTER II.
POISONS AND THE TREATMENT OF POISONING.
General Rules for the Treatment of Poisoning, . 479
Vegetable Poisons ; Aloes ; Castor and Croton Seeds ; Diseased
and Spoiled Foods ; Eupatorium ; Hellebore ; Laure 1 ; Poi-
sonous Mushrooms; Opium; Ranunculus; Savin ; St.
John's Wort; Tobacco; Turpentine; Stramonium, , 480
16 Contents.
PAGE
Mineral and Chemical Poisons ; Acids ; Alkalies ; Alcohol ;
Arsenic ; Brine ; Corrosive Sublimate ; Creasote ; Lead ;
Mercury ; Strychnine ; Tartar Emetic, . . . 483
CHAPTER III.
THE MORE IMPORTANT DRUGS AND MEDICINES USED FOR ANIMALS.
Alphabetical List of the Most Usefal Drugs, with their Doses,
Forms of Administration and Formulas, . . . 488
Classified List of Drugs, according to their Action on the System,
with Explanations, ..... 505
Index, ,......• 511
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X
PART I.
General Principles of Veterinary Medicine.
CHAPTER I.
REMAKKS ON THE ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY OF
DOMESTIC ANIMALS.
The Brain and Nervous System — The Organs of Breathing —
The Organs of Digestion — The Heart j Blood-vessels and
Absorbents — The Kidneys and Sex Organs — The Repro-
ductive Acts,
When one undertakes to repair a machine he should know
something about its construction; and in like manner an
acquaintance with anatomy and physiology is justly deemed
necessary to the proper treatment of diseases.
It is not, however, our purpose to enter into those abstruse
sciences to any great extent ; but it will be profitable to con-
sider in broad outlines, and in language free from technicali-
ties, the structure and functions of the four species of ani-
mals, the horse, cattle, the sheep and the hog, whose
diseases it is our main purpose to describe in the pages of
this book. In doing so we shall proceed in the same order
in which the diseases tliemselves will be classified when we
come in turn to study them.
(17) 2
IS General Principles of Veterinary Medicine.
THE BKAIN AND NERVOUS SYSTEM.
The cavity of the skull is filled with the brain, which is
the organ of intelligence, of voluntary motion, and of the
senses. The impressions on the senses are conveyed to the
brain by the nerves, delicate branches of which are found in
every part of the body. These branches unite and increase
in size as we follow them up, until they reach what may be
called the parent stem, which is the spinal cord, occupying
the cavity in the backbone. This is attached to the brain
at its base, so that every nerve fibre connects directly with
the brain itself.
The nerves of sight, of hearing, of taste and smell are-
adapted to convey the impressions of these senses only.
In addition to this chief system of nerves, called the
'^ cerebro-spinal ^' system, there is a lesser one, known as the
" sympathetic " nerve system, which is distributed chiefly to
the deep lying organs in the chest and abdomen, and to the
blood-vessels. It is supposed to control the involuntary
motions of those organs.
The brain of the horse is small for his weight and the
size of his head, weighing about thirty ounces, which is less
than the smallest sized adult brain in man ; while the brain
of the ox is still less, weighing about one-half that of the horse.
As it is so much less active an organ in the lower ani-
mals, it is much less apt to become diseased than in the
human race. When its surfaces become inflamed, it leads to
'^mad staggers," a sort of delirium ; and when with this the
spinal cord is attacked, the disease is that fatal and epidemic
one known as " cerebro-spinal meningitis." Pressure of
blood on the brain either by overfilling of the blood-vessels
or by their bursting produces a stupid dull condition, passing
at times into complete unconsciousness, as we witness in
*' sleepy staggers," sunstroke and apoplexy.
The Breathing Organs. 19
The nerves respond to the diseased condition of the brain
either by excessive and violent action, as displayed in the
spasms of megrims, epilepsy, lockjaw and hydrophobia ; or
else by a more or less complete loss of their power of convey-
ing sensation and motion, as in the varieties of palsy.
What physicians call " diseases of the mind,'^ as insanity
and idiocy, do not seem to occur in the lower animals;
although instances are recorded where horses have apparently
deliberately committed suicide, which would appear to be an
evidence of hypochondria.
THE ORGANS OF BREATHING.
These consist of the lungs, and the tubes through which
Air is conducted into them. The lungs are composed of
millions of little sacs or vesicles, each vesicle opening into
a minute tube, which tubes unite to form others of larger
calibre, called bronchi; and finally all the bronclii join the
lower end of the windpipe or trachea, which continues up
the throat to the mouth. The lungs do not lie immediately
against the walls of the chest, but against a close membra-
nous sac called the pleura, which lies between the lungs and
the ribs.
The act of breathing differs in frequency in different ani-
mals. In the horse it averages in health ten or twelve times
a minute, in the ox twelve or fourteen times, in man sixteen or
eighteen times. It should also be quiet and regular, and any
deviation from these natural conditions is justly regarded
with suspicion. A warranted horse is held to be especially
guaranteed " in wind and limb," any defect of the breathing
organs being mentioned first as of first importance.
When the minute vesicles of the lungs are inflamed we
have the disease called inflammation of the lungs, lung fever
or pneumonia; when the inflammation is in the tubes or
20 General Pr^incij^les of Vdefrinary Medicine.
bronchi, it is called bronchitis ; when in the upper windpipe,
sore throat. Pleurisy is an inflammation of the membranous
sac we have described as the pleura. Asthma, roaring, thick
wind, broken wind, heaves and other disorders of the breath-
inof- arise from alterations in the nerves and tissues of these
organs ; while consumption, although a general disease of
the system, most frequently, both in men and horses, leads
early to a softening and breaking down of the substance of
the lungs.
THE OEGANS OF DIGESTION.
These include much more than the stomach and bowels.
The digestion of food really begins in the mouth, where it
is ground by the teeth and altered by the chemical action of
the saliva. Therefore we include under this heading, the
mouth, teeth, throat, gullet, stomach and bowels.
It is in this part of the system that the herbivorous ani-
mals differ most from those which eat flesh only, and those
which eat both flesh and vegetable food. The chemical
processes which can convert dry hay to rich blood and firm
flesh are w^ondrously complicated and require an extensive
laboratory. This is furnished by a remarkable length of in-
testine and generally by several stomachs. In man the
intestines are six or seven times longer than his body ; in the
pig they are thirteen times longer ; in the sheep they are
twenty-eight times ; in the ox twenty-two times ; in the
horse but ten times the length of the body. Yet this gives
the horse an intestinal tube ninety feet long, and capable of
containing more than a barrel of fluid.
The teeth, in both the horse and the ox, as in the child,
appear at first in a temporary set called "milk teeth," which
are followed by permanent ones, the change being completed
in both animals about the fifth year of life. The horse has
forty teeth, the ox and man thirty-two. As in the human
Organs of Digestion, 21
mouth, there are in the horse three kinds of teeth, the front
teeth or incisors, called the ^^ nippers; the canine teeth, called
"tushes/^ and the molar teeth, called "grinders.'^ The
appearance of the teeth and the amount of wear they dis-
close, enable those acquainted with their development to de-
cide positively of the age of a horse within one year up to
nine years of age. But a discussion of this subject does not
come within our province.
The horse has but one stomach, while the ox and the sheep
have each four. They are in both animals known by the
same names. The first is the paunch or rumen ; the second
is the honeycomb or kingshood ; the third is the manyplies
or omasum ; the fourth is the red, the reuuet or the aboma-
sum. The first three communicate with the gullet by a
common opening. The " cud " is contained in the first and
second stomachs, and after it has been masticated a second
time it passes to the third and fourth, and to the bowels, to
undergo the further process of digestion.
This is accomplished by the peculiar action upon it of the
secretion of the fourth stomach or rennet, an action fami-
liarly known by the use of rennet in the kitchen, and of
" pepsin ^^ in medicine, which is obtained directly from this •
stomach ; and after it passes into the bowels by the secre-
tions of the liver and pancras or sweet bread.
Thus prepared, it comes into contact in the long course of
the bowels — two hundred feet nearly in the ox — with count-
less little absorbing points called " villi,'' which take up the
food now changed to a large extent to a thick fluid, leaving
the insoluble and undigested portions to continue down the
tube to the rectum or anus, whence they are periodically dis-
charged as feces or dung.
As may readily be conceived, this intricate and delicate
process is easily disturbed, and hence loss of appetite, im-
paired digestion, and irregularity of the bowels accompany
22 General Principles of Veterinary Medicine.
nearly every disease on the catalogue. Improper food, and
too little or too much exercise bring on indigestion or dys-
pepsia, in which complaint there may be one or another form
of disturbance. Colic, gripes or hoven is an accumulation of
air or gas in the stomach or bowels, painfully stretching their
walls. Scouring is a too free and watery action of the intes-
tines ; dysentery and enteritis are when the intestines are in-
flamed ; and obstruction occurs when through hair-balls,
rupture or twistings their passage is choked uj).
The digested food, we have seen above, is taken up in the
intestines in the shape of a milky fluid by innumerable absor-
bent points or villi. What do they do with it ? They pour
it into the absorbent vessels or lymphatics, which empty into
larger and larger ones, and so on until the whole of the nu-
tritive fluid is collected into one great duct or tube, which
extends forward and pours its life-giving contents into the
large veins at the base of the neck, whence it is conveyed to
the heart and enters the general circulation of the blood.
And this circulation, what is meant by it? It means
that the blood is drawn in and driven out of the heart by
its powerful throbs, with such force and rapidity that the
whole of it in the body makes the circuit of the system in
less than three minutes, washing out the dead and worn out
particles, discharging them by the lungs, kidney and liver,
and purging and brightening itself in the fresh air drawn
in by the lungs for another such rapid and purifying race.
The parts concerned in this circulation are the heart, the
arteries and the veins. The arteries lead /rom the heart; the
blood they carry is bright red, and it flows in waves, felt on
the pulse, and shown when an arteiy is cut by the blood
spouting in jets or spurts. The veins lead to the heart : the
The Course of the Blood, 23
blood they carry is dark red, and It flows in a steady, regular
stream. The arteries divide and subdivide into innumerable
branches, diminishing to a size where it takes the strongest
microscope to discover them, which are collected again into
larger and larger branches to form the veins.
These smallest divisions are the capillaries^ and it is while
in them that the blood alters in color from a bright to a dark
red, by undergoing the changes necessary to keep up the life
of the tissues through which it flows.
Thus the blood is returned to the heart dark and dull,
and loaded with worn out matter. It enters the right side
of the heart, which has two cavities wholly separate from
two similar ones on the left side. It is at once driven to
the lungs, where it is spread over the delicate thin walls
of millions of vesicles and exposed to the air inhaled at each
act of breathing ; it throws out carbonic acid gas, absorbs
oxygen, and returns to the left side of the heart fresh and
bright once more, and ready to recommence its journey.
And so it continues its endless round till death stops it for-
ever.
In the human race diseases of the heart and blood-vesse2s
are common, but in the lower animals they are rare, ^o
doubt the erect position of man, which demands heavier
labor from the heart, is partly a cause of this; another is his
greater nervous excitability, and his intemperance. In both
species, inflammatory rheumatism is often followed by a
change in the valves and walls of the heart.
Practically, it is of great importance to be able to distin-
guish bleeding from arteries from bleeding from veins by the
color of the blood. For venous bleeding will usually cease
by simple measures ; but arterial bleeding requires the liga-
ture.
When the amount and quality of the food is largely in
excess of the needs of the system for repairing its waste by
24 General Principles of Veterinary lledidne,
exercise, the blood is said to be " too rich/' and the animaV
increases in fat, and may become sluggish and torpid. This
state of plethora or " over-condition,'' though not actually a
disease, is not one of the most perfect health ; and though it
suits well for stall-fed steers, it is injurious to milk-cows and
work or racing horses. It is counteracted by lower diet,
more exercise, a brisk purge, and in racers by the process of
" sweating " them under the saddle and sweat-cloths.
THE KIDNEYS AND SEX OEGANS.
The kidneys are the organs which secrete the urine from
the blood. The fluid flows from them through a duct into
the bladder, whence it is expelled from time to time. The
urine of horses has a peculiar, strong unpleasant odor, and a
bitter, salty taste ; the urine of cattle is clear, of a pale
yellow color, of a bitter taste, and a strong alkaline reaction.
The urine of the sheep and the pig resembles that of cattle.
The sex organs in the male horse are the sheath, the yard
and the testicles. In the gelding and the steer, the latter are
removed by the operation of castration.
In the female the sex organs are the uterus or womb with
its appendages, the ovaries and the vagina, which is the
passage which conducts to the womb. In mares this is about
eighteen inches long. In the operation of spaying, the ova-
ries are removed, which renders the female barren, and
usually destroys her sexual desires.
These desires in the female lower animals are only mani-
fested, when in health, on certain periodical occasions, known
as the " oestrum," when the animal is said to be " in heat."
This is manifested by restlessness, calling the male, signs of
congestion and irritation about the sex organs, and by the
discharge of a fluid from the vagina, which is said to have a
characteristic, and penetrating odor in the highest degree ex-
citing to the perfect male.
Breeding In-and-in, 25
The mammary glands or udder is an appendage of the sex
organs in the female. It is brought into action after fertile
connection and reproduction have been accomplished — though
the secretion of milk is possible without these.
Although the horse, ox and sheep are strictly herbivorous
animals, they live, when young, on animal food in the form
of milk ; and it is the desire by man to partake of this food
that leads him to give so much attention to the breeding of
cows in this country and of mares in Asia.
The diseases of these organs form a very important class.
Disturbances of the urinary secretion are by no means un-
common in our domestic animals. Diabetes or excessive uri-
nation is a familiar example; "red water '^ and "black
water " are known in both horses and cows ; and inflamma-
tory affections of the bladder and kidneys, though not fre-
quent, are always troublesome.
With regard to the sex organs, the difficulties and compli-
cations of pregnancy and parturition demand careful study
on the part of the stock owner ; and disorders of the udder,
the treatment of milk fever, and the management of new-
born calves are subjects A\ath which every one having the
care of domestic animals should make himself acquainted.
Another and important topic, which comes appropriately
in this connection, is the effect on the health of stock of
breeding in-and-in. As a predisposing cause to certain very
dangerous diseases, it has not received in the United States,
at least, the attention it should have.
The ill effects of close breeding are seen less in the horse,
than in cattle and sheep. In cattle the extremities become
delicate, the hair smooth and fine, the ears thin, and the
general sensitiveness increased. The animal becomes more
subject to various diseases, especially of the lungs, and to
what are called " clayers '^ in the throat. The English herd
books give instances where once famous herds have de-
26 General Principles of Veterinary Medicine,
generated and become extinct by persistent in-and-in breed-
ing.
In sheep the effects are to produce fine and delicate ex-
tremities, to bare the head of wool, ana to render the ears
thin and red. The animal becomes very susceptible to cold,
and uncommonly subject to such diseases as flukes and foot
rot.
THE EEPKODUCTIVE ACTS.
In regard to the development of the reproductive powers,
the domestic animals differ widely.
The mare begins to breed at four years of age and carries
her young 340 days from the time of conception to its natu-
ral delivery. She may safely be worked to within tw^o weeks
of that time, but should have rest for three or four weeks
afterwards. The foal should be weaned at five or six months
of age.
The youngest age at which the heifer should be put to the
bull is laid down by the best English breeders at one year
and eight months. She carries her young the same length
of time as the human female, to wit, about nine months.
The most favorable period for calving is in the spring. For
five or six weeks previous to its occurrence her milk should
be dried, and during the w-hole period of gestation, she
should be underfed rather than overfed, too rich diet being
a very common cause of abortion. The calf should have
nothiug but the teat for three or four weeks, when it may
begin with skimmed milk, etc.
Both rams and ewes are ready to breed at fifteen months
of age. The ewe carries her young one hundred and fifty-
two days. When born, it is often very delicate and requires
the attentive care of the shepherd to survive.
The sow should breed at one year of age. Her period of
gestation is 113 days, and it is a prudent precaution to sepa-
Nursing, 27
rate her from the rest of the herd for one week before her
farrowing is due. In three weeks from their birth the
young pigs begin to eat other food than the milk of the sow,
CHAPTER II.
NUESING, CARE AXD DIET OF SICK ANIMALS.
Separation and Stabling — Disinfection — Rest and Sleep-^
Cleansing and Dressing — Position, Slings and Cradles —
Food and Drink — Special Diet Preparations.
As in the human species, so in the domestic animals, very
much of the success of medicines depends upon intelligent
nursing ; and the most approved skill of the veterinarian
will fail utterly, if the principles of hygiene and sanitation
are neglected. These principles we shall now specify.
SEPARATION AXD STABLING.
Whenever an animal is seen to be ailing, it should be sepa-
i^ited from others and placed in a lot or pen apart, or in a
stall at a distance from others. This is especially important
when contagious diseases are prevalent, but it should be a
rule at all times and in e^'^ry instance.
The stall chosen shoulo. be roomy, well drained and ven-
tilated, free from the odes of decaying animal or vegetable
matters, moderately lighted and quiet. The temperature to
be preferred is about 60° or 65° Fah.
A loose box is preferable to a stall, when it is to be had,
as it allows an animal more liberty of movement, and permits
him to assume any position which is most comfortable. The
28 General Pinncijples of Veterinary Medicine,
floor should be well littered with clean straw which should
be changed as often as it becomes foul wdth the discharges.
Surface gutters are to be preferred in all instances to traps
or sink holes, as the former allow the discharges to be
rapidly and thoroughly removed.
In some systems of ventilation, especially that by a tube
or shaft descending from the roof, and that by open doors
and windows, there is danger, especially at night, of a cur-
rent of raw cold air striking the animal, and chilling it to a
dangerous degree. Louver windows in the roof or under the
eaves, if properly made, are less objectionable; and best of
all is a ventilating shaft which has its opening within a foot
or two of the floor, the current in which is maintained by a
revolving ventilator at the top.
DISINFECTION.
Should never be neglected. The walls should be fre-
quently whitewashed, and the discharges deodorized by the
use of sulphate of iron (copperas), which is a cheap and efiS-
cient agent for the purpose. A handful may be dissolved in
a bucket of water and thrown into the drain.
More efficient is the chloride of zinc (butter of zinc), which
may be dissolved in water in the proportion of an ounce to
one or two gallons. It is very efiective, and not liable to be
absorbed.
In contagious cases it is of the first importance that the
infecting germs be destroyed as soon as they are produced,
and before they have had a chance to spread the contagion.
The attendants on such cases should not handle or approach
healthy animals, when it is possible to avoid it.
The sheds or stables occupied by such animals should be
fumigated with sulphur two or three times a week. The
fumes should not be strong enough to set the animals cough-
Disinfecting, 29
ing. If mixed \\ath tar, the gases generated by the com-
bustion of the two form the most active atmospheric disin-
fectant now known to science.
No. 1. Flowers of sulphur, | lb.
Wood tar, 1 qt.
Mix with tow.
This much, burned at one or two spots, will be enough to
disinfect a shed one hundred feet long and twenty wide.
Carbolic acid in its impure liquid form ia conveniently
applied with a brush over the doors, walls and troughs, and
may also be applied to the hooves of the animals. Rugs or
blankets may be wet with a weak solution of it and hung
around, to attract and destroy any disease germs floating in
the atmosphere. It also has the advantage of being dis-
agreeable to flies, which in the summer time are otherwise
sure to attack and annoy the sick animal.
Chloride of lime is also a popular disinfectant, but apart
from it being generally highly disagreeable to animals, it is
not so active as those we have already mentioned.
The value of disinfection is no longer open to discussion.
It has been shown beyond controversy that over and over
again such malignant maladies as the foot-and-mouth disease,
the cattle plague and black quarter have been stayed in their
ravages and prevented from extending by a free, constant
and wise use of these potent agents. AYe add formulas to
prepare a number of them besides those already mentioned,
60 that one may be obtained when another is not convenient.
No. 2. Sulphate of iron, 2 parts.
Sulphate of zinc, ^ I each 1 part.
Tan or oak bark in powder, ) ^
Mix with tar into balls the size of the fist, and put into drains, cess-
pools and sink holes.
No. 3. Bry chloride of lime, 2 parts.
Burnt alum, 1 part.
To be set in shallow dishes about the stables, &c. This is known
as " Collins' Disinfecting Powder."
30 General Principles of Veterinary Medicine,
No. 4. Common salt, 2 lbs.
Oil of vitriol, 1 pint.
Pour the oil of vitriol slowly in the salt, and muriatic gas will be
evolved, which is a powerful disinfectant. Eecommended by the
Cattle Plague Commission.
What are known as the " disinfecting powders/' which
are preparations of carbolic acid by McDougall, Calvert and
other makers, are sprinkled daily throughout the extensive
stables in London and Liverpool, at an annual cost of only
one dollar and a quarter for each horse. They keep the flies
away and the atmosphere pure.
REST AND SLEEP
Are great restoratives to the exhausted system. Hence the
attendant on the sick animal should be careful to secure
these. Horses are nervous creatures, and cannot sleep soimd-
ly w^here there is much noise. AVhen sick, no one should be
allowed to walk about on a floor overhead, especially at
night ; the stall should be darkened, and the crowd of pas-
sing visitors which generally collects, should promptly be
dispersed.
Especially is this true of all diseases of the brain and ner-
vous system ; to such a degree, indeed, that the prescription
in tetanus (lockjaw) of an eminent veterinarian is for the
owner of the animal to lock the stable door, put the key in
his pocket, and not approach the place again for three days.
This general rest is to be carried further, to rest of the
part w^hich is diseased. If the digestive organs are inflamed
the simplest and blandest food and not much of that is to be
allowed ; purgatives are to be w^ithheld as only adding fuel
to the flames. If the eye or the foot is inflamed, shading
from the light is demanded in the first, and entire freedom
from motion in the second case. But when acute disease haa
Cleanliness, 31
passed away, the gradual use of an affected part generally
does good.
CLEANING AND DRESSING.
A sick animal should be kept scrupulously clean. This
is neither an easy nor a pleasant task, especially with cows
and cattle suffering from dysentery and other scouring disea--
ses. They lie down and obstinately refuse to move even to
get out of the way of their own discharges. They must be
well bedded, and gentle but sufficient force be used to wash
them thoroughly once a day. When the condition is one of
fever, if the body is sponged several times a day with some
vinegar added to tepid water, great comfort will result, and
the hot and dry condition of the skin be much relieved.
Harsh rubbing, scraping, and the currycomb are not
the means to use in cleansing a sick animal. Plenty of
warm water and the handbrush, followed by the cloth, are
what are needed.
In feverish diseases and inflammations both in horses and
cattle, and in recovery from exhausting attacks of all kinds,
a warm rug or two and bandages to the legs help to maintain
an even temperature, and combat congestion of the internal
organs.
In putting on bandages the art is to avoid unequal pres-
sure, and yet in giving sufficient to afford gentle support and
to distribute equable heat. The bandages are usually of
flannel or some other woolen material. They, as well as all
other clothing, should always be removed twice daily, the
skin washed off and rubbed, and the covering promptly
re-applied.
Attention to the hair is a very important question in dress-
ing, especially in horses. There has been a prejudice, and
we believe an entirely unfounded one, in this country against
"clipping^' horses. Yet as a measure of comfort in
32 General Principles of Veterinary Medicine,
health, and improvement in disease, we believe it a very
desirable procedure. Not to discuss the question we shall
simply quote the words of that very eminent authority,
Prof. W. Williams; Principal of the Veterinary College
of Edinburgh. He says : " With reference to the clipping
of horses, I am of opinion that it is a great advantage ; they
work better after being clipped ; thrive on less food ; are less
liable to disease ; and when sick recover in a much shorter
time." Frequently, therefore, it is a part of good nursing
to clip them.
When this is not done, it is often of advantage to cut
away the hair at the fetlocks, and under the chin, and trim
the main and tail. Many horses which are " hide bound,"
out of condition, mangey, and generally run down, will re-
cover forthwith as soon as they are clipped and closely
trimmed.
In all instances the feet should be looked to. The shoes
should be removed, and a " stopping " of equal parts of cow
dung and clay be used in horses ; while in cattle it is well to
paint the hoofs with tar, or impure carbolic acid.
POSITION, SLINGS AND CEADLES.
A horse has generally a nervous fear about lying down
when sick, on account of the increased difficulty he experi-
ences in breathing in that condition ; hence he is apt, when
he can no longer stand, to give up the struggle in despair
and to die when his attack is not necessarily mortal. This is
not the case with cows and cattle, as they spend much of
their time reclining, and as a rule adopt that position early
in their sickness.
Of course, when the leg or foot is seriously diseased, the
horse finds far greater comfort lying, and then it is bad man-
agement to prevent him doing so. But otherwise we incline
to believe a horse should be encouraged to stand as long as
Slings for Horses. 33
possible. It is his natural position in sleep, and it is
not nearly so fatiguing to hira, even when extremely de-
bilitated, as some kind hearted people but of slight anatomi-
cal knowledge, have asserted.
In fact, no stable is complete in its appointments that is
not provided with the apparatus kno^^Ti as " the sling,'^ in
which to support in an erect position a horse unable or un-
willing to stand. The use of this alone will cure some cases,
and is absolutely indispensable for the successful treatment
of many others. The simplest form of the sling, as recom-
mended by Prof. Law, is as follows :
Four strong posts are fixed to the ground and roof so as
to form an oblong, inside which the four feet of the animal
may stand. A strong horizontal bar is then fixed to the two
posts on each side, at such a height as to correspond to the
middle of the body. Then the animal being walked into
the frame, a horizontal bar is fixed between the two front
posts so high as to cross the lower part of the neck, and
another between the tw^o hind posts at about the height of
the stifle. Next a strong piece of sailcloth or other firm
material strengthened by small ropes, is fixed to the bar on
one side by being wound around and nailed to the outer
side, and having been passed beneath the body is nailed to
the bar on the other side in the same way. It must be just
sufficiently far back to clear the fore limbs, and just so loose
as to allow the patient to stand over it without pressure or
chafing, or to settle himself into it at will. In the male care
must be taken to have it narrow enough not to cover the sheath.
It is often necessary to allow an animal to become
fatigued by standing for a day or two before being put in a
sling, otherwise he may be very irritable at first. Care
must be taken not to let him feel the sling beneath him
until it is ready to be fixed, as many patients will settle down
into it the moment it is felt.
34 General Principles of Veterinary Medicine.
Another and in some respects preferable ]:>lan, is to take a
strong piece of sailcloth of the width of the distance from
the sheath to behind the fore limbs, and of a length equal to
the girth of the horse. Wrap each end twice around two-
inch rollers of wood and nail them securely, and work a two-
inch wide buttonhole in each end of cloth just beneath the
middle of each roller. A rope and tackle should now be
FIG. 1.— A HORSE IN A SLING.
fastened securely to the ceiling of the stable and a [\ shaped
hook of bar-iron be obtained from the blacksmith, the up-
turned ends of which are to be inserted in the buttonholes,
and the central portion of which is connected with the pul-
ley, and thus the horse raised or lowered at pleasure. Breast
straps and breechbands can be added as desired.
Diet of Sick Animals, 35
Cradles are used in cases of fracture of the bones of the
jaw. Some are elaborately made of steel bands and leather
straps; but any inventive person can devise one from thin
and strong strips of wood and firm bandages, the object in
all cases being to maintain the fragments of the bones in
their natural positions until union has taken place between
them. Hatters' felt, stiffened wdth shellac, and hard rubber
in sheets, either of which can be moulded to the part when
moistened with hot water, are useful in such cases.
FOOD AND DEINK. '
In sickness food requires to be given with special care and
in an easily digestible form, for in all serious diseases the
digestive powers are impaired. In not a few complaints of
a feverish character, both of horses and cattle, the ordinary
grains and dry fodders are not readily digested, and con-
sequently give rise to derangement of the stomach and
bowels. Such patients should be fed on mashes, gruels and
other soft food, to which milk and eggs can be added when
active nutrition is demanded.
Food should never be allowed to lie long before a sick
animal. If not promptly consumed it should be removed,
and in a couple of hours or less time another supply be fur-
nished. In most cases of disease, it is better to give small
quantities at a time, and have it often repeated. With re-
turning appetite, a convalescing animal will often eat more
than is good for him, and thus bring about a relapse of the
disease. With the horse, it must be remembered that his
stomach is small for his size, and that even in health he does
not bear hunger nearly so well as man, and requires food as
often as every four hours. He also urgently desires a change
of diet, neither grain nor clean hay alone fully satisfying his
craving.
36 General Principles of Veterinary Medicine,
Unless when affected with diarrhoea, dysentery or diabetes,
animals do not injure themselves by taking too much water,
but are often rendered uncomfortable and recovery retarded
by undue restriction in this direction. A supply of water,
cool, clean soft water, should always be within their reach,
except in the diseases mentioned, when the quantity must be
limited. Small quantities given often will allay thirst much
more certainly than large quantities at long intervals. The
horse is especially delicate about drinking water, and when
sick, neither hard nor dirty nor tepid water should be offered
him; and if the nitre, etc., often added to the water appears
distasteful, it should be omitted.
In all instances a lump of rock salt should be placed in
the feed trough for him to lick at, at his pleasure.
SPECIAL DIET PREPARATIONS.
These, for animals, mostly consist of mild, nutritious or
cooling drinks, and mashes.
An excellent substance for them Is linseed, either in the
form of gruel, tea or cake. It Is soothing, palatable, easily
digested, and moderately laxative. Oat meal, ground corn,
barley and bran, are other useful forms of grain suitable for
special diet. We add recipes for a few of their preparations.
Linseed Tea.
No. 5. Bruised linseed, 4 to 6 oz.
Boiling water, 1 gallon.
Simmer for two hours, strain and add a few spoonfuls of xnolasses or
honey.
Linseed Mash.
No. 6. Linseed, 2 qts.
Sugar, 2 oz.
Boiling water, 6 qts.
Simmer for several hours on a slow fire.
Special Diet Beceipts, 37
Barley Water.
No. 7. Barley, 1 lb.
Water, 2 galls.
Boil to six quarts, strain, and add a teacupful of molasses.
Malt Mash.
No. 8. Ground malt, 1 peel?.
Boiling water, 1^ gall.
Stir frequently, and give when milk warm. This is a nutritious mash,
valuable in debility.
Bran Mash.
No. 9. Bran, ^ peck.
Boiling water, enough to scald it thoroughly.
Stir and give when milk warm. Softening and laxative.
Oatmeal Gruel.
No. 10. Oatmeal,
Water, each, ^ pint.
Mix well together, then add to one gallon of boiling water, and boil
for a few minutes.
No. 11. Fresh eggs, 4.
Fresh milk, 2 qts.
Beat together, and give milk warm. A concentrated form of nourish
ment in exhausted conditions.
38 General Principles of Veterinary Medicine,
CHAPTER III.
FORMS OF MEDICINES, AND METHODS OF THEIR ADMINIS-
TRATION.
List of Forms and Methods — Medication hy the Mouth — In-
jections into the Nose — Medication hy the Rectum and
Vagina — Medication hy the Blood-vessels — External
Methods of Medication — Weights and Measures, and their
Domestic Equivalents.
Medicines can be conveniently acf ministered to the lower
animals by a number of different methods, which may be
classified into internal and external, as follows:
Internal Methods,
1. By the mouth or nostrils, in the form of
Balls or boluses.
Powders.
Drenches, draughts or drinks.
Vapors, sprays and fumes.
Snuffs.
2. By the rectum or vagina, in the form of
Injections, clysters or enemas.
Suppositories.
3. By the blood-vessels, in the form of
Subcutaneous or hypodermic injections.
Injections into veins.
External Methods,
In the forms of
Lotions and liniments.
Poultices and fomentations.
Ointments, plasters and charges.
Ifedieation by the Mouth or Nostrils,
MEDICATIOX BY THE MOUTH OR NOSTRILS.
39
A ball or bolus is made by mixing the medicine to be
given with linseed meal, molasses or soap, to bring the mass
to a consistency of a thick paste, and then rolling it out in
the shape of a small cylinder, about twu inches long by a
half or three-quarters thick. These can be wrapped in oiled
paper or coated with sugar or gum. For horses this is the
most common and handy method of giving medicine. What
is called " common mass " is a mixture of equal parts of
linseed and molasses, and is much used for giving a proper
consistence to other druo^*>.
The ball may be administered either with the aid of the
balling iron or with the fingers, and the latter plan is gene-
rally preferable. The operation is as follows :—
The ball is held by one end in the right hand between the
thumb, which supports it below, and the fingers above, the
FIG 2.— MODE OF ADMINISTERING A BALL EY THE HAND.
hand being drawn together and rounded as nmch as possible.
The horse's tongue is gently drawn out a little way by the
40 General Principles of Yetei^inary Iledidne.
left hand, and the ball passed rapidly along the roof of the
mouth, and dropped on the back of the tongue. The hand
is quickly withdrawn, the tongue returned to the mouth, the
jaws closed and the head for a couple of minutes held slight-
ly elevated, and the side of the neck watched to see the ball
swallowed and pass down the throat.
In performing this operation it is well to observe the fol-
lowing rules : —
1. Take the horse out of his stall, and let him have a
halter on, held by an assistant.
2. Stand on the off side of the horse's head, and be sure
J hold the tongue so that in any movement the horse may
make, you have a support for the hand against the lower
jaw\
3. Do not pull on the tongue, and let your movements be
quiet but rapid.
With vicious horses, those with small and narrow mouths,
and in certain diseases, as lockjaw and mad staggers, hallhvj
irons have been devised, by which the mouth is kept open,
FIG. 3. — SIMPLE FOKM OF A BALLING IRON".
and the ball can be given wdth safety. The above is a
sim^^le form •which can readily be made of iron by any black-
smith, of size to suit.
The ball is sometimes fastened loosely to the end of a small
stick, and thus carried to the back part of the tongue.
Giving Medicines by the Mouth. 41
Vapors, Sprays, and Fumes are forms of medicines drawn
in with the breath. They are easy of administration, and of
much wider use than most veterinarians take advantage of.
Among them, the ancestheticSy chloroform and ether, take the
first rank. A sponge in a loose net may be fastened over the
head of the animal, the mouth having previously been muz-
zled, and the anaesthetic poured on the spoLge ; or it may be
simply held to the nose.
In many diseases of the throat and Avindpipe, as catarrh,
sore throat and strangles, steam, either pure, or from water
containing vinegar, laudanum, belladonna, sulphurous acid,
and the like, will give great and prompt relief. The steam
is readily evolved from a well made hot bran mash placed in
a roomy nose bag ; or the head of the animal may be held
over a bucket of hot water, plain or medicated, from which
the steam is driven off by plunging a hot iron into it at short
intervals.
Vapors can readily be produced in any liquid substance by
pLcing it in what is called an atomizer. The most conven-
ient of these is the form worked by the hand called the
" hand ball atomizer.^' For diseases of the nostrils, mouth
and throat this is a valuable instrument.
For disinfecting purposes and for treating the lining
membrane of the breathing organs, inhalations of smokes
and gases are of service. J^lowers of sulphur on hot coals
will soon fill a closed stable with sulphurous acid, a medical
and disinfecting agent of great power ; burning tar is asserted
by many to give off fumes very beneficial in chronic cough ;
chloride of lime evolves an odorous gas of value in contagious
diseases, and which keeps away flies and mosquitoes.
Snuffs are used to bring on violent expulsion of the secre-
tions of the nostrils, thus clearing the air passages, or as a
local application to diseases of the inner surface of the nose.
There is a small apparatus used to throw them up, consisting
42 General Principles of Veterinary Medicine.
of a tube and a hollow rubber ball, by pressure on which the
powder is forcibly driven up the nostrils or down the throat.
But a hollow reed charged with the powder with a piece of
rubber tubing and mouthpiece, blown forcibly by the oper-
ator, will answer quite as well.
MEDICATION BY THE RECTUM OR VAGINA.
Injections into the rectum are frequently used in animals
for constipation, piles, colic, and whenever the object is to
keep the bowels in order. Their use will often take the place
of purgative medicines given by the mouth. In thread
worms they are the only measures worth resorting to. When
tepid and with the addition of laudanum or belladonna they
will relieve irritation of the kidneys, bowels and womb.
After giving birth, mares and cows are frequently benefitted
by having the vagina washed out with a mild disinfectant, as
a weak solution of pe^p^ianganate of potash or sulphurous acid.
When intended to be retained and absorbed, injections in
the horse and ox should not exceed two or three pints ; but
when the object is to produce evacuation of the bowels, three
or four times this amount may be used. In case of obstinate
obstruction of the bowels very large injections with an extra
long tube are required, and are generally successful, if com-
menced early.
Quite a variety of apparatus has been invented to give in-
jections. The ordinary barrel syringe is often used. The
ball syringe is more convenient, as it saves all pumping and
refilling. Probably better than all is the ^' Fountain Syringe,"
which works by the force of gravity. An open rubber bag,
holding half a gallon, may be suspended several feet above
the animars back ; from this a half-inch tube of rubber or
leather, the end of which is well oiled and inserted into the
rectum, conveys the fluid into the gut without any exertion
Giving Mediclms by Injections, 43
and in any desired quantity. It is a mistake to suppose any
force is required. The fluid will fall by the force of gravity,
and as the intestinal canal is in animals when standing, lower
than the outer opening of the gut, the injection will slowly
but surely penetrate without the use of force.
Another useful instrument on the same plan is Professol
Gamgee's Funnel. It consists of a straight metallic tube, 12
Indies long, tapered and rounded off at one end, bent at a
right angle at the opposite extremity, which supports a broad
funnel about 6 inches deep and 7 in its greatest diameter.
Its extremity should be oiled and introduced into the rectum,
and the fluid poured into the funnel. The injection may be
repeated every quarter of an hour until relief is experienced.
riG. 4. — PKOF. gamgee's funnel for injection.
Suppositories. Almost all medicines may be given to
animals in the same doses, by the rectum as by the mouth.
They may be made in a solid form, something like a ball,
by means of soap, lard, or starch, and are then called sup-
positories. A cylinder of soap introduced into the rectum
of young foals and calves encourages the action of the
bowels and ducts more promptly than a purge. Supposi-
tories may be made with disinfectants and introduced into
44 General Principles of Veterinary Medicine.
the vagina of cows after calving to purify the discharges
and lessen the danger of puerperal fever.
MEDICATIONS BY THE BLOOD-VESSELS.
The most safe and convenient plan to introduce medicines
into the system is by the hypodermie syringe. This is a
small syringe, holding a few teaspoonfuls, with a long
needle-like point, through which a delicate canal is pierced.
PIG. 6.— THE HYPODEKMIC SYRINGE.
This has been used extensively for many years in human
patients, and is even better adapted to animals, on accoimt
of the difficulty of forcing them to take remedies, and the
more prompt and certain action of the subcutaneous method.
Of course, very concentrated forms of medicines are used, as
but a few drops or a half teaspoonful are thrown by the
syringe at a time. But modern chemistry offers such potent
and intense preparations that this is no objection.
In giving a hypodermic injection it is not very important
what part of the animal we choose, though the general rule
is to select a point near the seat of disease. It is best to
shave or clip the hair for a space of a few inches; next,
pinching up the skin a slight cut is made in one end of the
little ridge thus elevated and the nozzle of the syringe in-
serted and pushed its full length, parallel to the surface, in
the loose tissue beneath the ridge; then it is withdrawn half
way and the contents of the syringe thrown slowly and
Injections and Lotions » 45
steadily into the canal thus made; finally the syringe is
withdrawn, and the finger held for a minute over the wound
to prevent the fluid escaping. This slight and almost pain-
less operation can after a little practice be performed with
such ease, that it cannot but become a favorite method of
administration. We shall give the doses and preparations
called for in many disease, by this plan.
Injections into the veins have been at times employed with
success. The jugular vein, which is easily accessible in all
animals, underneath the skin at the upper part of the neck,
is the one selected by preference. It is opened with a com-
mon fleam, and the liquid injected with a syringe. Only
small quantities can be used in this manner. They should
be well strained and clear, and warmed to the temperature
of the blood, which is 98° Fah. Milk and the blood of
healthy animals can be thrown into the veins of weak and
exhausted ones, and often the system is much benefitted.
But beyond this, the use of intra- venous injections is likely
to be limited.
EXTERNAL METHODS.
Lotions are fluid preparations generally made up extempo-
raneously and used for washing or bathing the part. For
bruises and sprains cooling lotions are prepared "with nitre,
sal ammoniac and water, vinegar and water, dilute alcohol
or simple cold water. Astringent lotions containing tannic
acid, sugar of lead, etc., are valuable in moist skin diseases.
Anodyne lotions relieve heat and pain in inflammation ; and
inflamed eyes are treated with cool or slightly astringent
lotions.
When the fluid is used for rubbing on the part, it is called
a liniment or embrocation. These are very extensively em-
ployed in veterinary medicine for chronic swellings, painfu)
46 General Principles of Veterinary Ifedicine,
joints and muscles, for dispersing tumors, and stimulating
internal organs.
Poultices are soft and moist applications, intended to
soothe, soften and relax the surfaces to wliich they are ap-
plied. They may be cold or hot, and may be either plain
or medicated. Hot poultices are commonly made of linseed
meal, bran or hot mush, with a sufficiency of boiling Avater
to bring them to a suitable consistence. Hot poultices
encourage suppuration and should not be applied to fresh
wounds.
Cold poultices are made in the same way a^ hot poultices,
and allowed to grow cold.
Powders are generally mixed with the animal's food or
stirred in gruel or soft feed. But unless agreeable to the
taste they will be refused in this form. When small in
quantity they may be dropped on the tongue. Most reme-
dies can be obtained in this form, and it is for tasteless or
pleasant ones the most convenient form in which to admin-
ister them. Their effect is as a rule not so prompt as when
given in solution.
Drenche3, Drafts or Drinks. All varieties of liquid medi-
cines may be administered by these methods. When taste-
less or palateable to the animal th' y may be mixed with its
ordinary beverage, water or milk, as the case may be. When
such is not tlie case they must be poured down the throat,
constituting what farmers call a drench.
The quantity so administered at a time should not be too
great; for a horse, one to two pints, for an ox, one to two
quarts, for a sheep or pig half a pint, are tlie proper
amounts. The instrument often used is a strong glass
bottle; but one made of block tin, and flattened, is safer.
071 Drenching Horses. 47
Best of all is the old-fashioned drenchtng-horn, ^vhen one
has had a \\ii\Q practice with it, and kno\ys how to manage
it. The most desirable shape is one in which the point of
the horn turns downward, while the large end has an oblique
opening turned in the upward direction, as in this figure :
FIG. 6. — THE BEST SHAPE OF A DRENCHING HORN.
Drenches ought always to be thoroughly mixed and well-
shaken before being given, and if a violent fit of coughing
comes on during their administration, they should be sus-
pended and the animal set free for a few minutes.
We shall now proceed to give special directions for drench-
ing various animals, adopting as our guide that able veteri-
narian, Prof. John Gamgee.
RULES FOR DRENCHING A HORSE.
As regards the process of exhibiting a drench to a horse,
it is not always well understood; and hence serious and fatal
consequences have resulted from the exhibition of remedies
in the liquid form.
The rules to observe are :
First, Hold the horse's head up at a moderate height,
so that the line of the face is horizontal.
Secondly, Secure the tongue to prevent the lapping out of
the liquid, but allow of sufficient movement of lips, tongue,
cheeks, and jaws, so as not to interfere with the first act of
swallowing. To draw the tongue forcibly outwards is very
48 General Principles of Veterinary Medicine,
injudicious, as if the tongue be stretched it does not aid in
pressing back the fluid, which gravitates as the tongue is
pulled upon, and the larynx and pharynx advance; — the
animal may thus be choked.
FIG. 7. — HOLDING A HORSE FOR DRENCHING.
Thirdly, If an animal makes an effort to cough, rather
lose the draught than risk the danger of choking, which so
readily occurs if fluid be suddenly thrown over the tongue.
Fourthly, Entice efforts of swallowing, should the horse
On Drenching Horses and Oxen. 49
obstinately and artfully retain the liquid in his mouth.
This is effected by rubbing the throat, and exerting pressure
in the space between the lower jaw bones.
The methods of holding horses during the exhibition of a
draught are various, but the most important ones are three.
In the first place, by lopes and pulleys a horse's head is
pulled up from a beam or other high object in a stable or
shed. This is very objectionable, especially in a vicious
horse ; and it does not answer better than the second manner
of introducing a rope noose over the upper jaw. This noose
is attached to a stick, or slipped over a stable-fork prong
(see Fig. 7) ; and a man can then hold up the head of the
heaviest horse and follow him in his movements. It requires
management.
In Fig. 8 the third manner of holding a horse's head
up and exhibiting a drench is represented. It is the most
simple and useful method. It only requires one person, who
holds the tongue, places his thumb round the lower jaw, and
with his fingers causes the horse to open his mouth whilst
the draught is poured out of the horn with the right hand.
In cases of lock-jaw or tetanus, it is difficult to exhibit
even fluid medicines to horses. There are two useful meth-
ods, however, to accomplish this. The first is by the intro-
duction of a tube into the gullet through the mouth;
and the second is by pouring or pumping the fluid through
the nose. The objections to the latter procedure are not so
w^eighty as at first sight may appear, provided the fluid is a
perfect solution, and poured down the inferior or posterior
channel of the nostril with care.
RULES FOR GIVING DRENCHES TO THE OX.
The horn should always be used. The manner of hold-
ing the horn, of securing the animal, and giving the drench,
is clearly represented in Fig. 9.
4
50 General Principles of Veterinary Medicine.
The chief points to attend to are — [a) not to irritate the
animal ; {h) always to attempt the operation from the right
side ; (c) seize hold of the upper jaw by passing the left hand
over the head ; and bend the latter far round to the right ;
FIG. 8. — HOLDING A HORSE FOR DEEXCHING.
tliis simple contrivance very effectually tames or disarms even
a vicious bull, ox, or cow ; {d) the operator should stand well
witli his back against the animaFs shoulder, propping him-
How to Drench Cattle.
61
self up with the right leg ; to do this the animal should,
especially if awkward, be against a wall on its left side. An
incautious person may be severely bruised and thrown into
the manger by proceeding up to the head of a cow, not get-
ting full command of the animal, and presenting his back to
FIG. 9. — DRENCHING AN OX.
its hind extremities, with which an ox can strike effectually
forwards.
Sometimes the organs of swallowing are paralysed in cat-
tle, as in cases of parturient apoplexy ; at other times there
are foreign substances impacted in the gullet. "With the
52 General Principles of Veterinary Medicine.
view of displacing the foreign object in the one instance, and
of introducing medicines in the fluid state in the stomach
under any emergency, a hollow probang may be used. The
fluids may also be forced into the stomach by the pumping
action of a syringe.
The probang is guided through the centre of the moutn
by a gag. We give the drawing of two forms. Fig. 10
is probably the best.
FIG. 10. AN OX GAG.
The advantage it has over the common gag is, that it is
tied by a rope to the mouth, and then, in virtue of its shape,
it is a more complete guide to the probang than the instru-
ment represented at Fig. 10. The latter is the common
gag, to be heldnn the animaPs mouth by an assistant, whilst
the operator uses the probang.
FIG. 11. — AN OX GAG.
As the first stomach of ruminants is very capacious and
lies flat against the left side of the belly, an expedient has
The Use of Trochars. 63
been adopted of puncturing the stomach to evacuate it, or
to introduce into it medicinal agents. The stomach is punc-
tured by trochars, such as are represented by Figs. 12 and 12.
The first has a cylindrical canula and stilety the canula being
somewhat less than a thu'd of an inch in diameter, and three
and a-half inches in length. The one represented by Fig. 13
is flattened, and the canula half-an-inch in its greatest width,
and four and a-half inches in length.
PIG. 12. — A TROCHAE,
FIG. 13. — A TEOCHAH.
These trochars are used in the following manner: — A
spot is chosen midway between the last rib and the lower
part of the haunch bone, and about eight or nine inches below
the bony knobs of the backbone of the cow ; a small incision
is made through the skin with a lancet or bistoury, and
then the trochar is pushed with sufficient force and impulse
at once to penetrate the walls of the belly and rumen.
INJECTION OF FLUIDS INTO THE NOSE.
Fluids are sometimes poured into the nose that they may
be swallowed ; but usually the internal exhibition of reme-
edies by the nose is effected by means of a stomach-pump,
with a long flexible tuble. The practice is an objectionable
one, but may, under certain circumstances, be absolutely
indispensable.
The introduction of liquids into the nostrils to exert a
54 General Principles of Veterinary Iledicine.
curative iDfluence on its lining membrane is a more com-
mon practice, and attended with much good. The old
method of performing this operation is siniply to use a
syringe, or to elevate the head and pour lotions, etc., into
the nose.
Professor Rey has adopted a very simple and satisfactory
procedure. It consists in causing the fluid to rise in each
nostril by atmospheric pressure, and when the one division
of the nose is thus filled, the liquid passes over, and is seen
to flow out at the opposite nostril. In this way the liquid
most effectually touches every part of the membrane, and a
mild solution of sulphate of zinc or copper, and other seda-
tive, astringent, or antiseptic lotion, may be brought in con-
tact with the suppurating or ulcered surface. The instru-
ment which Professor Rey employs for this purpose is drawn
at Fig. 14. The long tube is fifteen inches in length, and
one and a-half inches in diameter, expanding and funnel-
shaped above, where the broadest part is two inches wide.
-TUBE FOE, WASHING THE KOSTEILS.
The short arm is five inches in length, and the aperture two-
thirds of an inch in diameter. Over the short arm is passed
a closely-fitting leather ring, four and a-half inches in diam-
eter. This serves as the surface over which, and round the
short arm, wet tow may be adapted, so that, on introducing
the small tube in the nostril, the latter is compressed care-
fully on the tow; at the same time fluid is poured into
the funnel, and rises in the nasal chamber. If the horse's
head be bent in, and held as much as possible in a perpen-
Giving Medicines by the Nose, 65
dicular position, the lotion will pass out at the opposite nos-
tril. We sometimes have a little difficulty in performing
this maneuvre with awkward horses, but by quiet means
they are soon accustomed to the operation. Some persons
advocate twitching ; occasionally the ear may be twitched ;
the animals sometimes require to be blindfolded, but at
others it is best to let them see what is being done ; and most
frequently not the slightest trouble attends the injection. It
is an invaluable method of using remedies in the treatment
of diseases of the nose.
Fomentations are applied by wrapping the part to be
treated in flannel bandages or horse cloths, and keeping
these wrappings constantly wet with tlie liquid employed.
This may be simple water, cold or hot, or mixed with vine-
gar, laudanum, an antiseptic, or any other appropriate reme-
dy. The wrap should be covered with a layer of rubber
cloth or oil cloth to retain the moisture. For small surfa-
ces, a sponge or a soft piece of rag, tow, lint or oakum is
appropriate.
They are usually applied to cleanse and soothe irritable
-wounds ; to relieve external or superficial inflammation ; and
to reduce internal inflammation as in pleurisy, pneumonia or
acute kidney disease. In ordinary use they ^re apt to be
withdrawn before they have done much good. To obtain
their full benefits they should be continued several hours,
fresh supplies of the liquid being added as often as the tem-
perature of the cloths fall or they begin to dry.
A very serviceable and convenient method of fomenting
is to take a sheep-skin with plenty of wool on it, wring it
out in hot water and apply it to the part. After the opera-
tion is finished, the parts should be rubbed dry and well
clothed, in order to prevent the rapid fall of temperature
and consequent chill, which otherwise is liable to occur. A»
56 General Principles of Veterinary Medicine,
a farther means of guarding against this, the fomented sur-
faces may have a light dressing of mustard rubbed into them.
Ointments are prepared by mixing the drug to be used
with lard, butter, or cerate, or what is far better, the petro-
leum product called petroleum ointment, cosmoline or
vaseline. This substance never becomes rancid, has no
unpleasant odor, and by adding wax or parafine can be
made of any desired thickness. Ointments are of especial
use in diseases of the skin and hair, though as their ingre-
dients can be absorbed by the skin, they are sometimes
employed to introduce medicines into the system.
Plasters are solid adhesive substances usually containing
litharge, with resin, wax, soap, tar or pitch. They are not
very useful in veterinary practice, and when employed it is
usually in the form of charges. These are where the ingre-
dients of the plaster are melted or pom-ed directly on the
skin. They are then covered with ravelled tow or lint, and
confined by a linen or leathern bandage. In former times
this was a popular practice with farriers, but has gone some-
what out of date.
They are well adapted as a dressing to slow inflammations,
particular of the joints, ligaments, tendons or feet. They are
even more useful in joint affections in cattle than in horses, and
sometimes benefit such cases when other means have failed.
They are, however, often difficult to apply and keep upon
the part, and for this reason can generally be superseded by
water dressings, lotions and fomentations.
WEIGHTS AXD MEASURES.
The weights and measures used by veterinarians are the
apothecaries' weight and wine measure.
Weights and Meamres, 67
apothecaries' weight.
60 grains
=
1 drachm.
8 drachms
=
1 ounce.
16 ounces
=
1 pound.
^TINE
1 MEASURE.
60 drops
=
1 drachm.
8 drachms
=
1 ounce.
16 ounces
=
1 pint.
8 pints
= .
1 gallon.
For nearly all practical purposes, quantities of fluids may
be measured in familiar domestic
utensils to correspond
to
the above table, as follows :
60 drops = 1
teaspoonful = 1 drachm.
4 teaspoonfuls = 1
tablespoonfui = J ounce.
2 tablespoonfuls
= 1 ounce.
1 wineglassful
= 2 ounces.
1 teacupful
= 4 ounces.
1 tumblerful
= J pint.
1 tincupful
= 1 pint.
As a familiar manner of estimating weights in dry measure,
"we may say
A handful of linseed, aniseed, etc. = 2 ounces.
" dried leaves = 1 ounce.
A hen's egg :l^ 2 ounces.
Three silver half-dollars = 1 ounce.
By the use of these familiar standards, it will nearly
always be practicable to obtain all the accuracy needed in
giving medicine to the lower animals.
58 General Principles of Veterinary/ Medicine,
CHAPTER lY.
VHTERINARY SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS AND MINOR
SURGICAL OPERATIONS.
The Veterinary Pochet Case and its Contents — Preparations
, for Operating — Bleeding — Setons — Firing — Sutwes —
Operations on the Teeth — Blistering.
Every stock owner who would qualify himself to take
proper care of the animals he possesses, should provide him-
self with a small pocket case of veterinary surgical instru-
ments, which he should keep always sharp and clean, and
use for their intended purpose, and no other. What such a
case should contain, and the uses of each instrument, we
shall now explain. In doing so, we shall preface it with the
remark that our endeavor will be to mention only the most
important instruments, and those in the use of which any
intelligent man can qualify himself by a very moderate
practice on dead animals — a form of education we earnestly
recommend.
AYe have taken some pains to select, with the aid of the
advice of practical men in this department, a " Stock Owner's
Pocket Veterinary Case", which is represented in the cut on
the following page. It contains nine diiTerent instruments,
sufficient in number and variety for nearly all the lesser
operations which an intelligent owner, not a professed sur-
geon, would be called upon to perform. The instruments
and their uses are as follows :
1. A blunt pointed 6is^oi6r?/, slightly curved, for operations
under the skin, in cavities, etc.
2. A thumb lancet. This form is safer than the ordinary
spring lancet, and much superior to the old-fashioned fleam,
Btoch Owner^s Pocket Veterinary Case, 59
FIG. 15. — STOCK owner's POCKET VETEKINARY CASE.
The above cut represents a convenient pocket case of Morocco or Rus-
sia leather, containing the instruments most essential in the performance
of minor surgical operations on animals. The case is represented unfol-
ded, and the instruments are displayed in the following order, from above
downwards :
A blunt pointed bistoury.
A thumb lancet.
A spring forceps.
An aneurism needle.
A silver probe.
A frog knife.
A curved scissors.
A bistoury.
A seton needle.
60 General Principles of Veterinary Medlaine.
now almost obsolete. The exact depth and length of the
cut can best be judged by the ordinary thumb lancet.
3. A pair of forceps, for dressing wounds, catching arteries
for tying, removing foreign bodies, etc.
4. A long blunt pointed needle, called an aneurismal
needle, which can be used as a probe, and for small setons, etc.
6. A silver probe, blunt at one end, sharp at the other for
exploring wounds.
6. A frog knife, having a narrow straight blade, curved
into a strong sharp hook at the end ; very useful in cleaning
hoofs, etc.
7. A pair of curved scisso7^s, for trimming the edges of
wounds, cutting hair, etc.
8. A straight broad scalpel, for opening abscesses, cas-
trating, etc.
9. A seton needle, for introducing tapes, etc. In addition
to these the case contains half a dozen surgical needles
and thread, and two inside pockets for paper,etc.
Such a set of instruments, made in the best manner and
furnished in a neat and durable morocco case, should be
bought for ten dollars; and in order that they may be
obtained of good quality and with little trouble, we have
arranged with the publishers of this work that they shall
supply them at the above price, when requested.
PREPARATIONS FOR OPERATING.
Fastening the Animal. — In performing operations on ani-
mals, it is of the first importance, both for the safety of the
operator and the successful achievement of his task, that the
patient be firmly secured.
Usually this can conveniently be done by " casting ^' or
throwing the animal by means of a hobble attached to all
four feet, which are then drawn rapidly together by assist-
Ancesthdics. 61
ants, and the horse pushed over on his side. A single limb
can then be loosened and held by a strap around the fetlock
in the hands of a reliable man, while another sits on the
horse's head.
The arrangement called the " trevis " or *^ break " is a nar-
row pen, six feet long and three wide, with stout corner posts
and side rails on both sides and one end. The horse is led
into it at the open end, which is then closed with a bar. His
legs are fastened to each post by broad leather straps ; and he
may be suspended to the side pieces by a stqut band under
the belly. In this position, with his head secured, he can
neither bite nor kick.
Anaesthetics. — In most painful operations, when not about
the mouth (where the flow of blood might strangulate an un-
conscious animal), it is a humane procedure to chloroform the
animal. Horses have generally to be cast before the inhala-
tion can be affected. The chloroform should be poured on a
sponge, a teaspoonful or two at a time, and held to the nos-
trils, not, however, continuously, as the vapor of chloroform
undiluted with atmospheric air is a fatal poison. The animal
should be closely watched, and as soon as unconsciousness is
produced the anaesthetic should be suspended, and renewed
from time to time until the operation is complete.
Nausea and depression continue usually for some hours
afterwards. Should the pulse fail, and the respiration grow
shallow and irregular, buckets of cold water must be dashed
on the body, and artificial respiration be continued for a time
by blowing gently with a pair of bellows into the mouth or
nostrils, and alternately pressing upon and releasing the ribs,
thus imitating the natural acts of respiration. Pieces of ice
inserted into the rectum or vagina act also as powerful restor-
atives.
Many practitioners use the chloroform pure, and thus em-
62 General Principles of Veterinary Medicine,
ployed its effects are more rapid ; but tliey are also more dan-
gerous. For that reason we recommend the following anaes-
thetic mixture in preference, which comes endorsed by high
authority after extensive employment :
No. 12. Alcohol, 1 oz.
Chloroform, 2 oz.
Ether, 3 oz.
Shake the bottle well on using it.
This will be found effective with all sorts of animals, and
requires but two or three minutes to overpower with safety
the struggles of the strongest horse or ox.
BLEEDING.
So much has been said of late years on the abuse of
bleeding, that we might suppose that sound ideas on the
subject had penetrated as far as the brain of the ordinary
farrier. But we have strong grounds for the belief that
this is not the case, and throughout the States it is a very-
common practice to bleed in diseases of stock far more than
there is any reason or safety in doing.
There are cases where prompt and bold bleeding is by
common consent the only chance for life, as we shall see in
the later pages of this book, so the lancet should still be in
every veterinary case, ready for immediate use.
In the horse and ox, the jugular vein, which runs promi-
nently up the side of the neck, is the one usually chosen
from which to draw blood. The blood-vessels of the palate
or roof of the mouth are chosen by some, especially in
staggers and brain diseases. If the jugular is pressed upon
by the finger, a little below the spot selected for the incision,
it will in a few moments become distended and prominent.
The horse should be blindfolded and a thumb lancet used.
Bleeding, 63
The quantity of blood taken depends upon the object in
view, but to make any decided impression on an adult
animal of either species, at least six or seven quarts should
be dravv^n.
When the flow has ceased the two lips of the wound are
raised between the fingers, a small common pin run through
them and some thread twisted across and over it, to keep it
in place.
In the sheep, bleeding from the jugular vein is also most
efficient. But some veterinarians ♦prefer the angular or
cheek vein. ♦ This is to be found in the cheek, at a spot equi-
distant from the eye and the mouth, just below the bony
tubercle which marks the insertion of the fourth tooth into
the upper jaw. The incision should be made from b^low
upwards, half an inch below the middle of the tubercle.
Others again prefer the eye vein. To divide this the
point of a knife is inserted near the lower extremity of the
pouch below the eye ; the point is pressed downward and a
cut made inward toward the middle of the face.
In swine, bleeding is usually performed in an off-hand
way, by cutting off the end of the ear or the tail. Pigs
are such unmanageable patients, that it is both difficult and
dangerous to attempt refinements of treatment with them.
When practicable, however, it is neater to turn the ear back
and by pressing firmly on its base with the thumb, to bring
into prominence some of the veins, which may then be cut
across. Or a cord can be tied tightly around the fore leg
above the knee, when the brachial vein will be seen to fill
up, and can readily be lanced. This vein is on the inside of
the leg, and should be opened about an inch above the knee.
SETONS.
These are tapes, fine wires or threads, which are passed
underneath the sldn, entering at one point and emerging at
64 General Principles of Veterinary Medicine,
another, the ends knotted together to prevent dropping out.
They are usually smeared with an irritant salve, and turned
every day or two, so as to keep up a constant irritation and
discharge from the part. The seton needle used for their in-
troduction is about six inches long.
They act very satisfactorily in some cases of bone disease,
but where the lameness is owing to strained sinews or liga-
ments they are out of place, as they leave additional thicken-
ing. They are also valuable in healing old fistulas, being
inserted the whole leng^i of the canal, and setting up a new
and healthy inflammation in its sides. As appropriate oint-
ments, the following are recommended for smearing the seton :
No. 13. Powdered cantharides, 1 part.
Oil of turpentine,
Canada Balsam, of each, 8 parts.
Digest the cantharides and turpentine together and add the balsam.
No. 14. Powdefed white hellebore, 1 part.
Lard, 8 parts.
Mix at a gentle heat.
No. 15. Citrine ointment, 3 parts.
Oil of turpentine, 1 part.
Mix.
Or either of the ingredients in this last formula alone will
answer very well.
FIRING.
The hot iron or the actual cautery is a very useful agent in
veterinary practice, and should not be dispensed with or con-
demned on mistaken notions of tenderness. In certain dis-
eases it cannot be successfully replaced by any other form of
counter irritation. It must of course be used with discretion,
but any one with experience must have seen it remove pain
very rapidly w^hen blisters, etc., have failed to do so. In
bone diseases and in many cases of chronic lameness, it is of
great benefit.
Firing. 65
The iron should be used at a full red or white heat, and
the part touched as lightly as possible, so that a distinct im-
pression is made. More than one leg should not be fired at
one time.
Various forms of cauteries or " firing irons " are used.
Those with a narrow edge, about as thick as a dime, so that
the firing may be performed in parallel lines- across the
limbs are preferable, as leaving the least blemish. The same
may be said in favor of Prof. Williams' iron for *' pyro-punc-
ture," which leaves hardly any blemish, and makes a deep
impression on the structure. It is represented in the follow-
ing engraving : —
FIG. 16. — PKOr. WILLIAMS' IKON" FOB " PYKO-PUNCTURE. "
As in blistering, the hair should be closely shaved before
the iron is applied ; and the operator is wise to convince him-
self that the animal is securely fastened before the procedure
begins.
On the day after the firing, the part should be smeared
with neaf s foot or other bland oil, and this repeated daily
until the swelling subsides. A rest of several months is ad-
vised after the operation, as if the animal is put to work too
soon the disease will most probably return, and the pain have
been needless.
A method of firing is adopted by some veterinarians which
obviates the objections made to the process, and is often very
effective. It is based on the fact that the boiling point of
fat is about three times that of boiling water, and that by
applying boiling fat to the part at a temperature of say 600°
66 Geyieral Principles of Veterinary Medicine.
Fahrenbeit^ a powerful impression is made on the vessels
wltliout blemishing.
A flat or slightly hollowed iron is heated to a dull red
heat. A piece of bacon rind with a little of the fat attached
to it, is then placed on the spavin or tumor which is to be dis-
persed. The iron is then applied upon the bacon rind, and
firmly held there for the space of two or three minutes, and
afterwards more lightly applied, until the rind is dried or
burned. This may be repeated several times at intervals of
two or three days, and it will be found to exercise a potent,
stimulating influence, and leave no scar.
SUTURES OR STITCHES.
AYhen the edges of a wound or incision are properly
cleansed and the bleeding checked, they are brought together
and maintained in their proper and natural position by stitches
or sutures. Of these there are two varieties which are prin-
cipally used in domestic veterinary surgery. They are known
as the " interrupted suture ^^ and the " twisted suture.'^
1. The interrupted suture is one in which the needle is
carried through the two edges of the wound, and the thread
FIG. 17. — THE INTEERUPTED SUTURE.
then cut, leaving an end about three inches long on each side
of the cut. These are then brought together and tied, and
the ends cut ofi" close to the wound, as illustrated in Fig. 17.
Kinds of Sutures. 67
2. In the twisted suture a needle is not used, but a strong
pin is run through each edge of the cut, and a thread or fine
wire is twisted across the two protruding ends of the pin, so
that the edges of the wound are firmly held in place ; as seen
in Fig. 18.
Fia. 18. — THE TWISTED SUTTJBE.
After a wound is closed with sutures, it should be dressed
with a plaster, ointment or a bandage, so as to prevent the
thread or pins from tearing out ; and it is proper to remove
them in four or five days, to prevent blemishing.
OPERATIONS ON THE TEETH.
The teeth of horses require frequent attention at the
hands of the veterinarian or of the owner, if he would keep
his animals in good condition.
If the lower incisors become so long as to bruise, or
otherwise injure the bars or roof of the mouth, they must
be shortened Avith a rasp.
The same instrument is required when it is found that
owing to the greater width of the upper row of the molars,
a ridge of imworn tooth material is presented on the outer
aspect of the upper, and on the inner side of the lower
teeth, leading the horse to wound his tongue in masticating,
and to grind his food.
68 General Principles of Veterinary Medicine.
If through irregularity of the teeth some become more
prominent than others, they must be filed down ; and as
always when a tooth in one jaw is lost, its fellow in the
other jaw tends to grow too long, the rasp is required to file
it back from time to time.
Extraction of the teeth is required in case of decay. This
change is confined to the grinders or molar teeth. The first,
second, and third molars may be withdrawn by the forceps ;
but the fourth, fifth, and sixth have to be removed by
" punching '' after trephining the gum. The operation is as
follows, and can easily be learned by a little practice on the
dead animal :
Cast the horse and trephine the gum so as to make the
opening to correspond to the fang of the diseased tooth,
allowing sufficient space above or below the diseased fang —
ohovey if the operation be in the upper, heloWy if it be on the
bottom jaw — for the introduction of the punch. The punch
should be at least an inch in circumference at its point, that
it may not cut or split the tooth.
Two or three smart but not heavy blows with the hammer
will be sufficient to loosen the tooth ; and it may then be re-
moved with the forceps or the hand. The cavity should be
washed out with a solution of alum, or some carbolic acid
water. The cavity will in a few weeks close over.
BLISTERING,
The application of a blister is a part of the routine treat-
ment of the common veterinarian whenever he suspects in-
ternal inflammation. It is a pernicious and discreditable prac-
tice. Blisters usually do no good whatever in deep seated
inflammations, and they not only leave a blemish slow to dis-
appear, but they cause the animal a great deal of severe pain
and have often brought on strangling and irritation of the
bladder.
Directions for Blistering, 69
Blisters should be confined to cases where the acute, in-
flammatory symptoms have passed away, and where it is de-
sired to cause the absorption of some deposit, or to stimulate
the vessels to effect some organic change, as to hasten the
opening of an abscess, or the reduction of an enlarged gland.
Before a blister is applied the hair should be cut from the
part, which should then be washed and dried, and the blister-
ing fluid applied with smart friction for several minutes.
The blistering ointment preferred by the Edinburgh Veteri-
nary College is the following :
No. 16. Powdered cantharides, 1 part.
Lard heated to 213°, 12 parts.
Mix well together and cool.
At this strength, the ointment if thoroughly applied will
raise a good blister and will never blemish.
Most of the ointments are very much stronger than this.
That recommended by Mr. Youatt was,
K^o. 17. Powdered cantharides,
Powdered resin, each 1 oz.
Lard, 4 oz.
Melt the lard and resin together and stir in the flies.
Another of medium strength is,
Ko . 18. Powdered cantharides, 1 oz.
Lard or oil, 6 oz.
Melt together.
The addition of turpentine, sulphuric acid, arsenic, corro-
sive sublimate and the like, should be avoided. They serve
no useful purpose, and merely increase the pain needlessly.
Blistering plasters are not used in veterinary surgery, but
there are preparations called ^'sweating blisters ^^ popular
70 General Principles of Veterinary Medicine,
with some. They are of stroug tincture of cantharides made
as follows:
No. 19.
Powdered flies,
loz.
Alcohol,
1 pint.
Steep for two weeks.
This is of medium strength, and can be increased in its
action by adding a few ounces of solution of ammonia or oil
of turpentine. These tinctures rarely raise a full blister,
but cause considerble irritation and a watery discharge. In
using them it is not essential that the hair be removed ; and
they may be applied repeatedly to the same spot without
blemishing.
Blisters are not much used on cattle, as on them sufficient
irritation can generally be produced by mustard and hot
water, well rubbed in.
A blister while rising causes much irritation, and the
animal will always try to rub or bite the blistered part. In
the horse this should be prevented by tying the head to the
rack, or tying up the tail. On the second day after it has
been applied, the part should be fomented with warm water,
and dressed with lard, oil or any simple ointment.
Sometimes it is desirable to maintain the effect of the
blister for some time. This is to be accomplished by dress-
ing the part with some more of the blistering ointment
diluted to one-half or one-fourth its strength with lard or
oil.
The following general rules should be observed :
1. Do not blister more than two spots at one time.
2. Do not blister much in hot weather.
3. Always be on your guard against producing strangury,
which is easily brought on in some horses.
4. Never blister a highly inflamed part, nor where there
are signs of erysipelas or mortification.
Signs and Symptoms of Disease. 71
If the blister causes excessive nervous irritability, loss of
appetite, or difficulty in watering, wash the blistered surface
with warm water containing soft soap ; dress it with sweet
oil ; and give the animal a full dose of opium.
EOWELS OR ISSUES.
A rowel or issue consists in a wound made in the skin
with a bistoury or rowel scissors, and kept open by a pledget
of tow, lint, or leather, wdiich to increase the counter irrita-
tion and discharge, is sometimes smeared with irritant dress-
ing. Its actions are similar to that of a seton. The more
cultivated veterinary surgeons employ rowels much less than
their predecessors ; indeed, it may be said that they are a
form of counter irritation which is passing out of fashion,
and justly so. They will be rarely recommended in the
present work.
CHAPTER y.
GENERAL. RULES FOR RECOGNISING AND DISTINGUISHING
DISEASES.
The Pulse — The Breathing — The Animal Heat — The Skin
and Hair — The Posture — Indications of Pain — Special
Signs in Cattle — Signs of Diseases of Particular Organs.
Any one who would become expert in recognizing diseases
in animals, must study them carefully in the healthy state,
and make himself thoroughly familiar with their habits,
appearance and general physiology. He must practice feel-
ing their pulse and the heart, listening to the sounds of their
72 General Principles of Veterinary Medicine,
lungs in breathing, and taking their temperature, by feeling
the skin and also by using a properly constructed ther-
mometer. He should watch the appearances of the eye and
tongue, and note the positions assumed when asleep and
awake. He should observe the character and frequency of
the discharges of the bowels and bladder, and the eagerness
of their appetite. For it is in the variations from health in
these particulars, that the veterinarian discovers the guides
which lead him to the recognition of the particular disease
he has to treat. We shall examine each of these items
separately, and assure our readers that if they will verify
our statements by practice on the living animals, they will
soon be in a position to take charge of them when sick,
quite as well and often a great deal better than the average
farrier, as he is to be found in this country.
THE PULSE.
The Pulse differs very much in the domestic animals.
In the full grown horse at rest, its beats are about 40 per
minute; in the ox, from 50 to 55; and in the sheep and
pig, about as in man, that is, averaging 70 to 80 beats in the
minute. In calves and colts, and in animals well advanced
in years, the pulse increases in health, to about twice these
fis-ures: and it is also increased by hot, close stables, full
feeding, and the condition of pregnancy.
The pulse may be felt wherever a considerable artery
passes over a bone. It is usually examined in the horse on
the cord which runs across the bone of the lower jaw, just in
front of its curved portion; or on the bony ridge which
extends upward from the eye; or inside the elbow. In
cattle, it is conveniently reached over the middle of the first
rib, or beneath the tail. There is a marked difference of
force in the pulse of the two species; that of the horse being
The Pulse and Breathing. 73
full and rather tense, while in the ox, it is soft and rolling.
When the j)ulse differs materially from these conditions
in any direction, it is a sign of disease. If rapid, full and
hard, there is high fever or acute inflammation; if rapid,
small and weak, there is low fever, loss of blood or weak-
ness. If very slow, we may suspect brain disease; if
irregular, now fast and in a few seconds slow, we should
look for a diseased condition of the heart.
In the sheep, the pulse is felt by placing the hand on the
left side^ where the beatings of the heart can be felt; or at
about the middle of the inside of- the thigh, where the
femoral artery passes obliquely across the bone.
THE BKEATHING.
The Breathing is next in importance. If the ear is ap-
plied to the throat of a healthy horse or ox, the air will be
heard passing through the windpipe with a regular, steady
blowing sound ; if applied to the chest, a soft rustling mur-
mur will be heard, like a gentle breeze in the tree tops,
caused by the air passing in and out of the fine tubes and
vessels of the lungs. But where the lung or throat is
diseased, these sounds are very much changed and in many
directions, which it is not necessary to dwell on here, but
which will at once indicate the presence of something amiss
with these important organs.
If the fore finger of the left hand is placed firmly on the
chest and smartly tapped with the ends of the three first
fingers of the right hand, the sound will be noticed to be
much more resonant and clear than when the same procedure
is practiced on the solid thigh. This is because the lungs
are not solid, but are always in health well expanded with
air. But in various diseases, as pneumonia and pleurisy,
they fill up with fluid and become solid, and then the sound
74 General Principles of Veterinary Medicine,
given out, by thus percussing them as it is called, is like that
on any other solid part of the animals. Hence this is an-
other very important indication of disease.
By practice on healthy animals, the character and boundaries
of these sounds can be learned so closely, that any variation
from them will be at once detected, and will sometimes reveal the
presence of an unsound condition, when no other means will.
The rapidity with which the act of breathing is performed
can easily be counted by the heaving of the chest. In health,
in the adult horse at rest, it is from eight to twelve times a
minute, and in the ox a little faster. Any great increase,
without obvious cause, is a positive sign of a diseased con-
dition.
THE ANIMAL HEAT.
The temperature of animals can be ascertained, to a slight
extent, by the feel of the skin, the ears, and the legs. A
hot, dry skin in a horse generally accompanies a feverish
condition. Cold ears and legs are a sign of serious disease.
But the only scientific, that is, accurate plan, is to use what is
called a " clinical thermometer," that is, one, the bulb of
which can be bared and inserted into the rectum. After it
has remained there two or three minutes, the mercury will
accurately indicate the temperature of the blood. This in
health is 98°, and any deviation from this, even of a few
degrees, is a certain sign of disease. Those veterinarians
who have practiced sufficiently with this instrument to become
skilled in its use, declare it invaluable in their business, as
affording them grounds for opinions about diseases which no
other symptoms could.
Thus it has been found that every disease has its own
degree, a temperature at which it is either favorable or fatal.
For example, if in that sometimes prevalent epidemic among
horses, cerebro-spinal meningitis, the thermometer rises as high
Symptoms of Disease, 75
as 104°, it is a certain indication that the horse will shortly
die ; while in such a disease as inflammation of the lungs
the mercury will register 108° or 109°, and the horse recover.
If in gastric or typhoid fever the heat has been 103°, and
falls to 100°, and then suddenly rises again to its previous
figure, the chances are terribly against the patient, no matter
what the other appearances may seem to say. These few ex-
amples will serve to show how valuable the instrument may
become in the hands of an intelligent person.
THE SKIN AND HAIR.
The skin in its general feeling and appearance is an im-
portant guide to the condition of an animal. A dry, scurfy
appearance is a symptom of indigestion, and liability to joint
affections. What is called " hide-bound " is a symptom of a
general state of poor nutrition, arising from indigestion, im-
proper food, worms, or a want of proper exercise. The
skin feels stretched and hard, as if too small for the body.
The condition known as "staring coat," when the hairs stand
out like bristles, is often the only symptom of a low state
of health. Whenever an animal is disposed to shiver, with
shedding of the coat, when exposed to moderate cold, or with-
out such exposure, it is on the edge of some disease. A per-
sistently staring coat, without other symptoms of disease,
often indicates the approach of an attack of farcy or glanders,
and when with this are repeated shivers or chills, we may
expect the strangles, weed, or other diseases with suppura-
tion. When in an attack of disease the skin becomes covered
with a cold sweat, the life of the animal is in great danger.
THE POSTURE.
The position of an animal, its mode of standing and lying
down, are all significant. Lying persistently on one side, or
76 General Principles of Veterinary Medicine,
obstinately maintaining one position, shows that any other is
painful. Horses stand as long as they possibly can, as they
breathe much easier in the upright position, and if they once
lie down, they soon despair and die. Hence the rule is w^ith
a horse to sling him up, in almost all ailments. With
cattle it is diiferent, and it is much less important to keep
them erect. When animals cannot rise, it may be from weak-
ness, or from palsied limbs, or from severe injuries or sprains.
INDICATIONS OF PAIN.
The feeling of pain in animals is indicated by their flinch-
ing when the painful part is touched; by the care which
they take in lying down, walking or standing to " favor" the
part, and by the appearance of the eye. Distress and suffer-
ing are generally plainly apparent in the faces of sick horses
and cattle.
SPECIAL SIGNS IN CATTLE.
In cattle the horn at its root yields by the sensation it im-
parts to the hand a rough idea of the temperature of the
blood, and the cowleech generally feels it as the doctor does
the pulse, as a part of the indispensable programme of a pro-
fessional visit. If the temperature is natural, he concludes
there is no fever ; if cold, and the tips of the ears also cold,
it is a sign of some serious internal congestion, the blood no
longer circulating in natural force through the extremities.
The muzzle is another part he takes note of. In health
this is moist, covered with ^' dew," as the saying is ; but in
disease, especially fever, it is dry, hotter or colder than nat-
ural, and sometimes changed in color, paler or injected with
blood. By looking at the flanks, the regularity of the res-
piration is noted, rapid and irregular heaving there betraying
the disturbance of the important function of breathing. In
Symptoms of Diseases. 77
ruminants also, the second mastication of the food is among
the first of the vital processes to become disturbed in disease.
When a cow or an ox " loses the cud/' as it is called by herd-
men, that is, ceases to ruminate without apparent cause,
there is sure to be a feeling of sickness about the animal
which is thus interfering with one of its processes of diges-
tion.
THE SIGNS OF DISEASES OF PAETICULAR ORGAISrS.
There are various plans of classifying diseases, but the one
most practically useful is to arrange them with reference to
the main organs affected, because by following this plan they
are most easily recognized. Hence we have '^ Local Dis-
eases " that are principally located in one or another part of
the body, and " General Diseases," which affect all of it.
But it must not be forgotten that local diseases, as they in-
crease in severity, generally involve the whole system more
or less ; and that general diseases may have local signs.
By a careful study of what follows, the reader will be able
generally to determine wdth accuracy the seat of disease.
Local diseases include
1. Diseases of the brain, spinal cord and nerves.
2. Diseases of the breathing organs (windpipe and lungs).
3. Diseases of the digestive organs (mouth, throat, stom-
ach, bowels).
4. Diseases of the heart and blood-vessels.
5. Diseases of the kidneys, bladder and sex organs.
The prominent signs by which they can be recognized are as
follows : —
1. Signs of Diseases of the Brain, Spinal Cord and Nerves.
When there is unusual dullness and sleepiness, or their
opposite, wakefulness and wildness, brain disease may be sus-
78 General Principles of Veterinary Medicine.
pected. Palsy, spasms and convulsions point in the same
direction. A prominent and swollen condition of both eyes
occurs in congestion of the brain ; and a projection of the
haw (the winking membrane of the eye) is a sure sign of
lockjaw. Snoring or stertorous breathing is a pretty sure
symptom of brain disease.
2. Signs of Diseases of the Breathing Organs,
Here cmigh is the most important symptom. It is moist
in catarrh, colds, and other diseases where there is a discharge
from the lining membranes of the air passages ; and dry in
the first stages of colds, in pleurisy, broken wind, roaring,
and when, as occasionally happens, it does not depend on dis-
ease of the breathing organs, but is, as it is called, sympathetio
of other complaints, especially indigestion, worms, and liver
disease.
Eapid, irregular, or difficult breathing is present in most
affections of the lungs ; and when the motion of breathing is
more visible than usual in the belly, it is a sign that the act
is painful, as in pleurisy and rheumatism of the walls of the
chest.
Running from the nose and mouth is generally associated
with this class of complaints.
3. Signs of Diseases of the Digestive Organs.
When the appetite is much greater than natural, it is
usually a sign of worms, or irritation of the stomach. In
diarrhoea, the discharges from the bowels are frequent and
watery; in constipation, infrequent, dry and hard. When
an animal passes blood, it is generally from dysentery, piles,
ulcers in the bowels, or a rupture. Swelling of the belly,
unusual discharges of wind, and fits of giddiness, are common
in colic and indigestion.
Symptoms of Diseases, 79
4. Signs of Diseases of the Heart.
These are indicated by violent convulsive beating of the
heart, easily perceived by the hand placed behind the left
elbow; by a jerking, intermittent, unequal and irregular
pulse; by habitually cold ears and legs; by swelling of the
legs and the belly ; by difficult breathing, much increased
by slight exertion; and by general sluggishness and a ten-
dency to lay on fat. If on carefully listening to the sound
of the heart, it is found to give forth sounds different from
those usual in healthy animals (with which, as we have said,
the student must make himself thoroughly familiar), then
there need be no further hesitation in pronouncing the pre-
sence of heart disease.
5. Signs of Diseases of the Kidneys, Bladder and Sex Organs.
Profuse staleing, usually accompanied with excessive thirst,
is a symptom of diabetes, a very serious disease. Bloody
urine, ^^red water", and ^' black water '^, may signify a
mechanical injury to the bladder, inflammation of the kid-
neys, kidney worms, stone in the bladder, or in cattle, one
of those very dangerous diseases called murrains. When
the urine cannot be passed, it may be from a stone or a stric-
ture; it also occurs in spinal meningitis in horses.
Carrying and bearing the young, and the various diseases
to which the female is liable, at and after this period, are all
of obvious symptoms. This class of maladies has a pecu-
liar importance to the stock breeder, as it has been again and
again demonstrated that the higher the breed and the more
refined the Jblood — that is, the more costly the animal — the
more is it liable to numerous and grave interferences with
these acts of reproduction.
O
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PART 11.
The Diseases of the Horse.
GEIsrERAL EEMAEKS ON THE DISEASES OF THE HORSE.
Of all the domesticated animals, the horse is the one
whose diseases have received the closest study. Until the
present century he might justly have been considered the
most really valuable of the lower species. With our im-
proved modes of locomotion this is hardly now the case, and
the high esteem in which he is yet held arises largely from
tradition, the competition of traders and the love of display,
rather than his intrinsic worth to man.
As he is most highly prized for the qualities of grace and
speed in motion, especial attention has been long paid to the
prevention and removal of whatever w^ould impair these
powers ; and hence we shall have to consider a long list of
lamenesses in the horse, which deteriorate his value exceed-
ingly, w^hile in other animals they are of little or no import-
ance w^hatever. This list is longer on account of the struc-
ture of the horse's leg and foot, w^hich in delicacy and com-
plexity stands unsurpassed and probably unrivalled among
the wondrous exhibits of comparative anatomy.
Another reason for our increased acquaintance with equine
diseases is that, as the horse, in this country at least, is not
fed for the table, there is no economy in knocking him in the
(81) 6
82 Diseases of the Horse.
head the moment he shows signs of disease, as we observe
various Avriters on cattl6, sheep and swine recommend in re-
ference to those animals. A dead horse is proverbially of the
least possible use. Hence the owner will naturally spare no
reasonable pains to keep him alive, as a lame or a sick horse
is better than no horse at all.
The equine species, in which we include the mule and the
ass, differs remarkably from the other herbivorous animals
we shall consider, in having but one stomach. The tract of
the bowels is enormous ; if spread out, it is estimated they
would cover ninety square feet. Like all the herbivora, he
responds very slowly to certain medicines. He never vomits,
so emetics are useless ; and many purges act on him slowly
and irregularly. Saline purges, for instance, as Epsom and
Glauber salts, are quite unsuitable, sometimes appearing in-
ert, or again acting so violently that they produce inflamma-
tion and exhaustion. For this purjoose, aloes, especially
Barbadoes aloes, on account of their cheapness, are preferred.
These, if properly administered, will act in eight or ten hours.
Senna, colocynth, buckthorn and other cathartics of value in
man have scarcely any such effect on horses.
This species is more subject to high inflammatory diseases
than the other three which w^e shall treat. Fevers and mala-
dies of a low, typhoid type are comparatively rare in the
horse. He is moreover of a courageous, enduring disposition,
and will not yield to the attacks of disease as readily as an
ox or sheep. Nevertheless, the treatment by bleeding, active
purges, tartar emetic and calomel, heretofore promiscuously
practised on hira, is by no means to be commended ; it be-
longs to a past age, and only lingers under the favor of
ignorance and prejudice. Not many traces of it will be found
in the following pages, as what we have to present is not a
rechauffe of antiquated opinions.
General RemarTcs, 83
Note. — In treating tKe diseases of Horses, we shall at the
same time describe those which are common to both Horses,
Mules and Cattle ; thus avoiding a useless repetition which
would be otherwise necessary when we come to treat of Dis-
eases of Cattle. Many complaints are substantially identical,
both in symptoms and treatment, in the two species.
On the following two pages we have placed in contrast
the external and the internal anatomy of the horse. A care-
ful study of these diagrams will be found of considerable
importance in understanding the descriptions of diseases
which will be contained in the pages that follow. The
popular names applied to the external forms of the horse are
of especial interest to every one who owns such an animal,
and they sJiould be made familiar by reference to the liviag
subject.
84
Diseases of the He
orse.
FIG. 19.— EXTERNAL
ANATOMY OF THE HOESB*
1.
Muzzle.
23.
Kibs.
2.
Nostril.
24,
24. Girth.
3.
Forehead.
25.
Loins.
4.
Jaw.
26.
Croup.
5.
PoU.
27.
Hip.
6.
Crest.
28.
Flank.
7.
Windpipe.
29.
The sheath.
8.
Shoulderblade.
30.
The root of the taiL
9.
Point of Shoulder.
31.
The hip joint.
10.
Breast.
32.
The stifle joint.
11.
Arm.
33.
Lower thigh.
12.
Elbow.
34.
The quarters.
13.
Forearm.
35.
The hock.
14.
Knee.
36.
The point of the hock.
15.
Cannon bone.
37.
The curb place.
16.
Back sinew.
38.
The cannon bone.
17.
Fetlock, or pastern joint.
39.
Back sinew.
18.
Coronet.
40.
Fetlock, or pastern joint.
19.
Hoof.
41.
Coronet.
30.
Heel.
42.
Hoof.
21.
Withers.
43.
Heel.
22.
Back.
44.
Spavin place.
Internal Ancdomy of the Horse.
85
FIG. 20. — INTERNAL ANATOMY OF THE HORSE.
1. The poll or occiput.
2. The lesser brain, cerebellum.
3. The greater brain, cerebrum.
4.- The membranes of the nostrils.
5. The tongue.
6. The bones of the neck.
7. 7. The spinal cord.
8. The throat, or pharynx.
9. 9. The gullet, or cesophagus.
10. Entrance of the gullet into the stomach.
11. Exit from the stomach into the bowels.
12. The surface of the diaphragm.
13. The windpipe.
14. The lungs.
15. The heart.
a. The stomach.
b. The spleen.
c. The kidney.
d. One side of the womb.
e. The rectum, or lower bowel,
f. The anus.
g. h, i, kj I. The muscles of the thigh.
Diseases of the Hai^se. 87
CHAPTER I.
DISEASES OF THE BRAI:N' A:N"D NERVOUS SYSTEM.
Congestion and Inflammation of the Brain — Phrenitis — Madj
Blind or Sleepy Staggers,
Cerebrospinal Meningitis.
Convulsive Diseases or Fits — Apoplexy — Epilepsy — Falling
Sickness — St. Vitus' Dance or StringhaU.
Megrims — Vertigo — Giddiness.
Sunstroke.
Paralysis or Palsy.
Tetanus or Lockjaw.
Hydrophobia.
CONGESTION AND INFLAMMATION OF THE BRAIN— PHEENITIS—
MAD, BLIND OR SLEEPY STAGGERS.
Definition. — A congestion or over fullness of the blood-
vessels of the brain and its envelopes, passing into inflamma--
tion, accomj)anied with marked effects on the animaFs mental
condition.
Causes. — Exposure to the heat of the sun, blows on the
head, suppression of urine, poisoning of various kinds, tumors
in the brain, over driving in fat animals, feeding on distillery-
slops, the pressure of a tight collar and overloading the
stomach.
Symptoms. — The most common form of the disease, both
in horses and cattle, is that called stomach staggers or sleepy
staggers. The animal at first is dull, listless and drowsy.
The breathing is generally slower, and more or less snoring ;
the pulse also is slower, in the horse from 26 to 30 beats a
minute. In walking the animal staggers and seems about to
fall. If suddenly disturbed, it looks around excitedly, shivers
88 Diseases of the Horse.
and seems frightened. It now and then thrusts its head
against the wall of the stable, or rears and elevates its nose
in the rack. The eyes are bloodshot and yellowish. As the
disease advances, the feet and ears become hot and then cold
by turns ; the eyes are fixed ; violent convulsions come on ;
the animal totters and sometimes falls ; the sight is lost and
the head is struck against anything that comes in the way.
Sometimes the tongue lolls out of the mouth, or there is spasm
of the muscles of the face, or general palsy.
The bowels are usually costive, the water scanty and high
colored, and the frenzy in fits of greater or less severity.
Treatment. — In the early stages, if the pulse is full and
slow, four to six quarts of blood should be at once drawn
from the jugular vein from a large opening. But if the pulse
is feeble and quick, no blood should be taken.
In all cases, give at once a smart purge.
No. 20. Powdered aloes, 6 drachms.
Calomel, 1 drachm.
This amount to a horse.
No. 21. Sulphate of magnesia, 20 oz.
Croton beans, 15 oz.
Mix and give to an ox or cow.
The animal should be kept as quiet as possible in a darkened
stable, and have plenty of water, but no food, and the head
should be often bathed with ice water. If the purge does
not act thoroughly, repeat it on the second or third day.
When ice water is not at hand, the following cooling lotion
will supply its place : —
No. 22. Common salt,
Saltpetre,
Sal ammoniac, each 4 oz.
Mix in a gallon of water.
To reduce the fever, the following is a useful preparation :—
1^0. 23. Powdered digitalis, 1 drachm.
Saltpetre, 2 drachms.
Mix and give as a ball several times a day.
Ckrebro-Spinal Meningitis, 89
Not unfrequently after the attack is over some palsy of the
limbs, generally the hind limbs, remains. This can oe most
successfully met by doses of strychnine^ beginning with three
grains twice a day, and cautiously increasing it a grain every two
days, until the animal is taking twelve or fifteen grains daily.
CEREBRO-SPINAL MENINGITIS.
Definition. — A congestion passing into inflammation of the
brain and spinal marrow and its envelopes, accompanied by
paralysis.
Causes. — This disease is generally epidemic, and confined
to the cold months of the year. By most, it is attributed to
a blood poison floating in the air. Some of the epidemics,
as that in New York city in 1871, were extremely fatal, and
of the horses attacked with it early after its appearance very
few recovered. It is believed not to be contagious, so that
little advantage is gained by separating horses.
Symptoms. — In its more severe form, the animal is gener-
ally attacked suddenly mth loss of power to swallow, or with
a spasm ; the hind quarters soon turn cold to the touch, and
there is great tenderness on pressure at some spot along the
spine. The horse loses the power to stand, the bladder and
bowels discharge their contents without effort, and the neck
becomes stiff and contracted similar to lockjaw. In some
cases frenzy comes on before the palsy, the animal beats its
head against the wall with great violence, uttering horrible
cries, and soon dies from the agony. The temperature of
the skin is lower than in health, and of the rectum but little
higher. When the latter rises to 103° or 104° death is im-
minent. The urine and pulse are not much altered until
the disease is well established, but the breathing is more or
less snoring as a rule.
Treatment. — The first step is to put the animal in a well
90 Diseases of the Horse,
made sling. Unless this is done within 24 hours from the
commencement of the attack, there is but slight hope of his
recovery. Next, he should be well brushed and the legs
wrapped in woolen cloths. If he can swallow, a moderate
amount of good soft food should be given. The stable
should be kept warm, darkened and quiet, and if there is sup-
pression of urine, it should be drawn off with a catheter.
As to medical treatment, there is no use whatever in bleed-
ing, purging or blistering. The most successful treatment
is to inject with the hypodermic syringe full doses of sulphate
of atropine^ and give ergot with the food ; or if the animal
cannot swallow, inject ergotine along with the atropine. (See
page 44). Ice to the spine, or hot salt bags, as some prefer,
may be tried, but has not produced any marked results ; nor
has cauterizing the spine with the hot iron. Where the
strength is failing, full doses of whiskey, either by the mouth
or rectum, will sometimes keep up the vital powers and give
a chance for recovery. Animals should not be used or driven
as soon as they show any signs of the disease, nor should they
be put to work for some time after such an attack, as it would
be very liable to bring on a fatal relapse.
When the hypodermic syringe is not at hand, the following
combination will supply the place of the remedies mentioned : —
No. 24. Extract of belladonna, 2 to 3 dracLms.
Powdered ergot, 1 oz.
Make into a ball or drench — give three times a day.
Another remedy which is believed to have a soothing effect
is bromide of potassium. It should be given in ounce doses,
repeated until the animal is brought under the influence of
it and suffers less from the pains.
CONVULSIVE DISEASES OR FITS— APOPLEXY— EPILEPSY— FALLING
SICKNESS— ST. VITUS' DANCE, OR STRINGHALT.
Apopletic fits are very rare in horses, though common in
cows. They will be described later in this work under the
Fits of Various Kinds, 91
diseases of calving, (Parturient Apoplexy). Epileptic fits
are also very uncommon either in horses or cattle, though
often seen in overfed pigs. The most usual form of the
disease will be described under Vertigo or Megrims. The
most practically important of this class of complaints is that
known in the horse as " Stringhalt.^'
This name is given to a habit of suddenly jerking up the
hind limb when raised from the ground, and bringing it
down again with more than usual force. It may be shown
only when turning from side to side in the stall, or it may
also appear in walking or trotting. Sometimes it is confined
to one leg, sometimes it extends to both. Sometimes a horse
will go twenty or thirty steps before he shows the halt;
then all at once the leg will be suddenly lifted and brought
down again with a peculiar sudden jerk.
There is no known cure for stringhalt, and it is pretty
certain to increase with age and work ; so that it constitutes
a radical unsoundness in a horse. Kest, cathartics and full *
doses of belladonna will generally lessen it for a time, but
are of no permanent benefit.
MEGRIMS, VERTIGO, GIDDINESS.
Definition. — A disease of the brain, characterized by tem-
porary loss of control of the muscles, loss of sensation, and
slight spasms of the muscles, but without inflammation.
Causes. — Overwork in fat horses, tight or badly fitting
collars, exposure to the hot sun, constipation, hereditary ten-
dency, and local irritations, as worms, etc.
Symptoms. — The animal when at work suddenly stops,
reels and trembles, perhaps falls to the ground and lies for a
few minutes partly insensible, then staggers to his feet, and
remains excitable and nervous for several hours or days.
There is no positive spasm, and the fits are liable to recui
with greater or less frequency.
92 Diseases of the Horse,
Treatment. — As soon as the earliest symptoms are noticed^
the horse should be stopped, his collar removed or opened,
his eyes shaded or covered, and cold water poured over his
head. Blood may be dra^ATi from the jugular vein, and the
horse placed in a quiet stable and given an active purge.
Horses subject to the disease should have a collar specially
fitted to avoid any pressure upon the blood-vessels; and if
young and fat, their diet should be restricted.
These measures will check an attack and lessen the likeli-
hood of its recurrence. But megrims is substantially an in-
curable disease and constitutes a permanent unsoundness in
a horse.
It no doubt is often a form of epilepsy, in which case we
may have some chance of cm^ing it by the use of one of the
bromides, as:
No. 25. Bromide of potassium, | oz.
Powdered gentian, 1 drachm.
This amount two or three times a day for many weeks.
Another and cheaper medicine of some renown in epilepsy
is recommended by Prof. Gamgce: —
No. 26. Sulphate of zinc, i drachm.
Linseed meal, 1 oa.
Make into a ball and give twice daily.
In stallions the fits have sometimes been found to dis-
appear on castration; and when they are so frequent as to
render the animal almost useless, this means should be tried.
The nitrate of silver is a medicine which has also been
recommended.
No. 27. Nitrate of silver, 6 to 8 grains.
Make into a ball with common mass, or molasses and meal, and give
once or twice daily. Or it may be dissolved in the pail of water.
^yhenever worms are suspected, or other sources of local
irritation, these should be attended to in the proper manner.
Management of Sunstroke. 93
STJNSTEOEE.
Definition. — An injury to the brain from exposure to the
rajs of the sun and excessive heat, characterized by sudden
loss of power of motion and of consciousness, either partial
or total.
Causes. — This is a very common disease, in the hot months,
in our great cities, and usually is directly caused by over-
work in the sun without protection to the head. Those
most subject to it are fat, young, feeble and old horses.
Wearing a sun-shade or a wet sponge on the top of the head,
giving an abundance of cool water, and wearing a breast-
strap instead of a collar, are the principal preventive
measures, and they should not be neglected.
Symptoms. — In severe cases the horse will suddenly stop,
prop himself on his extended limbs, pant violently, drop to
the ground and die in a convulsion. In more gradual
attacks he will flag in his gait, be unsteady in his limbs, will
spread his legs in standing and totter. The head is held
low, the eyes protrude, the nostrils are dilated, the pupils of
eyes smaller than natural, and the breathing rapid and snor-
ing. On examination the skin is felt to be hot, the pulse
quick and weak, and the heart beating violently and iiTcgu-
larly. Unless relieved, convulsions, palsy and death may
ensue; or if recovery takes place, the attack leaves for a
long time symptoms of dullness, drowsiness and irritability;
while the horse is rarely ever after able to stand an ordinary
amount of exposure or work in the hot sun.
Treatment. — Throw buckets of cold water over the whole
body, using considerable force, and douching especially the
head and neck. Having done this thoroughly, rub the skin
energetically with rough cloths, as bagging, etc. Then re-
peat the douching. There is no use in giving injections,
and positive certainty of doing injmy by bleeding. The
94 Diseases of the Horse.
best of all medicines is quinine. Throw 30 to 60 grains, by
repeated injections, underneath the skin with the hypo-
dermic syringe. This is the East Indian plan and nothing
equals it in efficacy.
After the attack the animal should be turned into a well
shaded field, where there is plenty of good water, for a few
weeks.
As a drench to support the powers at the time of the
attack, it is recommended to give as soon as possible;
No. 28. Sulphuric ether, 2 oz.
Water, 1 pint.
For a drench.
No. 29. Tincture of aconite root, 20 drops.
Ale or beer, 1 pint.
For a drench.
PARALYSIS OR PALSY.
Definition. — Loss of power over some of the muscles,
owing to a disordered state of the brain or nerves, arising
from disease, injuries or irritations.
Causes. — In the horse and cattle, palsy of the hind quar-
ters is quite common from indigestion, constipation, and
attacks of colic. In cows and mares it often arises from the
womb, either at the time of the heat, or after giving birth.
Such cases are usually temporary, and soon recover. Palsy
from injury, or from some organic disease of the spinal
cord are also not infrequent, and these offer little or no
chance of improvement.
S3nnptoms. — The animal is at first seen to show weakness
of one hind limb, with knuckling over at the fetlock, and
difficulty of moving it, when the opposite limb may become
affected. If the attack is severe, the animal falls on his
haunches and is not able to rise. There is no fever, nor
mental excitement, nor is the pulse or breathing affected.
Treatment of Palsy, 95
Treatment. — This should be directed to remove the cause
of the disease. When there is colic or constipation, give a
good, brisk purge (No. 20) ; if there ij^ tenderness along the
spine, ergot in full doses with the food is called for. When
it is in connection with calving, time and ordinary care will
generally remove it.
Such measures failing, we must proceed to an energetic,
general and local treatment.
Internally, one of the best drugs is strychnine^ given as re-
commended in No. 20, or by throwing one-half to one grain
under the skin twice daily, as
No. 30. Strychnine, 2 grains.
Sulphuric acid, 4 drops.
Alcohol, I oz.
Every 10 drops contain 1-12 of a grain of strychnine.
Or it may be given as nux vomica :
No. 31. Extract of nux vomica, J drachm.
Milk, 1 pint.
For a drench twice a day.
Cantharides is another useful agent.
No. 32. Powdered cantharides, 5 grains.
Powdered ginger, 1 drachnio
Mix with meal to a ball and give twice daily.
Locally, in a valuable animal, it is worth while to try elec-
tricity. This has proved of immense service in paralysis in
the human race.
Pouring cold water from a height and then immediately
hot water brings about a powerful revulsion, and sometimes
greatly strengthens the muscles.
Rubbing the parts with mustard stimulates them, a,nd it
is productive of good in some cases.
A mild blistering ointment may be rubbed in, as
No. 33. Powdered cantharides.
Oil of turpentine.
Lard,
1 oz.
1 oz.
8 Oft.
Mix with a gentle heat.
96 Diseases of the Horse,
TETAinJS OR LOCKJAW.
Definition. — A long continued, painful spasm of the mus-
cles, which contract figidly, often keej)ing the jaws firmly
closed or locked.
Causes. — The most frequent cause is a wound in the legs
or feet, often in itself of a trivial character, such as the pene-
tration of a small nail, castration or docking. Occasionally
the disease arises without known cause, and in rare instances
becomes epidemic, attacking a great many horses in a district.
Some believe it is more frequent in cold than in hot weather;
but in Scotland Prof Williams found that it is more com-
mon in summer. It is often seen in the horse, but very
rarely in cattle.
Symptoms. — In the earliest stages there mil be a stiffiaess
of the muscles near the seat of the injury ; the limb will be
moved with difficulty. This stiffness increases and extends
in two or three days over the body. The animal champs
his jaws and grinds his teeth. Spittle flows from his mouth,
and froth shows on his lips. The breathing grows more
rapid, the pulse quickens, and the nostrils are dilated;
but the special and unfailing signs of the disease are the
protrusion of the haw, or winking membrane of the eye,
and the closing of the jaws by the spasms of the muscles
around it.
The bowels and bladder cease acting, the belly is stiff, and
anv attempt at swallowing brings on a dry hard cough.
Treatment. — Of the many plans and medicines recom-
mended in lockjaw, most are of no sort of use. It may be
premised by saymg, that in every case where all the symp-
toms are firmly established before the fourth day of the
attack, death may be expected and treatment is useless after
that time. But where the symptoms are kss complete, more
Treatment of Lockjaw. 97
slow in developing, and where the patient is seen very early,
there is a fair chance of success.
The first step is to inquire if there has been any wound
to produce the disease. If there is, it should be examined,
cleaned carefully, widened with a knife if it seems contracted
or containing pus, and covered with a warm poultice mixed
with laudanum or tincture of belladonna. Afterwards it is
to be smeared with extract of belladonna.
The next thing, if not the first, is to place the animal
loosely in slings, and the earlier this can be done in the
disease the better. The surroundings of the patient are of
the utmost importance. The stable must be darkened*
should contain no other horses ; be kept quiet, and no visitors
be admitted. It is enough for the surgeon to look in twice
a day and give what food, in the shape of nutritives and milk,
the horse is able to take. Usually the thirst is great for
several days.
Mr. Chawner recommends the use internally of:
No. 34. Extract of belladonna, 4 drachma.
Chloroform, 1 oz.
Mix with the drink and give every four hours.
Various English veterinarians give at the outset, one or
two full doses of aconitey half a drachm to a drachm of the
tincture of the root, and shut the animal up in a cool, dark
place. They claim great success from this plan.
The rigidity of the muscles can sometimes be removed for
several hours by hypodermic injections of morphia, 3 to 6
grains.
Lobelia, or Indian tobacco, has a reputation in some dis-
tricts as a cure for tetanus in the horse. It is a powerful
relaxant, and given in doses of half an ounce to an ounce
of the tincture, will no doubt lessen or remove the
spasm. But it is apt to return when the effect of the
medicine passes away.
7
98 Diseases of the Horse,
Prof. Gamgee advises the use of powerful purgatives
early in the disease, as:
No. 35. Croton oU, 6 to 8 drops.
Powdered aloes, 4 to 6 drachms.
JVIix for a drench.
Or
No. 36. Castor oil, 6 oz.
Croton oil, 12 drops.
To be given in linseed tea.
HYDKOPHOBIA.
Definition. — A disease which arises spontaneously in the
dog and cat and is communicated by their saliva to the horse,
cow, sheep, swine and man. It affects the brain, nerves and
mental faculties and is incurable.
Causes. — In the horse, cow and sheep, hydrophobia is al-
ways produced by the bite of a mad dog or other hydro-
phobic animal.
Symptoms. — These appear in the horse from 15 to 90 days
after tlie bite; in cattle, after 20 to 30 days; in sheep, after
20 to 25 days; in swine, after 20 to 50 days. It is gener-
ally believed that mad animals have a great dread of water,
and from this the disease receives its name. Most recent
observers deny this entirely; and explain the mistake by the
statement that the attempt to swallow brings on an exceed-
ingly painful spasm of the throat, which throws the animal
into a convulsion.
In the horse, the patient trembles or staggers ; his eye is
wild ; he soon grows furious, and endeavors to bite or run at
and trample down any one whom he can reach ; he kicks
violently, neighs, draws his yard, jerks his muscles, and
finally drops paralyzed. Very peculiarly mischievous and
dangerous propensities mark this species of madness, and
distinguish it from the delirium of other diseases. In the
Treatment of Hydrophobia, 99
same way the ox is restless and excitable, turns out his upper
lip, grinds his teeth, bellows loudly, and scrapes with his
fore feet and rushes at all who approach. Sheep and hogs
show in their own peculiar manners the ferocity and savage
madness which is the characteristic of the disease.
Treatment.— This should not be attempted. The only
proper plan is to shoot the animal, not only as soon as the
earliest symptoms appear, but as soon as it is ascertained
that it has been bitten by a mad dog. After the attack once
shows itself, it is absolutely useless to try any remedies.
Yet it is true that many animals, perhaps one-third of those
bitten by undoubted hydrophobic dogs, never take the
disease. Therefore, in cases where there is considerable
value at stake, an effort at prevention may be made. The
wound should be thoroughly cauterized, at the earliest possible
moment, with nitrate of silver, strong oil of vitriol or the red
hot iron. The animal should not be used, but placed in a
roomy box-stall or well closed shady paddock, and left quiet
and by itself until the period of development of the disease
above mentioned has been wholly past. With moderate diet
and an abundance of water, this will no doubt render it less
liable to succumb to the poison.
100 Diseases of the Horse,
CHAPTER II.
DISEASES OF THE BREATHIXG ORGAN'S.
Cautions in Treating Diseases of the Breathing Organs,
Cold in the Head — Catarrh.
Nasal Gleet — Bunning from the Nose.
Cold in the Chest — Bronchitis — Chronic Cough.
Influenza — The Epizootic — Contagious Catarrhal Fet^rfr-^
Pink Eye.
Sore Throat — Laryngitis — Pharyngintis.
Inflammation of the Lungs — Lung Fever — Pneumonia,
Pleurisy.
Heaves — Broken Wind — Emphysematous Asthma.
Boaring — High Blovnng — Thick Wind — Whistling.
As this class of diseases is the most common amon^ stock
in this countr}' , we preface their description with a few general
CAUTIONS IX TREATING DISEASES OF THE BREATHING
ORGANS.
1. Be very cautious in giving purgative medicines.
There is always a strong tendency for the inflammation to
spread to the bowels, which would either prove fatal forth-
with, or make a complicated and serious case of a simple one.
Aloes, gamboge and large doses of salts are therefore not to
be given. If the bowels are bound, injections of warm
water, soap and water or linseed oil are all that is needed.
2. Do not give large doses of tartar emetic^ calomel, digitalis,
lobelia or other weakening medicines.
The great danger in these diseases is from weakness and
General Warnings, 101
exhaustion; and it is very obvious that this danger is
vastly increased by increasing the weakness.
3. Use blisters J mustard, turpentine and other powerful counter
irritants very moderately.
In the horse, the application of any of these causes very
great disturbance and distress, high excitement, an increase
of fever, and often thus they do far more general harm than
local good. Warm fomentations, poultices, etc., are gener-
ally much better.
4. Be especially careful how you bleed.
Some of the best English veterinarians say, never bleed in
this class of diseases. But in the United States, leading
authorities concede that in the very early stages of inflam-
mation of the lungs, when the animal is young and strong,
when the fever is high and the pulse firm, full and hard,
three or four quarts of blood promptly taken from the
jugular vein will cut short the disease. But it is very rare
that we find all these conditions united, and when we have
such potent means for lowering the pulse as aconite, veratrum
viride and lobelia, we need rarely draw our lancets in these
cases.
5. Never give medicine by drenches in throat disease or where
there is much coughing.
Not only does a neglect of this rule often greatly aggra-
vate the disease, by exciting and half strangling the animal,
but it frequently disturbs the bowels and thus leads to
serious complications.
It will be seen that most of the above rules completely
reverse those laid down by the old farriers, and even those
advocated by such comparatively recent writers, as Youatt,
Martin, Stonehenge, May hew. Slater, etc. ; but they are those
now accepted and taught by the most eminent veterinarians in
England and America.
102 Diseases of the Horse,
COLD IN THE HEAD— CATARRH.
Definition. — An inflammatory affection of the lining mem-
brane of the nostrils and parts adjacent.
Causes. — Sudden changes of temperature ; exposure to wet
and cold ; change from country air to city stables ; chills in
changing the coat, etc.
Symptoms. — Sneezing, running from the nose and eyes,
redness of the eyes and of the membrane of the nose, slight
feverishness, dullness, weakness. The discharge from the
nose is at first thin and colorless, but soon changes to a thick,
yellow matter. When the case becomes chronic, it is called
chronic catarrh. The discharge may then become of an offen-
sive odor, and varies in quantity, sometimes being from one
nostril only. It is sometimes mistaken for glanders, but is
easily distinguished, as in glanders the discharge is thin and
sticky, and generally without any perceptible smell.
Treatment. — This is simple and easy, if begun in time.
Place the animal in a well ventilated stall, but not exposed
to draughts, keep him blanketed if the weather is cold, and
make him inhale steam from a bucket of hot water stirred
with a wisk of hay, and heated by a hot iron occasionally
thrust in it. A few ounces of nitre may be dissolved in his
water. Purgatives and bleedings should not be thought of.
Give internally : —
No. 37. Extract of belladonna,
Powdered camphor, of each, 1 dr.
Mix and give as a ball or smear on the tongue.
If the fever runs rather high, take
No. 38. Spirit of ammonia,
Ether, each, 2 dr.
Put in half a pint of linseed oil or gruel.
Both the ball and the fluid should be given every night
and morning. If the disease threatens to extend to the
Treatment of Catarrh,^ 103
throat, wrap it well in a large poultice containing some mus-
tard. When the earlier symptoms yield, the principal object
becomes to build up the strength and improve the appetite.
For this we can use
No. 39. Carbonate of ammonia,
Gentian, of each, 2 oz.
Make into 8 balls with linseed meal, and give one night and morning.
Mr. Finlay Dun finds the following a useful draught when
a horse has cold, fever, and impaired appetite : —
No. 40. Epsom salts. 2 oz.
Nitre,
Powdered gentian,
Solution of acetate of ammonia, each, 1 oz.
Mix in a pint of gruel.
Another valuable mixture, where there are catarrhal symp-*
toms and sore throat, is : —
No. 41. Nitre, 4 drachms.
Powdered camphor, 2 drachms.
Ipecacuanha, ,
Extract of belladonna, each, 1 drachm.
Make into a ball, and give one every two hours,
Prof. Gamgee recommends the "abortive treatment" in
commencing catarrh, by injecting the nostrils daily for three
or four days with the following : —
No. 42. Sulphate of zinc, 2 drachms.
Tepid water, 4 pints.
For a nasal injection.
The same may be used with advantage in the chronic forms
of nasal gleet.
ITASAL GLEET.
Definition. — A low form of chronic inflammation affecting
the lining membrane of one or both nostrils, and usually ex-
tending into the pouches or sinuses in the upper jaw-bone
which connect with them.
Canses. — The gleet may be the result of a neglected
catarrh, especially in scrofulous horses; or the consequence
104 Diseases of the Horse,
of influenza or the epizooty; or from some foreign body
which has accidentally or purposely been thrust up the nose;
or from the growth of polypi, cancer, etc.
Symptoms. — The horse may and may not have a cough;
his condition is unthrifty, his coat poor, appetite irregular,
and bowels loose or constipated ; or again none of these gen-
eral symptoms is present.
There is a discharge from one or both nostrils. It is ir-
regular in quantity, bluish white in color, rather thick and
sticky, generally foul smelling. Small ulcers and excori-
ations may be seen on the membranes of the nostrils — but
not the characteristic, pit-like depressions of glanders. The
membrane is also changed in hue, and often swollen and
thickened.
The question constantly occurs in these cases whether we
have to do with a case of glanders ; and not unfrequently it
is a difficult one to answer, until the case has been watched
for several weeks. It is prudent to be on the safe side, and
recommend the animal be separated from all others, and his
attendant to exercise great caution in handling him.
Treatment. — If there is a foreign body or a polypus
present, it must be removed.
When no such obvious cause is lo be found, the nostril is
to be syringed daily with an antiseptic, cleansing wash, as : —
No. 43. Tincture of chloride of iron, 1 oz.
Water, 1 qt.
To be used once a day.
A sharp fly blister should be laid upon the face over the
chambers and sinuses of the nose. This often brings about
prompt improvement.
Chloride of lime should be sprinkled in the bottom of the
manger, so that the horse when eating is constantly inhaling
its odor.
On Common Colds, 105
InKalation of sulphurous acid gas, well diluted with air,
is frequently useful. The gas is mixed as follows : —
Mix half an ounce of the milk of sulphur with as much
powdered charcoal, and burn it in a moderate sized, loose
stable, allowing the horse to remain in the atmosphere for
half an hour. Repeat this daily. If it causes much cough-
ing, it is too concentrated, and must be diluted with more
air by opening the door.
For the chronic form, or nasal gleet, one of the following
washes should be syringed up the nostrils every morning : —
No. 44. Chloride of zinc, 30 gr.
Water, 2 qts.
Or
No. 45. Carbolic acid, 1 oz.
Water, 2 qts.
As the best internal medicine in such cases, Mr. Chawner
recommends : —
No. 46. Sulphate of copper.
Nitre,
Powdered gentian, of each 1 dr.
Make into a ball with linseed meal, and give every night and morning.
COLD IN THE CHEST -BKONCHITIS— CHRONIC COUGH.
Definition. — Inflammation of the lining membrane of the
windpipe and smaller air tubes leading to the lungs, charac-
terized by hoarse cough and shortness of breath.
CauseS.^Exposure to sudden changes of temperature;
standing uncovered when heated by driving; standing in
drafts, and getting chilled from wet, etc.
Symptoms. — The most prominent is the cough. This is
at first dry and ringing, but soon becomes hoarse, loud, and
in spells. The pulse and breathing are both generally in-
creased, sometimes very much so, to the extent of seventy or
eighty in the minute. The animal is dull and listless, hangs
106 Diseases of the Horse,
the head, is thirsty, and drops ropy mucus from the mouth.
The bowels are generally constipated, and the urine high
colored.
On examining the chest there is no dullness on percussion,
which distinguishes it from pneumonia, and the breathing is
evidently not painful, which marks it off from pleurisy. On
listening with the ear, moist bubbling sounds can be heard
in the chest, caused by the mucus in the air tubes in the
lungs.
As the disease advances toward recovery, a profuse dis-
charge issues from the nostrils, the inflammation gradually
subsides, the cough becomes less hoarse and more vigorous,
the discharge becomes thinner and finally ceases. But if the
progress is toward a fatal issue, the breathing increases in
rapidity, the pulse becomes feeble and rapid, a bloody froth
hangs from the mouth, and convulsions seize the animal
while coughing, and close the scene.
Treatment. — All weakening measures, such as bleeding,
tartar emetic, etc., are to be avoided ; so also are all " cough
mixtures," as what are called expectorants are almost useless
in the lower animals. In the very first stage of the disease,
while the membranes are dry and the cough ringing, a full
dose of an opiate may be given with great advantage. The
hypodermic injection of morphia is the most desirable form.
Next to this, 60 to 80 drops of tincture of aconite given in a
pint of water every two hours will reduce the pulse promptly.
Later on, to soothe and relieve cough, take
No. 47. Carbonate of ammonia, 5
Powdered camphor,
Extract of belladonna, each 1 dr.
Make into a ball with linseed meal, and give this amount three times
a day.
For the feverishness, half-ounce doses of nitre may be given
in the water once or twice daily. There is often profuse
Receipts for Coughs, 107
etaleing in the course of the disease, which is beneficial rather
than otherwise. If the bowels are constipated, injections of
oil and soap and water are far better than aloes or other pur-
gatives. If there is much weakness remaining, tonics such
as No. 46 are called for.
Chronic Cough is a troublesome and common result of a
neglected cold. The cough is generally loud and metallic,
and often is accompanied, especially in cattle, with emacia-
tion and weakness. Very many remedies have been sug-
gested for it, and when one fails after a reasonable time, it is
well to try another. Professor Williams recommends : —
No. 48. Prussic (hydrocyanic) acid, dilute, 40 to 60 drops.
Nitre,
Bi-carbonate of Soda, each 1 oz.
Water, 1 qt.
This amount twice a day, a strong blister to the breast, and careful
housing and nursing.
Mr. Chawner prefers external applications, of which he
says the following is the best ; —
No. 49. Croton oil, 15 to 20 drops.
Glycerine, 1 oz.
To be rubbed on the throat and around the windpipe once every ten
days.
Mr. Finlay Dun recommends the following cough mix-
ture:—
No. 50. Fowler's solution of arsenic.
Chlorate of potash, each 1 oz.
Extract of belladonna, 1 drachm.
Make into a draught, with water or gruel. Valuable in chronic irri-
table cough, especially when remaining after attacks of influenza or
sore throat.
No. 51. Powdered camphor.
Extract of belladonna, each 1 drachm.
Sweet spirits of nitre, 2 oz.
Give in a pint of cold gruel several times a day to horses or cattle, where
there is commencing cough and sore throat.
i08 Diseases of the Horse.
An ordinary cough and fever draught is : —
Ko. 52. Powdered digitalis,
^ drachm,
Nitre,
\ oz.
Water,
1 pint.
For a drench.
The following is recommended as a useful drench in ob-
Btinate coughs : — •
No. "53. Solution of potash, 1 drachm.
Linseed oil, 2 oz.
Molasses, 1 oz.
Give in a pint of soft water or milk twice a day.
Tar water has been well spoken of:
No. 54. Tar water,
Lime water, each ^ pint
Powdered squills, 1 drachm.
This drink every morning in obstinate coughs.
As a sedative mixture, to allay the violence of the cough,
we may employ: —
No. 55. Nitre, 4 drachms.
Powdered opium, 2 drachms,
Prussic acid (dilute). 1 drachm.
Mix in a pint of mucilage or linseed tea, and give half a tumblerful
three times a day.
Sometimes a chronic cough of long standing is benefitted
by a blister on the chest. Instead of the usual cantharides
plaster we may use the following, which leaves less of a
blemish : —
No. 56. Croton oil, 1 drachm.
Sulphuric ether,
Alcohol, each 10 drachms.
Apply with friction.
Expectorants, as they are called, — medicines designed to
loosen the cough and hasten the restoration of the secretions
to their natural condition — do not act with as decided bene-
fit in the lower animals as in man. They are, however, occa-
sionally useful. One of the best combinations is : —
Contagious Influenza, 109
No. 57. Gum ammoniacum, 2 drachms.
Powdered squills,
Aloes, each 1 drachm.
Mix with mass or meal to a ball, and give every morning in long
standing coughs.
Or if the bowels do not seem costive, and the cough is of
an irritable, easily excited, spasmodic character, the aloes can
be beneficially replaced by opium, in the same quantity.
An excellent combination is : —
No. 58. Muriate of ammonia, J oz.
Ipecauanha,
Liquorice powder, each 1 drachm.
Mix with tar, honey, or molasses, to form a ball, and give one every
morning to break up a cold on the chest.
mFLUENZA— THE EPIZOOTIC DISEASE— CONTAGIOUS CATARRHAL
FEVER— PINK EYE.
Definition. — By these and other names the disease is known
which in the fall of 1872, and often before and since has
swept through the United States attacking almost every
horse. It is a contagious epidemic disease, characterized by
inflammation of the membranes of the air passages, discharge
from the nostrils, cough and debility. It is quite fatal, the
mortality in the Atlantic States being in 1872 over 10,000
horses in a month.
Cause. — The immediate cause is wholly unknown, but it
is believed to be owing to some blood poison which spreads
through the air.
S3^ptoms. — The earliest symptoms are weakness shown in
a staggering gait, hanging head and trembling, shivering as
from cold, loss of appetite ; watery discharge from the eyes
and a staring coat soon follow. The pulse is quickened and
weak, from 50 to 60 in the minute, there is a short dry
(^ough and the breathing is a little hurried. Later on the
pulse rises to 80 or 90, the temperature to 104° or 105°, and
the breathing to 40 or 50 times per minute. The body is
110 Diseases of the Horse.
propped up by the extended legs and the horse is evidently
afraid to lie down.
The bowels are bound, the urine scanty. Often the
disease extends to the throat and lungs, bringing in bron-
chitis and pneumonia as complications. The nose discharges
a white, yellowish or greenish matter. Sometimes rheumatic
swellings and tenderness take place in the muscles and joints
of the limbs, and may last for months, leading to abscesses
and fistulse. Death comes through weakness and exhaus-
tion, suffocation, paralysis, or clots forming in the heart.
Treatment. — Here again any lowering treatment by aco-
nite, tartar emetic, lobelia, bleeding or purging is simply
murderous. If the bowels are costive, small injections of warm
water or oil are in order. From the first, begin with tonics
and stimulants. Mr. Chawner considers the very best to be
that given No. 39. When the cough is very distressing the
following mixture will relieve it : —
No. 59. Extract of belladonna, ^ oz.
Powdered opium, 2 drachms.
j Powdered camphor, 3 drachms.
I Powdered liquorice, 2 oz.
Molasses, J pint.
Mix them well together and smear a spoonM on the tongue two or
three times a day.
Good nursing is indispensable. The horse should be well
blanketed and wrapped, and his food should be soft, nourish-
ing and cooked. An ounce of saltpetre should be placed in
his drink bucket.
When after the w^orst is over there appear signs of dropsy
by swelling of the legs or sheath, one of the following pre-
scriptions will be found very efficacious : —
No. 60. Iodide of potassium,
Carbonate of ammonia,
Powdered gentian, of each 1 oz.
Make into 8 balls and give one morning and evening.
Treatment of Epizooty, 111
Or,
No. 61. Iodine,
Iodide of potash,
Camphor,
Extract of belladonna, each J drachm.
This is highly spoken of by Mr. Finlay Dun to allay the
epizootic cough, sore throat and catarrh. A similar com-
pound is: —
No. 62. Iodine, 20 grains.
Iodide of potassium, 1 drachm.
Sweet spirits of nitre, 2 oz.
Water gruel, 1 pint.
For one dose two or three times a day.
Recovery should begin after four or five days, but for
weeks afterwards the horse must be given little or no work,
as in very many cases a too early return to labor has led to
fatal relapses.
During the disease a stimulating and soothing draught
may be prepared as follows : —
No. 63. Powdered camphor.
Carbonate of ammonia, each 2 drachms.
Sulphuric ether, 1 oz.
Give in a pint of cold ale or beer, two or three times a day.
Or,
No. 64. Sweet spirits of nitre.
Solution of acetate of ammonia, each 2 oz.
Extract of belladonna, 1 drachm.
Give in a pint of water as a stimulant and anodyne draught.
Mr. Finlay Dun says that in the roaring, noisy respiration
which accompanies some forms of epizootic sore throat, no
medicine gives such immediate relief as the subcutaneous
injection of belladonna or atropia. For the spasmodic cough
which often follows the attack, the same writer recom-
mends : —
No. 65. Chloroform, 1 drachm.
Alcohol, 10 drachms.
Extract of belladonna, 1 drachm.
Give in a pint of cold linseed gruel, and let it be swallowed very
slowly, so as to insure more prolonged local effect.
112 Diseases of the Horse.
SORE THROAT— LARYNGITIS— PHARYNGITIS.
Definition. — Inflammation of the lining membrane of the
upper parts of the food and air passages, usually accompanied
with cough, difficult swallowing, and fever. Although a
distinction is drawn between laryngitis and pharyngitis, prac-
tically they are nearly always both present when either is.
Causes. — The same that give rise to colds and catarrhs.
In addition to those, bots may cause it in horses.
Symptoms. — In its acute and severe forms this is a dan-
gerous disease. The breathing rapidly becomes difficult and
sounds hoarse. The inspiration is longer than the respira-
tion. The animal's nose is protruded, the eyes are prominent,
watery and bloodshot. There is a distressed expression of
the face, a hoarse rasping cough, cold sweats on the body and
legs, and they and the ears feel cold to the touch. The animal
stamps its feet repeatedly and is excitable. Prostration and
death may rapidly ensue. Generally, however, these symp-
toms are present in a much milder form. There is usually a
running from the nose, and evident pain in the act of swal-
lowing.
Treatment. — This should be prompt where the symptoms
are of the severe type above described. The throat should
be fomented with cloths wrung out of hot mustard water,
the animaFs head should be held over a bucket of hot water
so that he can inhale the steam, and if signs of strangling
and suffi^cation appear, no hesitation must be had to open the
upper part of the windpipe lengthwise with a sharp knife,
and a tube of lead be inserted for the animal to breathe through.
Should the attempt to steam the throat excite the horse, it
should not be pushed, as it is of great importance to keep
him quiet.
Owing to the difficulty of swallowing, medicine caimot
well be given by the throat; but the compound cougli mix-
Treatment of Sore Throat. 113
ture^ No. 47 can be advantageously smeared on the tongue : as
can also the following : —
No. 66. Powdered chlorate of potash, 4 oz.
Powdered guaiacum, 1 oz.
Molasses, i pint.
Mix and smear a spoonful on the tongue several times a day.
Much good will sometimes be done by mixing mustard
with water to a thin paste, and painting it outside the throat.
When the patient is feverish, and the throat hot and dry,
the following is a successful mixture: —
No. 67. Powdered ipecac, 1 drachm.
Solution of acetate of ammonia, 1 oz.
Give in a pint of cold linseed tea, and repeat it three or four times a
day.
In the more chronic forms, astringent applications are use-
ful, as: —
No. 68. Tincture of myrrh, 2 oz.
Camphor mixture, 4 oz.
Honey, 6 oz.
Make into a soft mass, and give with a spoon.
Or,
No. 69. Tannic acid, 2 drachms.
Honey, 4 oz.
Mix and give as the last mentioned.
Rubbing the throat with mustard or blistering it may be
required in cases of long standing. A stimulating embroca-
tion will, however, often suffice. A very common one is : —
No. 70. Oil of turpentine.
Solution of ammonia,
Olive oil, equal parts.
Use by rubbing on the throat daily.
It is quite as efficient as many more complicated ones.
When a more decided action is desired, the croton oil
blistering mixture. No. 56, will be found valuable.
114 Diseases of the Horse.
INFLAMMATION OF THE LTTNGS— LTJNG FEVER— PNEUMONIA.
DeHnition. — An inflammation of the substance of the lungs,
followed by a secretion of lymph, which fills them up and
solidifies them, leading to death by suffocation, suppuration,
or else to gradual absorption of the lymph and recovery
Causes. — The general causes of this common, dangerous
and therefore important disease are much the same as for
colds, namely, exposure to sudden changes of temperature,
getting chilled or wet, and draughty stables. Any slight
cold or sore throat may rapidly run into pneumonia. It is
also brought on by irritating smoke and gases, poisons in the
blood, wounds of the throat or lungs, and various exhaust-
ing diseases.
Symptoms. — The earlier symptoms are increased rapidity
of the pulse, reaching 70 or. 80 beats per minute; a tem-
perature rising to 103° or 104° and above; chilliness; a dry,
dull cough ; and coldness of the legs and ears. The breath-
ing is generally not very rapid at first, not more than 20 or 30
times a minute, and unless there is pleurisy, it is not painful.
Sometimes a rusty colored, or blood stained mucus discharge
from the nostrils takes place. The horse suffering from the
disease will stand on his feet to the last, but an ox will lie
down. After the first three or four days the breathing in-
creases in rapidity, the pulse becomes feeble or intermittent,
and the general weakness manifestly increases.
But none of these symptoms is positive proof of the pres-
ence of the disease. When, however, in addition to them
we find dullness on percussion over those portions of the
chest which in health are resonant, we need have no longer
any doubt, as this dullness proves the lungs are solidified
by the inflammation. In many instances, by applying
the ear behind the shoulder, we can hear, instead of the
natural soft murmur of healthy lungs (see page 73), a fine
Treatment of Pneumonia, 115
crackling sound like the rustling of silk, which is a sure
sign of the disease.
Treatment. — Few subjects in medicine have been more
actively discussed than the treatment of pneumonia, and the
best surgeons are not entirely agreed upon it yet. Neverthe-
less, most of the leading authorities agree in discountenancing
bleeding, blistering, and purging, as well as calomel, tartar
emetic and lobelia
The following judicious rules are those laid down by Pro-
fessor Williams :
1. Place the animal in a well ventilated loose box, but
where the air is not too cold.
2. Clothe and wrap the body, extremities and head in
suitable, but not too heavy cloths.
3. Give it as much water as it will drink, adding to the
water, if there is much fever, about an ounce of nitre or 20
or 3 ^ drops of tincture of aconite to the bucket full.
4. If the bowels are bound, loosen them by injections of
oil or warm water.
5. If there is much weakness, give two drachms each of
carbonate of ammonia and camphor, in the form of a ball,
twice daily,
6. Let the food be simple, laxative, cooling and nutritious,
as bran, boiled linseed meal, good hay, or cooked carrots or
turnips.
7. If moderate diarrhoea or profuse staleing come on they
are on no account to be checked, as this is an effort of nature
to throw oif the disease.
8. If there is great exhaustion, moderate doses of whiskey
may be given, but there is no use of pushing them, unless
their good effects are soon seen.
Prof. Gamgee believes that large mustard poultices to the
chest are of value. He also teaches that in young and full
116 Diseases of the Horse.
blooded animals it is good practice .to bleed when the disease
is seen in its early stages.
For the febrile symptoms at the outset, salhies are of good
service, as: —
No. 71. Nitre, ^ oz.
Sulphate of soda, 2 oz.
Mix with molasses to give with a spoon, or with a pint and a half of
water as a drench.
Or,
No. 72. Sweet spirits of nitre, 1 02:.
Solution of acetate of ammonia.
Water, of each 6 oz.
For a drench repeated every two hours till the fever abates.
The power of aconite and veratrum viride to reduce the
pulse and lessen the oppression on the lungs is undoubted ;
20 to 30 drops of the tincture of aconite root may be given ;
or one to two drachms of the tincture of veratrum in water
every two hours. The danger of using these medicines is
that they are apt to bring about great depression of the
system, and therefore their effects must be watched closely
by an intelligent person and not left to an ignorant groom.
As soon as their depressing influences are noticed in the fall-
ing of the pulse, the sweats, the trembling and the anxious
eye, they must be suspended.
PLEURISY.
Definition. — An inflammation of the membrane which
covers the lungs and lines the chest, followed by a secretion
of a large quantity of watery fluid inside this membrane,
and consequent pressure on the lungs. It may be on one or
both sides.
Causes. — Exposure to cold is generally considered one of
the commonest causes. Attacks sometimes follow clipping
and shearing. It is also very frequent as an extension of the
inflammation of pneumonia (pleuro-pneumonia), and bron-
Signs of Pleurisy, 117
chitis. Occasionally dii'ect violence and wounds lead to
pleurisy.
Symptoms. — At the outset of the disease there is gener-
ally a chill, staring coat, and coldness of the skin, with
signs of pain, the animal pawing the ground and rolling.
Soon, however, this gives way to so much stiffness and sore-
ness that any movement is made unwillingly, and if pressed
on the affected side the animal will indicate pain. The
breathing is rapid and incomplete, as every act of respiration
increases the pain in the chest. Hence it is largely performed
by the abdominal muscles. The pulse is hard and quick,
and there is a short, dry, painful cough. If the inflamma-
tion is extensive, the movemcLts of the animal are very slow,
unwilling and stiff. On listening to the chest in the early
stage, a dry, creaking sound is heard, like two pieces of
leather rubbed together, caused by the movements of the in-
flamed membranes upon each other.
In the second stage, which comes on in from two to five
days, when the space between the membrane is filled with
secreted fluid, this sound disappears. On percussion, the
lungs sound solid, especially in their most dependent por-
tions. The breathing now becomes more labored, other
muscles are called on to aid, even extending to those of the
tail, which is moved up and down with a motion like a pump
handle ; the nostrils are distended and flap, the pulse is small
and irregular, and there are dropsical swellings. This condi-
tion is that of ^^ w^ater on the chest '^ or " hydro-thorax.^^ If
the water does not rise higher than one-third of the chest —
easily ascertained by percussion — there is a fair chance of
recovery.
Treatment. — In the very earliest stage, when the pain is
usually most acute, a full dose of an opiate will cut it short in
most cases. Thus we may give : —
118 Diseases of the Horse,
No. 73. Laudanum, i oz.
Linseed oil, 1 pint.
Give at a dose.
This may be repeated in a few hours if it does not check
the symptoms. The painful sides should be fomented with
hot water, the animal warmly clothed, and be allowed to
drink plenty of water with an ounce of saltpetre to the bucket
full. Bleeding, blisters and purging do little or no good,
and very often decided harm. Good food, quiet and warmth
are always needed.
If, after the acute symptoms have passed, there remain
weakness, a rapid pulse (70 or 80), scanty urine of a high
color, and no diminution in the water on the chest, a moder-
ate mustard liniment may be rubbed into the chest, and full
doses of iron given, which is one of the best known remedies
in this condition.
No. 74. Tincture of chloride of iron, . ^ oz.
This amount in a pail of water twice daily.
The effusion can also be drawn off by tapping the chest
with a trochar. This is not nearly so dangerous an operation
as it used to be thought. To perform it properly, divide the
skin with a lancet between the eighth and ninth rib ; then
stretch the skin so that when it returns to its natural position
it will cover the spot punctured by the trochar. Plunge the
latter into the sac filled with the effusion, and let the con-
tained matter flow out freely. Some recommejid syringing
the sack with dilute carbolic acid (one drachm to ten ounces
of water). If the sac refills, it can be tapped again, and even
a permanent external opening has been advocated by some.
After being tapped, the animal should be fed up with nutri-
tious food, iron tonics, etc.
It is well, in order to hasten the absorption of' the water
in the chest, to give the following : —
Unsoundness of the Wind, 119
No. 75. Iodide of potassium,
Carbonate of ammonia, each 1 drachm.
Gentian, powdered, ^ oz.
Give as a ball or drench twice a day.
HEAVES— BROKEN WIND— EMPHYSEMATOUS ASTHMA.
Definition. — A chronic disease of the breathing organs,
without inflammation, characterised by a peculiar breathing,
the breath being drawn in with ease, but breathed out by
two distinct efforts. There is always a peculiar cough of a
hollow muffled sound, easily produced at any time by pres-
sure on the upper part of the windpipe ; and nearly always
there is indigestion with flatulence.
Causes. — The immediate cause is rupture of the small
cells in the lungs, so that the animal cannot expel the air he
has drawn in without an extra and double effort. This
rupture is brought about by putting the horse to hard work
with his stomach full of coarse and undigested food ; or by
hereditary predisposition.
Symptoms. — Usually the character of the expirations
above noted and the cough leave no doubt of the disease.
On percussion, the chest is found to be more resonant than
natural ; and on listening with the ear to the chest, a rustling
sound is heard, denoting the presence of air in the lung
tissue. The symptoms are always more severe when the
animal has a full stomach. The animal usually is unthrifty,
dyspeptic and with a harsh dry coat.
Treatment. — A cure is impossible ; but great relief may
be had by feeding the horse on light nutritious food in mod-
erate quantities, and by improving his digestion by alkalies,
acids or tonics. A purgative should occasionally be admin-
istered and the bowels kept regular.
A celebrated recipe of the late Professor Dick in this
disease was : —
120 Diseases of the Horse,
No. 76. Calomel,
Digitalis,
Opium,
Camphor, of each 30 grains.
Make into a ball and give once or twice a day.
After the first week the calomel should be omitted and the
three remaining ingredients continued.
Prof. Law considers the most useful of all medicines to
be an arsenical preparation, as : —
No. 77. Arsenic, Fowler's solution, 1 oz.
Belladonna extract, 1 drachm.
Tincture of ginger, ^ drachm.
Mix with a pint of water for a drench and give every morning for a
month or two.
If the animal is turned out to pasture on clean short grass,
and given this regularly, it will cure mild and recent cases.
ROAEING—HIGHBLOWING— THICK WIND— WHISTLING.
Definition. — These peculiar noises all arise from some
diseased condition of the windpipe. Roaring when of long
standing is owing to atrophy or degeneration of the muscles
of the larynx. Thick wind arises from an inflamed and
thickened condition of the lower and smaller branches of the
breathing tubes. Whistling is a sharp sound arising from a
narrowing of the windpipe, usually at its upper portion
near the larynx. Both roaring and whistling occur during
inspiration.
Causes. — All these disorders may follow sharp colds, or
pneumonia, strangles, diseases of the nose, tumors or tight
reining. They are also frequently hereditary, and constitute
an unsoundness.
Symptoms. — In addition to the peculiar sound above
mentioned, the roarer generally has a cough which is pecu-
liar, being a loud sharp dry sound, half a roar, half a cough.
In thick wind the breathing is more rapid than usual, and
there is a short, dry loud cough, which can be elicited at any
Treatment of Thick Wind, 121
time by making the animal take a sudden movement, or
giving him an unexpected blow upon the ribs.
Treatment. — The most successful treatment of roaring has
been by firing or blistering the skin of the laryngeal region.
It has been found that hypodermic injections of strychnia
will excite the atrophied muscles, as in the form given below.
Thick wind may be improved and sometimes cured by
proper medicines. Mr. Chawner recommends : —
No. 78. Powdered nitre,
Powdered opium,
Powdered camphor, each 1 drachm.
Make a ball and give it once or twice a day before feeding, for
several days.
The following is excellent for the same purpose : —
No. 79. Powdered nitre.
Extract of belladonna, each 1 drachm,
Arseniq, 8 grains.
For one ball to be given once daily for a week.
Give easily digested food in small quantities at a time, and
&.5 little water as possible. Always let the horse rest an
hour after feeding.
When, as is generally the case, roaring is owing to paraly-
sis of the muscles of the larynx, it can be successfully
treated by the plan recommended by Mr. Mavor of London.
This is by injecting strychnine subcutaneously in doses of
one-half to one grain, repeating this every two or three days.
It is also reputed to have been of manifest advantage when
given by the mouth, as : —
No. 80. Strychnine, 3 grains,
Linseed meal, Sufficient.
Make a ball and give twice a day.
Another plan of treatment is to rub daily or every other
day the throat with iodine ointment: —
No. 81. Iodine, 1 drachm.
Iodide of potash, 2 drachms.
Lard, 2 oz.
Mix at a gentle heat.
122 Diseases of the Horse.
And to give internally a cough ball of the following com-
position : —
No. 82. Digitalis, 1 drachm.
Nitre, 2 drachms.
Powdered liquorice, 4 drachms.
Mix with enough tar to form a ball and give it twice a day.
The application of a seton to the front of the throat is a
form of counter irritation which sometimes stimulates the
muscles of the larynx.
The Digestive Organs, 123
CHAPTEH III.
DISEASES OF THE 0±lGANS OF DIGESTION.
General Remarks on Diseases of the Digestive Organs.
Local Inflammation in and around the 3Iouth — Lampas — ■
Vives — Barbs and Paps — Tender and Bleeding Gums —
Decayed Teeth — Tooth Cough,
Ind gestion and Dyspepsia,
Cribbing — Crib-biting — Wind-sucking,
Colic — The Gripes,
Tympany — Flatulent Colic — Tympanites — Swollen Belly,
Constipation — Costiveness,
Diarrhcea — Scouring,
Inflammation of the Bowels — Enteritis,
Dysentery — Bloody Flux — Colitis.
Congestion and Inflammation of the Liver — Sepatitis — ■
Jaundice — The Yellows,
Intestinal Worms,
The Bots,
GENERAL REMARKS ON DISEASES OF THE DIGESTIVE ORGANS.
Most diseases of these organs arise from errors in feeding,
or from folly in ignorant persons pouring down irritating
medicines or administering injurious "condition powders.^'
In the horse the intestines generally suffer ; in the ox and
sheep it is more frequently the stomachs.
The long tract of the intestines in the horse, to which we
have referred on a previous j)age, and the important physio-
logical fact that he has but one stomach with which to do the
work for which four are assigned to the ox and sheep, render
him highly sensitive to morbid disturbances of these organs.
There is also a closer sympathy in him than in the others
X24 Diseases of the Horse.
between the stomach and the brain, slight attacks of indi-
gestion frequently leading to vertigo or " staggers/'
As was remarked when speaking of the anatomy of the
digestive tract, it properly begins with the teeth and mouth ,
and closes with the anus ; in the consideration of its diseases,
therefore, all the various parts and organs with which the
food comes in contact from its entrance to its exit from the
body will be discussed.
LOCAL INFLAMMATIONS IN AND ABOUND THE^MOUTH.
There are quite a number of localized inflammations which
occur in and around the mouth, and which have received
meaningless names from the old English farriers, most of
which, however, are still preserved in one part of this country
or another, through the traditions of the stable.
Symptoms. — The general symptoms which indicate that a
horse has some painful swelling in the mouth are a champing
of the jaws, a return of his food to the manger without swal^
lowing it, and a loss of condition in consequence. He is
restless and uneasy, and sometimes there is a dribbling of
saliva from the mouth.
The principal forms of these inflammations, with their
popular names and treatment are as follows : —
1. Lampas.
An active inflammation of the ridges or fleshy bars in the
roof of the mouth, generally occurring in a young horse
while shedding his teeth ; sometimes occurring in older ones
from overfeeding.
The "bars" swell so much that sometimes they project
below the level of the nippers, and are so tender that all hard
and dry food is refused.
The proper treatment is to scarify the bars with a sharp
lancet ; and should this not reduce the swellings promptly,
Disorders of the Mouth. 125
they should be touched with the stick of nitrate of silver, or
swabbed with a strong solution every day until they disap-
pear.
2. Vives.
These are chronic enlargements of the glands of the lower
jaw, encroaching on the cavity of the mouth. They are lia-
ble to become tender and to discharge in the mouth.
The treatment is by applying to the skin over where the
swelling can be felt an ointment of biniodide of mercury,
one drachm of the biniodide to the ounce of lard, repeated
daily until a free secretion from the skin is established.
This will nearly always disperse them. Or they may be
painted with tincture of iodine ; or a tartar emetic ointment
may be used, as : —
No. 83. Tartar emetic, 2 drachms.
Olive oil, 1 drachm.
Lard, 1 oz.
Kub together the tartar emetic and oil until smooth, then add the
lard. For a pustulating ointment.
3. Barbs and Paps.
By these and other names are known the swellings caused
by obstructions of the ducts of the salivary glands. Their
position indicates their origin.
The treatment is by an incision over the swelling with a
sharp pointed knife ; or by holding a pencil of nitrate of sil-
ver against it every day for a moment or two. The horse
should have a moderate dose of a laxative medicine (3 or 4
drachms of aloes), and his food be changed for a time.
4. Tender and Bleeding Gums.
In young and scrofulous, and in quite old horses, it is not
unusual to find the gums swollen, and to the touch soft,
spongy and bleeding easily. Such horses have usually wide
spaces between the teeth, which are found to be full of partly
decomposed food.
126 Diseases of the Horse.
As the act of mastication is painful, the animal performs
it imperfectly, which becomes visible in his deteriorated con-
dition, as well as by an inspection of his dung, which will
consist in part of half digested food. The breath is un-
pleasant and signs of indigestion are present.
Treatment. — The matter lodged between the teeth should
be removed every day with water and a properly constructed
brush ; afterwards the parts should be washed with a solution
of chloride of lime (an ounce to the pint). A spoonful of
the following should then be smeared on and around the
teeth : —
No. 84. Powdered chlorate of potash, 2 drachms.
Honey or molasses, 2 oz.
The space between the teeth can be filled with gutta percha
nlling.
When, however, in very old horses, this condition is the
result of natural decay of the processes of the gums, it can
only be alleviated by cleansing the teeth and giving soft
food, of an easily digestible character.
5. Decayed Teeth.
The teeth in the horse which are liable to decay are the
molar or double teeth. The decay may attack the crown of
the tooth, its neck or its fang.
Symptoms. — These may be briefly arranged as follows: —
1. Pain in eating as shown by "quidding,^' that is throw-r
ing back from the mouth masses of half chewed food.
2. Flow of saliva, "dribbling" or "slobbering."
3. Swelling of the gum, redness, and pain around the
diseased tooth.
4. Presence of a black spot upon it.
6. Sharp pain when the tooth is smartly rapped.
6. A fetid, sometimes excessively foul breath.
Discrrders of the Teeth. 127
Treatment. — The only treatment is to remove the decayed
tooth. Animal dentistry has not as yet gone so far as to fill
and preserve decayed teeth. It has, indeed, been done, the
gutta percha filling being used ; and there are reasons why
in a young and valuable animal it would be far better than
extraction ; but to fill the teeth properly is a delicate task ;
and if done improperly, the result is worse than removal.
The chief objection to extraction is that the corresponding
tooth of the opposite jaw increases in length and becomes an
object of serious annoyance. It must be periodically ex-
amined ever after, and when it encroaches beyond its neigh-
bors it must be rasped back to their level.
6. Tooth Cough,
Horses at four years old are very subject to a distressing
paroxysmal cough. The animal will sometimes cough twenty
or thirty times without stopping. The sound of the cough
is loud, sonorous and prolonged.
The cause of this cough is an irritation of the mouth, ex-
tending to the throat, brought on by the cutting of the sixth
molar tooth, which is the one standing last in the row, and
the replacement of the third temporary molar by its perma-
nent substitute, both of which occur at this age.
With the cough there may be associated some diarrhoea,
indigestion and loss of condition from the difficulty in chew-
ing the food properly, and the irritation it consequently causes.
Treatment. — This consists largely in careful dieting; hay,
not much bran; grass, if in season. The mouth should be
washed in some cooling mixture, as :
No. 85. Borax or alum, powdered, 1 oz.
Water, 1 pint.
Internally, a moderate laxative should be given, if the
bowels are disordered, so as to cleanse them from the half
128 Diseases of the Horse.
masticated food, and a daily dose of bicarbonate of soda, say
one ounce, in the water.
INDIGESTION OR DYSPEPSIA.
Two varieties of indigestion are found in the horse, the
one associated with over-fullness or engorgement of the
stomach, the other with an ordinary use of that organ. The
indigestion of cattle, known as "hoven,^' presents such pecu-
liar features, that it will be considered in the section devoted
k> the diseases of cattle.
Causes. — Indigestion without engorgement arises in colts
and young horses from the irritation of teething, from re-
moval from the dam at too early an age, draughts of cold
milk, suckling Avhen the dam is heated, etc. In older ani-
mals defective teeth, debility of the stomach, and improper
and irregular feeding are common causes. Indigestion with
engorgement arises from ravenous eating, filling the stomach
to an excessive degree.
Symptoms. — These are, in the indigestion without engorge-
ment, loss of appetite or a capricious appetite, desire to eat
filth, soreness of the mouth, and increased thirst. The ani-
mal is hide-bound, has a dry, scurfy skin, irregular bowels,
and passes much wind. There are often a dry short cough
and colicky pains, sometimes diarrhoea, and not unfrequently
megrims or fits of giddiness. The feces are dark colored
and of fetid odor; and often the urine is dark colored and
on standing in a vessel deposits a reddish sediment.
Indigestion from over-fullness of the stomach is indicated
by pawing with the fore feet, especially the near one, belching
of wind, colicky pains, and some degree of fullness of the
abdomen. There is also qrack pulse, labored breathing, and
dribbing of saliva from the mouth.
In severe cases the stomach becomes inflamed and the irri-
Treatment of Indigestion. 129
tation extends to the brain. The animal is giddy, staggers,
is dull and sleepy. This condition is that called ^^ sleepy
staggers;'' or the brain becomes inflamed, and we have
"mad staggers"; conditions the management of which we
have already considered (p. 87).
Treatment. — In ordinary cases of chronic indigestion, we
should first examine the mouth and teeth and remove any
cause of irritation from them; next we should inquire care-
fully into the diet, and see that it is moderate in quantity,
nutritious, and offered at regular intervals; when these are
done, it will be time to think of medicines.
.Generally it will be advisable to give a mild purge of oil
or of aloes, w^itli ginger. After this has operated, the follow-
ing is recommended by Prof. Williams as a tonic exercising
a happy effect : —
No. 86. Bicarbonate of soda, ^t
Powdered gentian, each | oz.
Powdered nux vomica, 20 grains.
For one dose twice daily.
Careful grooming is indispensable, and if the hair is thick
clipping it will sometimes act almost magically.
Of the various stomach stimulants the following may be
used : —
No. 87. Calumba, powdered, 2 drachms.
Common salt,
Fenugreek, each 1 drachm.
Mix with molasses to form a ball.
Or,
No. 88. Peruvian bark, powdered, 1 oz.
Flour of mustard, 1 drachm.
This may be mixed with the food ; or if refused, given as a ball.
When the indigestion is from a weak stomach, as occurs
after an acute disease, two drachms of the medicinal dilute
muriatic acid can be added to the drinking water two or
three times a day, and will often exert a happy effect.
9
No.
89.
Linseed oil,
Croton oil,
For
one
dose
'.
Or,
No.
90.
Powdered aloes,
Oil of turpentine,
Calomel,
For
one
dose
130 Diseases of the Horse.
In acute indigestion, or impaction of the stomach, the
ot^ect is to obtain an action of the bowels as promptly as
possible. The horse cannot empty his stomach by vomiting,
and hence the excess of food he has taken must be discharged
by the intestines. Hence a powerful purge is demanded, as : —
1 pint.
20 to 30 drops.
4 to 6 drachms.
2 ounces.
1 drachm.
The belly should be fomented with blankets wet with hot
water, and injections should be thrown into the rectum of
soap and water, oil, and even with a tablespoonful of tobacco
tea. If sleepy staggers come on, a dose of whiskey and gin-
ger is serviceable. Care should be taken that the animal does
not throw himself down and fatally rupture his stomach.
An active injection for the rectum in such cases is: —
No. 91. Croton oil, 20 to 30 drops.
Oil of turpentine, 3 to 4 oz.
Linseed oil, 1 pint.
To be thrown well up the bowelso
CRIB3ING-CRIB-BITING— WIND-SUCKING.
These vicious habits in the horse are symptoms of a disor-
der of the digestive apparatus, and they are generally found
in horses with a dry coat, hide-bound, and of unsightly ap-
pearance.
Symptoms. — A crib-biter seizes the manger or some other
furniture with his teeth, arches his neck, and makes a belch-
ing noise. After a time this is followed by enlargement of
the abdomen. A chronic cribber can easily be recognized
by the appearance of his front teeth, which are worn and
On Crih-Biting. 131
rounded at their front edges, and by the enlarged and over-
grown appearance of the muscles which depress the jaw.
A wind-sucker smacks his lips, gathers air into his mouth,
extends his head or presses it against some solid body, arches
his neck, gathers his feet together, and swallows air, blowing
himself out to a very visible extent.
Both animals are subject to colic, indigestion and diabetes,
the wind-sucker more, however, than the cribber.
Treatment. — These habits are considered incurable. They
may be provented by various mechanical means.
For cribbing, the throat may be compressed with a neck
strap of peculiar shape, to be had of most saddlers ; or what
is called a " bar muzzle ^' may be applied, which allows the
horse to eat but not to seize with his teeth. For wind suck-
ing, a strap studded with sharp points of iron opposite the
lower part of the jaw is the best preventive.
In both cases attention should be given to the indigestion
and to the condition of the teeth and bowels.
COLIC— THE GRIPES.
The horse is subject to two kinds of colic, spasmodic and
flatulent, which will be considered separately.
SPASMODIC COLIC-GRIPES.
Definition. — -A spasmodic contraction of the muscular coats
of the intestines, usually commencing suddenly, causing severe
pain, and with a tendency to run into inflammation.
Causes. — These are various. Improper food, sudden
changes of diet, exhaustion from overwork, drinking cold
water when heated or exhausted, constipation, worms, and
ulcers of the stomach, have all been set down as frequently
leading to the complaint.
Symptoms. — In intestinal colic the symptoms are sudden
132 Diseases of the Horse.
pain, pawing, kicking at the belly, looking round at the
flanks, lying down, rolling, struggling, or lying outstretched ;
then suddenly rising, shaking the body and remaining a
short time free from pain. After a short time the pain re-
turns, and the animal goes through similar motions. During
the attacks, the breathing and pulse are quickened. There
are generally frequent small discharges from the bowels and
bladder, which latter is apt to be distended.
Treatment. — The rational and only safe treatment of colic
is first to relieve the pain with an opiate, and next to obtain
a free action of the bowels by a purge, which is not too vio-
lent in its action. For the first of these. Prof. Williams re-
commends half an ounce to an ounce of laudanum in warm
water ; and for the second, from five to ten drachms of aloes.
Mr. Chawner prefers the following mixture, which he
says he has never known to fail in a genuine ease of colic :
No. 92. Chloroform,
Laudanum,
Sulphuric ether, of each 1 oz.
Linseed oil, 8 oz.
For one dose.
A still more convenient and also more prompt plan is to
inject under the skin with the hypodermic syringe a full
dose, say 10 grains, of morphia, and repeat it in an hour if
the pain does not subside. Beyond this all that will be
necessary will be an injection, as : —
No. 93. Oil of turpentine, ^ to 1 pint.
Soap suds, 1 qt.
As other valuable combinations, suitable to special cases,
Mr. Finlay Dun recommends : —
No. 94. Tincture of aconite, 30 drops.
Powdered aloes, ^ oz.
Mix and give as a drench in a pint of water.
When there is an abundant generation of gas with violent
swelling, an excellent drench is : —
Treatment of Colic, 133
No. 95. Powdered aloes, J oz.
Spirits of ammonia (milder),
Sulphuric ether, each 1 oz.
Mix with a pint of water and give promptly.
A prompt relief is generally afforded by chloral :
No. 96. Hydrate of chloral, 1 to 2 oz.
Sugar, 2 oz.
Mix in a pint of water.
One of » the colic draughts of the ifdinburgh Veterinary
College is : —
No. 97. Laudanum,
Oil of turpentine, each 1 to 2 oz.
Linseed oil, 1 pint.
Mix for a drench.
For general service, few colic draughts are more effectual
than
No. 98. Aloes, 4 or 5 drachms.
Laudanum.
Sulphuric ether, each 1 oz.
Eub down the aloes in a quart of warm water, and add the laudanum
and ether when it is nearly cold.
Sweet spirits of nitre is another valuable remedy:
No. 99. Sweet spirits of nitre, 2 oz.
Aloes, 4 drachms.
Dissolve the aloes in a pint of cold water, and add the spirits.
An old colic powder that used to be so famous that it was
called the " Blessed powder " is : —
No. 100. Powdered aloes.
Powdered ginger.
Powdered senna.
Cream of tartar, equal parts of each.
The dose is about two ounces made into a ball or in a drench.
A recipe approved by Youatt is : —
No. 101. Oil of turpentine, 3 oz.
Laudanum, 1 oz.
Mix and give in a pint of warm ale.
If it does not relieve in half an hour, give as a second dose
134 Diseases of the Horse,
half the quantity, together with one ounce of aloes dissolved
in warm water.
Another appropriate combination is : —
No. 102. Sulphuric ether,
Laudanum,
Spirits of camphor, each 1 oz.
Essence of peppermint, 1 drachm.
Mix in a pint of gruel or ale.
TYMPAF?— FLATULENT COLIC— TYMPAITITES-SWOLLEN BELLY.
Definition. — Chronic distension of the bowels, with ten-
dency to inflammation and rupture of their coats.
Causes. — This dangerous form of colic usually arises du-
ring the course of some other disease, but it may also appear
as a consequence of spasmodic colic, or without any assign-
able cause. It is also attributed to food which easily under-
goes fermentation, as raw potatoes, green clover, brewers'
slops, and the like.
Symptoms. — In this form of colic the expression of pain
though not so acute is much more constant than in the pre-
vious form. The abdomen is somewhat swollen and resonant
on percussion. The pulse becomes rapid and feeble, the
breathing difficult, the feet and ears cold, and the animal
grows weak, staggering and delirious. There is often a dull,
sleepy look about him, and when he moves it is evidently
with care to avoid painful movements of the intestines. He
lies down if at all, cautiously.
Treatment, — The object of treatment is to clear out the
bowels thoroughly, yet by gentle means. A violent purge
would probably lead to fatal inflammation. The most
prompt mode to accomplish this is to oil the hand well and
inserting it up the rectum, clean out the gut as far as the
arm can reach. Then throw up a full injection of soap suds
and oil of turpentine. Next, or previously, it may be, a dose
Flatulent Colic. 135
should be given by the mouth, intended to prevent the for-
mation of the gas. Prof. Williams prefers to anything else,
this drench : —
No. 103. Solution of ammonia,
h oz.
Oil of turpentine,
1 oz.
Linseed oil.
\ pint.
For a drench.
No food or water, or but very small quantities, should be
given until there is relief by these measures.
The French veterinarians take a trocar and canula and
plunge it in the intestines, then withdraw the trocar and
leave the canula in until the gas escapes. The relief afforded
is instantaneous, and in but very few instances is a second
operation necessary. This treatment has been recently prac-
ticed in this country with eminent success.
For flatulent colic, Prof. Gamgee advocates assafoetida,
as: —
2 to 6 drachms.
1 pint.
2 to 4 oz.
^ to 1 oz,
Where, in conditions of disease and exhaustion, the colic
is from tympany or swollen belly. Prof. Gamgee has found
chlorate of potash useful : —
No. 106. Chlorate of potash. ^ oz.
Sulphuric ether, J oz.
Water, \ pint.
To be given in gruel.
Or in a later stage, when it is desirable to act moderately
on the bowels and correct the discharges, he gives : —
No.
104.
Assafoetida,
Linseed oil.
Mix and
give as a drench.
Or,
No.
105.
Tincture of assafoetida,
Tiandanum,
Mix with
a pint of gruel or
ale.
No. 107. Chlorinated soda,
h oz.
Powdered aloes,
2 to 4 drachms.
Warm water,
1 pint.
Mix for a drench.
136 Diseases of the Horse,
CONSTIPATION— COSTIVENESS.
Definition. — Absence or diminution of the natural dis-
charge from the bowels, usually accompanied with dry and
hard feces, straining and difficulty in their expulsion.
Causes, — 111 feeding, debility of the bowels, w^ant of ex-
ercise, indigestion, and various other diseases, especially in-
flammation of the bowels. Paralysis of [the bowels is an
occasional cause, and one very dangerous to life. Its pres-
ence may be recognized by the absence of the intestinal
murmurs always to be heard in health by listening to the
abdomen.
S3^ptoms. — The hard, dry and scanty character of the
evacuations is the principal sign. Colicky pains, hide bound,
passage of wind and other symptoms of indigestion are often
present. The animal does not thrive, and is lacking in
spirit.
Treatment. — This is not always to be by strong purges.
These often make the matter worse. The diet should be
rendered more laxative, as mashes of bran and linseed meal,
oat meal, etc., a change of water given, and mild aperient
medicines with special stimulants to the bowels.
An excellent laxative mixture for horses and cattle, is : —
No. 108. Flour of sulphur,
Cream of tartar, of each 2 or 8 oz.
Molasses, i pint.
Mix this in the drinking water, or if distasteful, with water as a
drench. It should be repeated every other day.
Strychnia and nux vomica have a special power of action
on the bowels when partly paralyzed or excessively torpid.
It is well to combine the nux with an aromatic and a laxa-
ative, as : —
No. 109. Powdered nux vomica, 1 drachm.
Powdered aloes, 2 to 3 drachms.
Ginger, 2 drachms.
Iklix for a ball and give one every other day.
Constipation and DiarrJicea. 137
The oils are gentle and beneficial laxatives, as : —
No. 110. Castor oil, 1 to 6 oz.
Linseed oil, 8 oz.
Mix and give in gruel.
Or a mixture of soap and aloes : —
No. 111. Powdered aloes,
Soft soap, each 8 oz.
Ginger, 4 oz.
Mix and make 8 balls. Give one every morning.
For cattle, a mild laxative and tonic combination, is : —
No. 112. Epsom salts, J lb.
Sulphur, 4 to 6 oz.
Ginger,
Gentian, each ^ oz.
Mix in a quart of warm water for a drench.
DIARRHCEA— SCOURING.
Definition. — A condition characterised by loose, watery,
and frequent discharges from the bowels without the presence
of inflammation.
Causes. — Indigestible or irritating food ; presence of worms;
purgative medicines; too much water; disorders of the liver ;
and constitutional tendency. Flat sided and narrow loined
horses particularly, are said to scour often, without apparent
cause.
S3^ptoms. — In simple diarrhoea there is a frequent ex-
pulsion of half fluid discharges, brownish or clay-like in
color, without offensive smell. The animal loses flesh if the
disease continues, the appetite fails, and there is a general
tendency to " run down.^^
Treatment. — As sometimes a diarrhea is often the attempt
of nature to get rid of injurious matters in their intestines, it
is well to aid her in the effort. If such a case is seen early,
therefore, a moderate dose of castor oil, or linseed oil should
be given. Later in the case, this will not answer so well ;
138 Diseases of the Horse.
but at all times it is well to avoid too suddenly checking the
disease.
\yhen the discharges are sour and fetid, the following
powder may be mixed in the food two or three times a day :
No. 113. Powdered chalk,
Bisulphite of soda, of each 1 oz.
For one dose.
When this does not bring about an early lessening of the
symptoms, the following is a favorite with Prof. Williams :
No. 114. Oil of turpentine,
Laudanum, each ^ oz.
Eggs, 3.
Beat up in a pint of warm water and give at one dose. Kepeat two or
three times a day.
The following is recommended for this continued purging
by Mr. Chawner : —
No. 115. Sulphuric ether,
Laudanum, each 1 oz.
Tannic acid, 20 gr.
Mix in a pint of gruel or flaxseed tea, and give at one dose.
When the diarrhoea is owing to the action of violent purges,
" superpurgation " as it is called, Prof. Williams says he
knows of nothing better than the following : —
No. 116. Powdered chalk.
Laudanum, of each 2 oz.
Mix in a quart of flour gruel, and give every three hours till the purg-'
ing is checked.
Apply hot applications to the abdomen, and do not let the
horse drink cold water, which he will very much crave.
Small quantities of flaxseed tea or gruel will partly allay his
thirst. If he grows weak, wine or whiskey may be given
him.
As general prescriptions in diarrhoea Mr. Finlay Dun re-
commends ; —
No. 117. Spirits of camphor, 2 drachms.
Tincture of chloride of iron, 1 drachm.
Ether, 1 oz.
For one dose in diarrhoea after the early feverish symptoms have abated,
Treatment of Diarrhea. 139
No. 118. Sulphate of copper, 1 to 2 draclims.
Powdered opium, 1 drachm.
Give as a ball or mixed in linseed tea two or three times a day in ob-
stinate watery diarrhoea.
No. 119. Acetate of lead,
Powdered opium, each 1 drachm.
Give as the last prescription.
In cases of sour discharges, griping and moderate scouring,
the following are antacids and mild astringents which will
be found serviceable ; —
No. 120. Powdered chalk, 1 oz.
Powdered opium, 1 drachm.
Creasote, 20 drops.
Make up with linseed meal and molasses for a ball.
Instead of the creasote, carbolic acid may be used in this
prescription in the same quantity.
No. 121. Powdered chalk,
Catechu,
Ginger, each
loz.
Opium,
1 drachm.
Make up as the last.
This is useful when a mere astringent effect is desired, and
when the bowels have got into an irritable relaxed condition.
For the same purpose, whether in horses or cattle, the follow-
ing recipes also answer well : —
No. 122. Powdered galls.
Powdered opium, each 1 drachm.
Chalk, I oz.
Make into a ball, or give in gruel or linseed tea.
No. 123. Powdered opium,
Powdered kino,
Powdered gentian,
Bicarbonate of soda, each 1 drachm.
To be made up and given as the last.
These prescriptions may be repeated once or twice daily,
until the discharges are diminished.
Astringent clysters or injections are usually made up with
starch water. It is a mistake to have them very copious.
140 Diseases of the Horse,
From a pint to a quart is abundant in liorses or cattle. Large
injections are apt to increase the action of the bowels. Use-
ful formulas are : —
No. 124. Powdered opium, 2 draclims.
Acetate of lead, 2 drachms.
Starch water, 1 qt.
Throw half of this in at a time, and the remainder in half an hour to
an hour.
No. 125. Tannic acid, 2 to 4 drachms.
Starch water, 1 pint.
For one injection.
INFLAMMATION OF THE BOWELS, ENTERITIS,
Definition. — An inflammation of the lining membrane of
the bowels, tending to their softening and rupture. It is
often rapid in its course and very fatal, destroying life in a
few hours.
CauSGS. — The principal causes are over fatigue, cold from
exposure or from ^vashing in very cold w^ater while the
animal is heated. It is also believed to follow severe colic,
excessive purging, irritating substances in the bowels, and
kicks and blows on the abdomen.
SymptomSt — There is general depression wath the charac-
teristic signs of pain in the bow^els, chill, and quickened
breathing ; small, frequent discharges from the bowels are also
noticed. The appetite is lost, the pulse hard, wary and quick,
and the belly is tender on pressiu-e. As the disease advances,
the symptoms are very much those described under flatulent
colic or tympanites (p. 134), with which inflammation of the
bowels is often combined. The animal suifers severely,
stamps and paws the ground; his face and eyes become
haggard; cold sweats cover his body; his breathing is
irregular and his pulse grows more and more rapid, small,
weak and wiry. Delirium and convulsions may precede
death. The marked symptoms are that throughout the
Infiammation of the Bowels.
141
whole disease, in spite of the early small discharges of feces,
constipation is continued and obstinate, and the belly swollen,
tender and resonant.
It is of the utmost importance to distinguish colic from
inflammation of the bowels, as the remedies required in the
two conditions are directly opposite. We quote therefore
the following table from an English authority : —
Symptoms of CoUg. Symptoms of Inflammation of
the Bowels.
Sudden in its attack.
Pulse rarely much quick-
ened in the early part of the
disease, but evidently fuller.
Legs and ears of the natu-
ral temperature.
Kelief obtained from rub-
bing the belly.
Relief obtained from mo-
tion.
Intervals of rest.
Strength scarcely affected.
Treatment. — To give strong purges, as the old farriers
used to in this disease, is to double the agony of the animal
and probably to kill him. Exactly the opposite treatment
is to be pursued. Opium in large doses, say two drachms,
must be promptly given and repeated every hour or two,
until the pain is relieved. Or twenty grains of morphia may
be thrown under the skin by the hypodermic syringe. Hot
fomentations to the belly are useful, but not always con-
venient. After the severe symptoms are past, if the bowels
continue bound, injections of warm water should be used to
clear them out.
Gradual in its approach,
with previous indications of
fever.
Pulse very much quick-
ened, but small, and oft.ea
scarcely to be felt.
Legs and ears cold.
Belly exceedingly tender,
and painful to the touch.
Motion evidently increases
pain.
Constant pain.
Rapid and great weakness.
142 Diseases of the Horse.
Bleeding, blistering and mustard plasters are not called
for, and much more frequently do harm than good.
Mr. Finlay Dun uses chloral with opium. He says he
has had the best results, and often saved life in those cases
of deadly enteritis which occur in heavy draught horses, by
giving a hypodermic injection of chloral hydrate, forty grains,
immediately followed by one of morphia, three grains, and
repeating both injections in about an hour. The combination
may be made for the mouth, thus : —
No. 126. Chloral hydrate, 1 oz.
Morphia, 10 grains.
Give in syrup and water, and repeat every two hours for three or four
times, or until symptoms abate.
A favorite prescription of the eminent English surgeon,
Mr. Barlow, for enteritis, whether in horses or cattle, was : —
No. 127. Calomel, 30 grains.
Laudanum, 1 oz.
;Mix in a pint of gruel.
This he repeated every hour until three or four doses were
taken, or else relief occurred.
A method of treatment we can recommend is, when the
case is seen early, to begin with small repeated doses of
aconite : —
No. 128. Tincture of aconite, 20 drops.
Laudanum, i oz.
Give in lime water every hour or two^ to the extent of three or four
doses.
Large fomentations to the bowels are of great use. A
blanket can be folded inside a rubber cloth which is fastened
over the back. The blanket then can be kept thoroughly
soaked with quite warm water with little trouble. If the
symptoms of pain and exhaustion are relieved, the attendant
need not trouble himself about the constipation. The utmost
that should -be done, will be after two or three days to use
injections of warm water.
^ Dysentery, 143
"\Yhen the case is chronic, with pain, tenderness and tym-
pany of the bowels, and a slight wearing fever, one of the
most useful substances is nitrate of silver : —
Xo. 129. Xitrate of silver, 5 grains.
Opium, ^ drachm.
This amount in a ball of bread crumbs or linseed meal twice a day,
gradually increased to double the dose if the disease does not yield.
The diet is always of importance. Bran or meal mashes
made with linseed tea or slippery elm bark tea are suitable.
Boiled food is better than uncooked. Large quantities of
water should not be given at once, but small quantities often
repeated. In chronic cases, if the animal is fed exclusively
on shim mill: for a week or two, it will sometimes effect a cure
without other aid.
DYSENTEEY, BLOOD FLUX, COLITIS.
Definition. — Inflammation of the lining membrane of the
large intestine near the rectum, accompanied with straining,
discharge of blood and fever.
Causes. — Poisonous and irritating food, exposure to cold
and overwork, putrid and stagnant water, are quoted as
causes. It is a rare disease among horses, but common
enough in cattle, among whom it is sometimes epidemic.
Some kinds of pastures seem particularly liable to bring it
on, and hence it has been known as "moor ill,^^ "wood evil,''
and other such names.
Symptoms. — The symptoms differ in the acute or sudden,
and the chronic or long standing forms of the complaint.
Acute dysentery begins with pain in the lower bowel
indicated by the animal raising or arching its back, a watery,
bloody discharge from the rectum, which has an offensive
smell and is expelled with j)ain and straining, and the pres-
ence of shivering followed by quick pulse, a haggard eye,
great duluess, thirst, rapid emaciation and debility. The
144 Diseases of the Horse,
urine is of a higli color and scanty. There is tenderness on
pressure on the belly, and the anus looks sore and red.
In the chronic form there is great emaciation, the skin is
harsh and in bad condition, the feces are dark, tinged with
blood and pus, discharged with pain and of a very foul odor.
There is swelling about the jaws, ulcers around the anus,
sinking in of the eyes, and increasing debility.
Treatment. — For acute dysentery, w^hen seen early, the
best treatment is to place the animal in a stall, give it soft,
nourishing, well prepared food and fresh tepid water in
moderate quantities, and administer by the mouth the follow-
No. 130. Castor oil, 4 oz.
Laudanum, 2 oz.
Linseed oil, 1 pint.
For one dose.
Give several large injections of simple warm water by the
rectum so as to wash out thoroughly the lower bowel. Gam-
gee's funnel (p. 43), is an excellent instrument for this pur-
pose. The tail should be tied up and the quarters kept
clean.
For this stage, Mr. Chawner recommends the following : —
No. 131. Sulphuric ether.
Laudanum,
Tincture of catechu, each 1 oz.
Linseed oil, 6 oz.
For one dose, followed by injections into the rectum of linseed tea.
But we should prefer to begin with a moderate anodyne
purge given first (No. 73).
The chronic form is often very obstinate, as it may depend
on a scrofulous or consumptive constitution. Careful dieting
and nursing are indispensable. As for medicines, cod liver
oil is the best.
No. 132. Cod liver oil, 2 to 4 oz,
Eggs, 4.
Mix in warm water and give twice a day.
Treatment of Dysentery. 145
A favorite prescription in both forms is : —
No. 133. Calomel, 10 gr.
Opium, 1 drachm.
Gentian,
Chalk, each 1 oz.
Make either into a ball or a drench, and give once a day.
If the feverish symptoms are not marked, the following
answers a good purpose: —
No. 134. Powdered opium,
Powdered galls.
Sulphate of copper, each 1 drachm.
This may be repeated twice a day either for horses or cattle.
When there is much exhaustion, and the powers of life
seem failing, a stimulant mixture is demanded, as : —
No. 135. Spirits of camphor, 7 oz.
Sulphuric ether, J oz.
Solution of acetate of ammonia, 6 oz.
Mix and give in gruel.
Ipecacuanha is used by many veterinarians in acute
dysentery, as : —
No. 136. Powdered ipecac, 1 drachm.
Powdered opium, 20 gr.
Castor oil, 6 to 8 oz.
Give in arrow root water or boiled starch every six hours for three or
four times at the outset of the attack.
Or the wine of ipecac may be used, as :
No. 137. "Wine of ipecac.
Laudanum,
Solution of potash, each 1 oz.
Tincture of cantharides, 2^ oz.
Mix for a drench in a quart of warm gruel. This is recommended by
Mr. Gamgee as a dose for an ox in long continued dysentery with
weakness of the bowels.
In all cases of dysentery the straining and spasms of the
rectum are exceedingly painful, and should be relieved by
appropriate clysters. The two most effectual agents for this
purpose are opium and belladonna : —
10
146 Diseases of the Horse.
No. 138. Laudanum, 2 oz.
Boiled starch, 1 pint.
For a clyster; to be repeated every two hours until the straining
ceases.
No. 139. Extract of belladonna, 2 drachms.
Chloroform, J oz.
Fresh milk, 1 pint.
Eub up the extract in the milk, add the chloroform, and throw up
the rectum with a syringe.
CONGESTION AND INFLAMMATION OF THE LIVER — HEP ATITIS —
THE YELLOWS — JAUNDICE.
In horses and cattle liver diseases are not very common,
and when they do occur are not easily recognized. They are
usually of the forms known as congestion or torpidity of
the liver, and inflammation of the organ and its covering,
called in medicine '^hepatitis" and " peri-hepatitis."
Causes. — The general cause is too rich food and too little
exercise. Horses which are kept for pleasure, largely fed and
little worked, while their stables are warm and dark, are apt
to have their livers grow torpid. So also it is said that horses
fed on the refuse of the malt house, a rich stimulating food,
are particularly liable to the same trouble. It is more fre-
quently met with in the southern than in the northern
States, and more in cities than in the country.
Symptoms. — The horse is dull, inactive, has a heavy head,
lustreless eye, and is dainty and capricious about his food.
The dung balls are small and dark colored; the urine is scanty
and dark ; the pulse is faster than natural, and has a heavy
beat. After a few days the whites of the eyes and the tongue
turn yellow, there is tenderness on the right side over the
liver when it is pressed upon, and sometimes there is lame-
ness in the off shoulder.
More frequently the yellows do not show very decided
symptoms. The eyes are of a dirty yellow color, the appe-
Liver Diseases. 147
tite irregular, the animal spiritless, and in a generally un-
thrifty condition. The bowels are constipated, and there is
some slight feverishness, the thermometer in the rectum show-
ing about 101° degrees; the pulse is rather faster than na-
tural.
Treatment. — The first step is to change the habits of the
animal, by giving him diiFerent and laxative food of a plain
character, plenty of cool, fresh air, and as he improves mod-
erate and abundant exercise. Internally he may take : —
No. 140. Iodide of potassium, 2 oz.
Liquor potassae, 1 pint.
Two tablespoonfuls night and morning in a pint of water. (Chawner.)
Or the following, recommended by Prof. Gamgee ; —
No. 141. Oil of turpentine, ^ oz.
Muriatic acid (diluted), 1 drachm.
Powdered ginger, 2 drachms.
^Mix in a decoction of oak bark, and give every two days.
Mercurials have long had a reputation in torpidity and
congestion of the liver, and if used with moderation, and not
continued long enough to salivate, there is no doubt of their
usefulness. Proper formulas are : —
No. 142. Calomel, 30 gr.
Aloes, powdered, 1 drachm.
Soap, 2 drachms.
Rhubarb, powdered, 4 drachms.
Mix with syrup to make a ball, and give one twice a day until it
purges moderately
No. 143. Calomel, 1 drachm.
Aloes, 2 drachms.
Mix with soap to a ball, and give one night and morning until it acts
on the bowels.
Many prefer to give saline purges. These are much to be
preferred in the ox and cow, but as before stated, they act
in an imcertain manner on the horse, sometimes purging vio-
lently, sometimes having no effect. For horses the following
is the best manner of giving salines for the yellows : —
1 48 Diseases of the Horse.
No. 144. Sulphate of magnesia (Epsom salt),
Sulphate of soda (Glauber salt),
Common salt, each 1 lb.
Essence of ginger, 1 oz. «
Mix these in a gallon of warm water and give about a pint once, twice
or three times a day, until gentle and eflfectual purgation is estab-
lished.
For cattle, the following similar mixture is recommended
by Mr. Dun :—
No. 145. Sulphate of magnesia,
Common salt, each J lb.
Powdered ginger, 2 oz.
Mix in two quarts of water, and repeat daily until free evacuation is
obtained.
Often for a torpid liver, dullness and general " bilious-
ness ^' nothing succeeds so well as to beghi with a brisk purge
of aloes or salts, and follow it up by giving daily for a week
the following : —
No. 146. Peruvian bark, 1 oz.
Powdered nux vomica, 1 drachm.
Mix into a ball with meal and molasses and give every morning.
INTESTINAL WORMS.
In the horse two kinds of intestinal worms are found (be-
sides the bot worm, which is a temporary resident only and
will be described elsewhere). They both belong to the genus
ascarisy and are known as the round worm, which dwells in
the intestines proper, and the thread worm Avhich lives almost
exclusively in the rectum. The former is not unlike the com-
mon earthworm in size ; the latter is much smaller, and re-
sembles in size and color a piece of white thread an inch or
so long.
Symptoms. — These are not very distinctly pronounced.
The coat is rough, the appetite irregular or craving, there is
often itching about the anus, evinced by the desire to rub the
hind quarters against walls, and there may be some emacia-
tion.
Worm Medicines, 149
When worms are suspected, it is advisable to give a purge
and watch the feces. Should any parasites of either kind be
found, it is appropriate to commence specific treatment.
Treatment. — As a vermifuge for the horse, Mr. Dun re-
commends : —
No. 147. Calomel,
Oil of male fern,
Aloes, each 1 drachm.
Ginger, 4 drachms.
Make into a ball with linseed meal and molasses.
Or,
No. 148. Oil of turpentine, 2 oz.
Oil of male fern 1 drachm.
Linseed oil, ^ pint.
Give after a purge and on an empty stomach. Follow it with a few
daily doses of sulphate of copper.
Mr. Walsh believes that the most eifectual of all vermi-
fuges in the horse is tartar emetic. He prescribes it as fol-
lows :^
No. 149. Tartar emetic, 1 drachm.
Powdered ginger, J drachm.
Make into a ball with linseed meal. Give one every morning for a
week on an empty stomach, and then follow with a purge of aloes.
After this he allows the horse to rest a week and then re-
peats the above, following the physic with a drachm of pow-
dered sulphate of iron daily in the feed.
For thread worms the treatment should be by injections up
the rectum. Of these we can select one of the following, all
of them being destructive to the worms : —
No. 150. Oil of turpentine,
Linseed oil,
Use every morning for a week.
2 drachms.
1 pint.
No. 151. Common salt.
Carbolic acid,
Water,
Use every other day for a week.
i QZ.
I drachm.
1 pint.
A strong decoction of tansy, of wormwood or of almost any
150 Diseases of the Horse,
vegetable bitter will also dislodge the worms. Tobacco tea
is efficient, but dangerous.
Whatever injection is used it should be aided by a purga-
tive dose, the best of which is : —
No. 152. Sulphate of iron, 1 oz.
Aloes. 4 dr.
Mix for a ball.
And also by cleanliness and smearing the anus with mer-
curial ointment, to kill the eggs of the worms.
THE BOTS.
Definition. — A diseased condition of the horse or ox pro-
duced by the irritation of the bot-fly or gad-fly, Oestrus^
through its attacks on the skin and the presence of its larvsD
in the intestines.
Causes. — The common gad-fly of the horse attacks him
late in the summer, not for the purpose of living on his
blood, but in order to deposit its eggs on his hair, and especi-
ally the hair of those parts of the body which the horse can
reach with his mouth. When he licks his coat, the moisture
and warmth of the saliva aid in hatching the eggs, and the
small maggots within them are transferred to the mouth and
next to the stomach and bowels of the horse, where they
firmly fasten themselves by strong hooks with which their
heads are provided. After attaining a certain period of
growth they loosen their hold, are swept away with the feces
and deposited on the ground, which they enter and then
undergo the necessary transformations to become the perfect
fly. In the form of bot-worm they usually pass the fall and
winter in the horse^s body, about eight months in all.
Symptoms. — ^Yery many symptoms are attributed to the
bots, and that occasionally, especially in underfed horses,
they cause great general and local irritation, there is no
Treatment of the Bots, 151
doubt. But it is not possible to point out any one single
symptom which positively proves their presence.
They lead at times to colic, indigestion, irritation of the
anus, and also to staggers, fits or convulsions, which, if they
occur in winter without other assignable reason, in a horse
somewhat out of conditio n, may fairly be laid to the charge
of the bots. But probably in most instances, these parasites
do no harm.
Treatment. — The preventive treatment is by cutting the
hair close in those parts of the body which the gad-fly
selects, and keeping it smeared in the late summer and early
autumn with a tar or turpentine ointment. Internally, give
a handful of fresh unbleached wood ashes once or twice a
week in the feed.
To remove the bots when once lodged in the intestines,
the following should be given on an empty stomach every
morning, for three or four days : —
No. 153. Powdered aloes,
Powdered assafoetida, of each J oz.
Mix in hot water, and when cold add
Oil of turpentine,
Sulphuric ether, of each 1 oz.
Give in gruel and linseed tea as a drench.
This same is also a useful prescription for destroying tape-
worm and other worms in horses.
Prof. Gamgee's prescription for bots, is : —
No. 154. Powdered assafoetida, 2 drachms.
Powdered savin,
Calomel, of each 1^^ drachms.
Oil of male shield fern, 30 drops.
Give as a ball, made up with molasses and linseed, at night, and fol-
low with an aloes purge the next morning.
Still another plan is to give for three or four mornings a
quarter of an ounce of sulphate of copper, made into a ball,
and follow with a purgative dose of aloes, repeating this
medication after a week's interval.
152 Diseases of the Horse,
CHAPTER ly.
DISEASES OF THE HEART, RLOOD-VESSELS AND
ABSORBENTS.
Palpitation — Violent Heart Beat — Thumps,
Enlargement or Hypertrophy of the Heart
Fatty Degeneration of the Heart.
Aneurism — Enlargement of the Arteries.
Inflammation of the Jugular Vein — Phlebitis,
Inflammation of the Absorbent Vessels — Lymphangitis — Weed
— Shot of Grease.
PALPITATION— VIOLENT HE AST BEAT— TEUMPS.
Definition. — A sudden, violent, convulsive beating of the
heart, which may or may not be connected with some disease
of the valves or substance of the organ.
Causes. — In the horse, this is most frequently seen in
pampered, highly fed animals, or in those which have very
irregular and violent exercise. Many horses when frightened
or excited suffer from excessive heart beat, which to some
extent lessens their capacity for work. If the palpitations
are frequent and persistent, they indicate some serious dis-
ease of the heart. Indigestion and many blood diseases are
accompanied by palpitations.
Symptoms. — The chief symptom is the increased violence
of the heart's action. It can be readily felt, seen and heard.
The pulse is irregular or intermittent. When owing to ner-
vousness and temporary causes, this is usually visible in the
excited eye, the rapid breathing, and in the quick diminution
of the palpitation. But where there are not such signs of
temporary excitement, the case is more serious as signifying
organic disease of the heart, which is not curable.
Palpitation of the Heart. 153
Treatment. — Careful avoidance of sudden excitement and
over-exertion are to be looked to in the first place. Full
doses of digitalis, say J drachm of the powdered leaves, may
be given twice a day in the food for several weeks. Indi-
gestion and constipation must be prevented by appropriate
treatment.
Frequently the digitalis may be combined with salines
with advantage, as : —
No. 155. Powdered digitalis leaves, 30 grains.
Chlorate of potash, i^ oz.
Or, nitrate of potash, 1 oz.
To be given once a day.
When the palpitation is associated with increased size of
the heart, and a full and strong pulse, it is better to use acon-
ite.
No. 156. Tincture of aconite root, 20 drops.
This amount may be used in the above prescription instead of the pot-
ash, or dropped in the drinking water twice a day.
Sometimes it is well, as Mr. Duii suggests, to begin with
the aconite and when the force at the heart is reduced, to
substitute for it the digitalis.
Another useful agent is belladonna. It may often, es-
pecially in cases where there is general debility, be advan-
tageously given with nux vomica, as ; —
No. 157. Extract of belladonna, 1 drachm.
Powdered nux vomica, ^ drachm.
Mix with liquorice powdered and molasses into a ball, and give once
or twice a day for a considerable time.
ENLAEGEMENT OR HYPERTROPHY OF THE HEART.
Causes. — Long continued overwork, constant indigestion,
and diseases of the valves^ of the arteries lead to a growth of
the heart much beyond its ordinary size, which should be
considered an unsoundness. It also accompanies broken
wind and other impediments of free breathing.
154 Diseases of the Horse.
S3/TnptomS. — There is more or less persistent palpitation,
and the sounds of the heart are much louder than in health.
Sli«-ht exertion increases these symptoms in a marked manner.
The breathing is often hurried.
Treatment. — This condition is best combated by a moder-
ate diet, and freedom from excitement, overwork and sudden
exertion. Internally, the most effective remedy is aconite.
This must be given in twenty or thirty drop doses (of the
tincture of the root) twice a day, for a considerable time.
When the enlargement is connected with broken wind or any
similar impediment to the breathing. Prof. Williams recom-
mends the prolonged use of small doses of arsenic, say three
to five grains twice daily, in the food.
In hard worked aad aged horses, hypertrophy of the left
side of the heart is quite common. It can very generally be
relieved by commencing the treatment with a few doses of
aconite and then continuing with digitalis, as recommended
under palpitation (p. 153).
FATTY DEGENEBATION OF THE HEAET.
Definition. — A change of the muscular substance of the
heart to fat, thus w^eakening the strength of the- organ and
leading to rupture of its tissues.
Causes. — This is the most common change W'hich takes
place in the hearts of horses. It is generally due to advanc-
ing age, to high living and lack of exercise. It is also pro-
duced by other diseases, as purpura and scarlet fever.
Symptoms. — There is a gradually increasing debility of
the circulation, as shown by the weak and irregular pulse,
and the lessening of the sounds of the heart. The legs
swell and become dropsical, and the horse gives out sooner
when at work. The appetite becomes capricious, the lining
membrane of the mouth and nose assumes a rusty red appear-
Heart Diseases, 155
aruce, and there is a want of correspondence between the beat
of the heart and iha stroke of the pulse.
Treatment. — It is doubtful if any treatment will arrest
the disease. Prof. Williams recommends for trial, chlorate
of potash, say one ounce, twice daily, with attention to the
general health.
AITEURISM— ENLARGEMENT OF THE ARTERIES.
Definition. — A dilatation or expansion of a part of ap
artery, with thinning and weakening of its coats, and tend-
ing to burst into the surrounding tissue, thus forming a pul
sating tumor containing blood.
Causes. — Generally aneurisms arise either from injuries, as
a blow, a strain, a kick, a stab, or else from some change
taking place in the coats of the artery, weakening it, as for
example, fatty degeneration. This is most common in old
horses who show signs of heart disease. Certain worms in
the arteries (the so-called Sderostoma) may also produce them
in the horse.
S3fniptoms. — There is a visible tumor, which is soft and
fluctuating to the feel, and which by steady pressure can be
made to disappear or partly so, but reappears as soon ^s the
pressure is removed. It is also felt to have a regular pulsa-
tion, like the beat of the heart.
Treatment. — This is not very successful. If the tumor is
where it can be readily reached, steady pressure upon it by a
pad and firm bandage for several days, may be successful in
causing its disappearance. Some surgeons cut down upon it,
tie the artery above and below, and then open the sack and
turn out its contents.
The complaint constitutes an unsoundness, as it is generally
a permanent injury to an animal.
156 Diseases of the Horse.
INFLAMMATION OF THE JUGULAR VEIN— PHLEBITIS.
This generally occurs as a consequence on opening the vein
for bleeding, either because the surgeon has used a rusty or
dirty lancet, or that the horse has rubbed and injured the
vein after the operation.
The inflammation may be confined to a small spot, or may
extend up and down the vein, which will feel like a hard
cord underneath the skin of the neck, which will be hot and
inflamed to the touch, and evidently painful to the animal,
especially on bending his neck.
Treatment. — The best treatment for this complaint is the
application of a smart cantharides blister along the course of
the inflamed part. If abscesses have formed, they must be
opened and washed out with carbolic acid water (one ounce
of carbolic acid to a pint of water), before the blister is
applied. But after this is done, the blister should be applied
as directed.
Inflammation of this vein always ends by transforming it
into an impervious cord, so the recommendation is made that
horses which have suflbred from it should not be turned out
to grass, as the dependent position of the head in grazing
and the insufiicient channels for the return of the blood from
the head, bring on dropsical swellings of the face, lips and
nostrils.
INFLAMMATION OF THE ABSORBENT VESSELS— LYMPHANGITIS-
WEED— SHOT OF GEiiASE.
DefinitiOtt. — By these various names is known a disease
which commences by inflammation of the lymphatics, or ab-
sorbent vessels of the hind legs, the inflammation extending
to the cellular tissue, becoming chronic, and producing per-
manent effusions and swelling of ;he limb.
Causes. — Weed is generally attributed to high feeding and
Treatment of Weed, 157
insufficient exercise ; or to over-feeding on green food, as fresh
clov^er and rye grass; or to intestinal irritation of various
kinds. Large coarse horses with thick legs are particularly
subject to it.
Symptoms. — The attack is often preceded by disorders of
the stomach, as colic, constipation, loss of appetite and exces'
sive thirst. Sometimes chill and shivering usher it in. The
first local indication is observed in one of the hind legs, gen-
erally the left. It is favored and held from the ground. On
examining it, it is found swollen on its inner surface, the
swelling sometimes extending from the body to the foot.
There is heat of surface, tenderness to the touch, and some-
times the swollen glands can be felt like cords or lumps un-
derneath the skin. The respirations and pulse are twice as
fast as in health, the animal shows suffering in his face, and
frequently turns his head to look at the aifected limb. His
nostrils are dilated and perspiration rolls from his side. The
swelling increases until abscesses form, which will break in-
ternally and run along the limb unless freely lanced.
Horses that have once been attacked by weed are liable to
a recurrence of the malady, time after time, until the limb
assumes permanently an enlarged and distended condition,
injuring both their appearance and their usefulness.
Treatment. — When seen in the early stages, when chill
and shivering are prominent, the animal should be warmly
clothed, and a moderate purge given, as : —
No. 158. Powdered aloes, 4 drachms.
Calomel, 1 drachm.
Mix and give at one dose in a ball.
Should the chill continue. Prof. "Williams recommends the
following as a powerful stimulant to the skin, inducing a
general warmth over the whole surface of the body :
No. 159. Tincture of arnica, 1 to 2 oz.
For one dose, mixed with warm water.
158 Diseases of the Horse.
In the second or hot stage, bleeding is often performed, but
it does no good and often is an injury. It is better treatment
to foment the limb well with cloths wrung out in hot water,
to keep the bowels loose, and give as a drink an ounce of
saltpetre in a gallon of water two or three times a day. As
soon as abscesses form, they must be freely opened with a
sharp knife and dressed with cloths wrung out with carbolic
acid water (an ounce of acid to the pint).
In the condition called " thick leg,'' which results from
numerous attacks of weed, some veterinarians give large doses
of veratrum viride. But this only succeeds where the swel-
ling is largely dropsical and not in true weed. This is best
managed by repeated rubbings with iodine ointment, by
moderate diuretics and by alteratives, as : —
No. 160. Powdered resin,
Nitre, each ^ oz.
Oil of juniper, 10 drops.
Mix for a ball and give once a day.
Or with a tonic added : —
No. 161. Sulphate of iron, 2 drachms.
Cream of tartar,
Flour of sulphur, each J oz.
This in a ball or drench twice a day.
A stimulating mercurial ointment appropriate in such cases
is : —
No. 162. Eed iodide of mercury, 1 drachm.
Lard, 2 oz.
A piece the size of a walnut to be rubbed into the swellings every day.
Kidney Diseases, 159
CHAPTER Y.
DISEASES OF THE KIDNEYS, BLADDER AND SEX ORGANS.
Inflammation of the Kidneys,
Inflammation of the Bladder,
Stone in the Bladder — Gravel.
Retention or Suppression of Urine — Strangury — Difficult or
Painful Staking.
Diabetes — Profuse Staleing.
Black Water in Horses — Hoematuria — Azoturia.
Diseases of the Sex Organs; Contraction of the Sheath;
External Inflammation of the Yard; Internal Inflamma-
tion of the Yard; Inflammation of the Vagina.
INFLAMMATION OF THE KIDNEYS.
This is a rare disease in the lower animals, being much
less common than is usually supposed.
Causes. — It occasionally occurs from blows and strains ;
also from the irritation of gravel and kidney stones ; and
most frequently from the injudicious use of cantharides, tur-
pentine and croton oil, which drugs have an irritating effect
on the kidneys, to which some animals are very sensitive.
Cold and wet are also causes.
S3nnptoms. — There is considerable fever with colicky
pains ; a hard frequent pulse, rapid breathing and increased
thirst. The mouth is hot and the bowels constipated. There
is generally a stiffness in the movements, with tenderness of
the loins. The animal arches his back and walks with a
straddling gait. AYith this there is a scanty secretion or a
total suppression of the urine. The animal makes frequent
efforts to stale, but succeeds in passing but a few drops of
dark and reddish water.
160 Diseases of the Horse.
Should the disease advance and this suppression continue
for several days, the horse shows signs of intoxication, loses
the control of his movements, or repeats the same movement
over and over again ; and death takes j)lace from the blood
poisoning.
Treatment. — If the animal is seen early and is strong
and full blooded, a free bleeding at the outset will be of
much service. This should be followed up by an active
cathartic (for instance, No. 158), which may be aided and
followed with advantage by repeated injections of tepid
water. The loins should be wrapped in woollen cloths and
kept fomented with warm digitalis tea, made by stirring a
handful of the leaves into a bucket of boiling water. This
remedy is highly recommended by Prof. Williams, in cases
with obstinate suppression of urine. An excellent plan of
fomenting in such cases is by a sheep skin wrung out of hot
water or hot digitalis tea (p. 56).
Moderate diuretics are called for, but violent and irritating
ones will be very hurtful. We may use : —
No. 163. Sweet spirits of nitre,
Solution of acetate of ammonia, each 3 oz.
Give in a quart of linseed tea or mucilage of slippery elm bark.
Or,
No. 164. Acetate of potash, 2 oz.
Powdered camphor, 2 drachms.
Bub the camphor with the yolks of two eggs, and mix this and the
potash with two quarts cf slippery elm mucilage, and give in two
doses three hours apart.
INFLAMMATION OF THE BLADDER.
Causes. — This affection almost never attacks the lower
animals, except from external violence or from the adminis-
tration of irritating medicines, as croton oil or cantharides.
Symptoms. — Frequent passing of cloudy urine, the act
being performed with evident pain and difficulty; fever and
Diseases of the Bladder. 161
tenderness on pressure over the bladder ; frequently scouring
with soft, bloody and fetid feces.
Treatment. — This should be by full doses of opium or
morphia, the use of linseed tea, milk and whites of eggs
beaten up with water as drinks. Belladonna is also useful : —
No. IGo. Extract of belladonna, 1 drachm.
Sweet spirits of nitre, 1 oz.
Give in a drench with a quart of cold linseed tea.
The following is an old and standard remedy : —
No. 166. Solution of potash, 1 oz.
Extract of hyocyamus, 1 drachm.
Give as above, and repeat two or three times a day.
STONE IN THE BLADDER— GRAVEL.
Stone in the bladder and gravel are found in stallions,
geldings and mares, as well as in the ox and cow. In these
animals the hard concretions usually consist of carbonate of
lime.
Causes. — Horses which from the nature of their work are
compelled to hold their urine many hours at a time, as for
instance hunters, are most liable to stone. The food and the
water also have much to do with it. Some clovers, for ex-
ample, form a large quantity of urine salts, and tend to the
deposit of gravel; while hard water, which contains carbon-
ate of lime in solution, predisposes to its accretion in the
bladder.
Symptoms. — An early sign is some stiffness of motion
in the hind limbs; unusual switching of the tail; a frequent
desire to stale exhibited by the animal stretching himself
out and drawing his yard, but passing little or no water.
At other times the water flows with apparent ease for awhile,
but suddenly stops, and the further attempts of the animal
to empty his bladder are in vain. He will continue stretched
11
162 Diseases of the Horse.
out for some time; and may groan, kick at his belly, and
even lie down on accout of the pain.
When these symptoms are observed, the attendant should
"feel for the stone.'^ This is to be done as follows: The
rectum should be emptied by an injection of warm water,
immediately after the horse has emptied his bladder. The
hand of the operator is then to be well oiled and introduced
into the rectum, and the bladder detected and examined.
This can readily be done without the risk of any injury to
the animal, and with the almost positive certainty of discov-
ering the stone if it is there.
Treatment. — In the mare, even a large stone can be re-
moved by dilating the urethra, the orifice of which is about
four inches inside the vagina, and then introducing a forceps.
In the gelding or stallion, the surgeon has to extract it by
the operation of " cutting for stone." It is not necessary to
describe the steps of these manoeuvres, as they require special
instruments and a knowledge of anatomy, which only belong
to a professional man.
The preventive measures are suggested by what has been
said above about the causes of the complaint.
RETEWTIOIf OR STJPPRESSION OF TTRINE— STRANGURY— DIFFICULT
OR PAINFUL STALEING.
When it is observed that a horse stales with difficulty or
pain, the cause of this condition should be carefully inquired
into, as it may be of a serious nature, requiring prompt at-
tention to save the animaFs life.
It may arise from
1. Palsy of the bladder, following an injury, meningitis,
lockjaw, staggers, severe colic or other acute disease.
2. Disease of the parts, as spasm or inflammation of the
neck of the bladder, stricture of the urethra, enlargement of
Difficult Staking, 163
the prostate gland in old male horses, cancer, stone in the
bladder, accumulation of dirt in the sheath and excessive
constipation.
3. Irritating drugs, especially cantharides and turpentine,
used carelessly, or sometimes when cautiously used in horses
of a peculiar sensitiveness to their influence. This form is
called " strangury," and is characterized by the frequent
efforts to stale, but the passage of only a few drops at a time.
Treatment. — When it appears that the suppression is ow-
ing to palsy, the urine must be drawn off with a catheter
several times a day, and the treatment recommended under
paralysis promptly resorted to, especially the injection of
strychnine under the skin.
If it is due to inflammation of the neck of the bladder, as
indicated by the heat, swelling and tenderness of the part,
and the general feverish symptoms, general bleeding may be
resorted to, and injections of warm water containing one
drachm of extract of belladonna to the quart must be thrown
repeatedly up the rectum, or, in mares, up the vagina. Full
doses of opium may be given to relieve pain.
Spasm of the neck of the bladder may be overcome by the
use of the same injection.
Accumulation of hardened feces in the rectum requires fre-
quent and full injections of soap and water, supplemented, if
necessary, by back-raking the animal. Cancer, stone and
enlargement of the prostate are practically incurable, and a
horse so affected might as well be killed.
If due to general weakness of the bladder, the following
stimulant may be given : — >
No. 167. Powdered cantharides, 20 grains.
Powdered digitalis, 1 drachm.
Mix with soap into a ball.
Of a more soothing and gentle action is this one : — .
No. 168. Powdered camphor, 2 drachms.
Saltpetre, ^ oz.
Mix into a ball.
164 Diseases of the Horse.
In strangury from cantharides or turpentine, the loins are
to be fomented with the sheep skin wrung out in hot water,
the vagina or rectum filled with an injection of starch and
laudanum or belladonna (Nos. 138, 139), and internally the
following drench prescribed : —
Ko. 169. Powdered camphor, 1 drachm.
Powdered opium, 2 drachms.
Mix in a quart of linseed tea or slippery elm water, and repeat every
hour until relieved.
DIABETES— PROFUSE STALEING.
Definition. — A disease characterized by great thirst, and
excessive discharge of urine, progressing toward loss of flesh,
weakness, and exhaustion, sometimes leading to farcy, glan-
ders, and a general break down of the system.
Causes. — By some writers it is attributed to faulty feeding
of various kinds, or to the use of drugs which over-stimu-
late and irritate the kidneys. It is believed that hay which
has been heated in curing or is musty, damp and mouldy
oats, and half spoiled bran are liable to bring it on. Habit-
ual feeding on boiled food is a common cause, and sometimes
it appears to arise from some contagious poison, as when
glanders is prevalent, horses are particularly liable to it.
Symptoms. — The main ones are the inordinate thirst and
the corresponding unusual staking. The appetite generally
fails, the skin becomes harsh and dry, and the animal loses
flesh and strength. The pulse is weak, sometimes slower
sometimes faster than natural. The horse shows a depraved
appetite, licking the walls and floor of his stall. The urine
discharged is as clear as water, and with little or no odor.
It often amounts in quantity to 20 to 40 pints daily.
Treatment.— The first attention will be to the diet, which
should be completely changed. Then a mild laxative may
Profuse Staleing, 165
be given, say a pint of linseed oil, and a tablespoonful or two
of powdered chalk or baking soda be mixed with the pail of
drink. For the cure we rely on iodine^ which was first dis-
covered by the English veterinarian, Professor Dick, to be
almost a specific in this disease. A convenient formula is :
No. 170. It^dine, 20 grains.
Iodide of potassium, 1 drachm.
Carbonate of soda, 4 drachms.
This dose to be given three times a day in water.
Or, as recommended by Mr. Chawner, we may give : —
No. 171. Fowler's solution of arsenic, 1 oz.
This amount in a pint of water morning and evening.
The formula preferred by Mr. Finlay Dun is : —
No. 172. Iodine, | drachm.
Sulphate of iron, 2 drachms.
Powdered gentian, | oz.
Make into a ball with molasses, syrup or meal and water.
This dose is to be given once, or in bad cases, twice daily;
rarely are more than six doses required to effect a perfect
cure.
Other receipts of service in various instances are : —
No. 173. Iodide of potash, 6 drachms.
Alum, powdered, J oz.
Mix into twelve balls, and give one morning and evening.
No. 174. Creasote, | drachm.
Vinegar, 3 oz.
Give daily in a pint of water.
BLACK WATER OF HORSES-H^IMATUIIIA— AZOTURIA.
Definition, — A disease of the general system, characterized
by a large excess of urea in the blood, by urine of a dark
coiFee color, and by spasms of the muscles of the hind quar-
ters.
This is not a common disease, and its exact nature is as yet
open to question. It attacks both horses and mares, but es-
166 Diseases of the Horse.
pecially the latter during the period of heat. The color of
the urine was supposed by Prof. Gamgee to be owing to
blood; but Prof. Williams found no blood corpuscles what-
ever in the urine, but nitrate of urea and hippuric acid in
excess. Mr. Haycock called it the ^^lysteria of mares," but
it is by no means confined to the female sex.
Causes. — Its exciting causes are the period of heat ; sud-
den exertion after a long rest in the stable ; congestion and
torpidity of the lungs and liver.
Symptoms. — The attack begins suddenly. The horse is
unusually restless, sweats profusely, and inclines to lie down.
Shortly a loss of power in the hind limbs is observed, their
larger muscles are seized with violent spasms, sometimes in-
volving the shoulders. The pulse and respiration are very
rapid. There is soon entire paralysis or great stiffening of
the hind quarters. With these symptoms, large quantities
of a dark urine, looking like coffee, are ejected. The breath-
ing grows difficult, symptoms of general spasms resembling
tetanus supervene, and the horse dies.
Sometimes it attacks several horses in the same stable, but
there is nothing whatever contagious in it. The duration of
the disease is brief, three or four days either destroying the
animal or the symptoms passing off.
Treatment. — The animal should be placed in a large sta-
ble with abundant bedding ; if he lies down paralyzed, he is
to be turned over several times a day.
The first step is to obtain a free action of the bowels. For
this purpose the following, which also acts on the kidneys, is
appropriate : —
No. 175. Powdered aloes, 4 to 6 drachms.
Cream of tartar, 1 to 2 oz.
Mix in a pint or two of warm water.
This should be repeated if it does not act in five to six
hours. Meanwhile an active clyster is to be thrown up the
Diseases of the Sex Organs. 167
rectum, as h quart of soap and water with four ounces of
oil of turpentine. Cold water should be allowed in any
quantity.
No stimulants and no sedatives are to be administered, no
blisters, firing or bleeding.
When the violence of the disease is overcome, it requires
some persuasion to get the horse on his legs. He will con-
tinue to lie when it is quite possible for him to stand, and
this must be prevented by lifting him on his feet, briskly
rubbing the legs, and if need be, supporting him by the
slings. Now is the time when a nerve and general tonic is
required, and we would select this one : —
No. 17G. Sulphate of iron, 2 drachms.
Powdered nux vomica, 1 drachm.
Give as a ball three times day.
Complete rest, a rather low and plain diet, and abundance
of air in a yard or field are required for several weeks, as re-
lapses occasionally occur from too early use.
DISEASES OF THE SEX ORGAITS.
The sex organs in the *horse are subject to contagious as
well as occasional diseases. It has been definitely shown
that a disease identical with syphilis is propagated by copu-
lation. Many instances are recorded on the continent of
Europe, but we have heard of none in this country ; so we
shall not enter into its description, but confine ourselves to
the disorders of common occurrence.
1. Contractions of the Sheath,
These are generally contractions, either in front of the
yard, thus impeding the escape of the urine, or behind its
extremity, so that the yard cannot be withdrawn into the
sheath (phimosis and para-phimosis).
168 Diseases of the Horse.
In both these cases the free use of cold water on the sheath
will diminish any inflammation present ; and then by wip-
ing dry and oiling the parts well, careful manipulation will
overcome the difficulty. When this fails, an incision may
be made to relieve the constriction. The bleeding thus caused
will be a benefit.
When the paraphimosis is the result of paralysis, as is
sometimes seen in old geldings, the case is incurable, and the
only resort is amputation of the organ.
2. External Inflammation of the Yard.
Inflammation of the end of the yard is very common,
being brought on by the presence of irritating substances, as
the natural secretions when decomposed, or some foreign
body.
At first there is a slight discharge of whitish or yellowish
matter, which is followed by ulcers on the yard and sheath,
usually emitting a decidedly unpleasant peculiar odor. They
may fill up with proud flesh and cause great- pain and un-
sightly swelling.
Proper attention will always prevent this trouble. And
when it is present, we must give it careful attention, for it is
no easy matter to bring about cure when in a neglected state.
The parts must first of all be well cleansed, by syringing
with warm water and soap, or by a weak carbolic acid solu-
tion (one drachm to a quart of warm water). The following
solution should then be -svrapped on the parts, or syringed
into the sheath : —
No. 177. Chlorate of zinc, 2 drachms.
Water, 1 pint.
This is a powerful caustic solution, and its application will
be severely painful. But milder ones will not prove effectual.
It must be repeated every day until the granulations are
reduced and the part has taken on healthy action.
Diseases of the Sex Organs. 169
3 Internal Inflammation of the Yard,
This occurs in the gelding as well as in tlie stallion : in the
latter, generally from too frequent service ; in the former, from
the use of cantharides, croton oil or turpentine, or from the
presence of foreign bodies in the urethra.
The symptoms are, a frequent desire to urinate, the act
performed with difficulty ; frequent extension of the organ ;
and a discharge of a whitish or yellowish matter from the
urethra.
The treatment is to foment the parts with hot water (the
hot sheep skin), to administer a moderately brisk purge, and
to give the animal freely of bi-carbonate of soda, an ounce in
water several times a day. These means failing, an ulcer in
the urethra may be suspected. The horse must then be cast,
the parts inside the urethra examined, and any ulcerated
surfaces touched with nitrate of silver, and injections of weak
sulphate of zinc solutions, one-half to one drachm to the pint
of water, to be made.
4. Inflammation of the Vagina,
This is a rare disease in the mare. When it occurs, it is
usually due to violence of the stallion when serving; to diffi-
cult labor; to the presence of cancers and ulcers; or to local
violence, as by inserting a stick or cob into the vagina, an
insensate piece of mischief not so rare as it ought to be.
The inflammation shows itself by a swelling and tender-
ness of the parts, and by a discharge of a watery or purulent
matter.
In the treatment the principal precaution to observe is not
to irritate further the parts by strong injections. Linseed tea
or slippery elm bark mucilage, made warm, and containing
a drachm of sugar of lead to the pint, are the best injections
which can be used in most cases. If the discharge is foul
sulphate of zinc may be used instead of the lead.
170 Diseases of the Horse.
CHAPTER yi.
DISEASES OF THE BLOOD, OR GENERAL DISEASES.
Glanders.
Farcy — Bud Farcy — Button Farcy.
Charbon in the Horse — Purpura Hemorrhagica — Spotted
Fever.
Rheumatism.
Strangles — Colt Distemper,
Frysipelas — St. Anthony's Fire,
Dropsy — Ascites.
GLAin)ERS.
Definition. — A contagious and fatal disease, due to a poison
taken into or generated in the system, which shows its pre-
sence by a discharge from the nostrils, and a degeneration
more or less rapid of the lymphatic glands and ducts. The
poison can be conveyed to man, in whom it T>roduces fatal
illness.
Causes. — The causes of this common and formidable dis-
ease, apart from contagion, are usually said to include every-
thing that exhausts and reduces the vital powers, such as bad
feeding, over- work, neglect, foul air and filthy stables. It is
also liable to be generated by putting horses into new stables
whose walls are not dry ; and it is a frequent sequel of dia-
betes, influenza, the epizootic disease, and other exhausting
complaints.
As caused by contagion, it is very justly the most dreaded
of all diseases of horses, as it is easily inoculated into the
human species, and is just as incurable as in the horse. In
the latter, however, inoculation is not necessary, as the poison
is disseminated by more subtle means. Sometimes stables
Glanders, 171
whicli have liveried glandered horses have been thoroughly
cleansed, aired and whitewashed; yet a new and healthy set
of horses being placed in the stalls, one or more of them
would be down with the glanders in a few weeks.
Symptoms. — Glanders occurs in two forms, the acute and
the chronic.
Acute glanders appears suddenly by prolonged chills and
shiverings. As they pass off a high fever sets in, the tem-
perature running up to 106 or 107 degrees. The pulse is
feeble and rapid, the breathing quick, and the appetite fails.
The eyes are weak and watery, and the glands under thejaw
are swollen. On examining the nostrils, their lining mem-
brane is found to be swollen and of a dark coppery or red
color, with patches of ragged ulceration here and there, from
which drips a bloody and watery discharge. The swollen
glands of the face and neck soon break and form abscesses
with a similar sanious pus coming from them. The animal
rapidly weakens, the breathing becomes obstructed, the lungs
become inflamed, and death ends the scene.
Chronic glanders presents this same history in a much
slower and apparently milder, but in reality none the less fatal
form. The general health may seem to be scarcely affected.
There will be a discharge, often from one nostril, usually the
near one, of a thin, sticky fluid, which has not a very un-
pleasant odor, sometimes no odor at all, and which dries and
accumulates around the nasal opening. On feeling beneath
thejaw, the swollen glands will be felt like a hard knot,
which may, however, disappear for a time to return again.
The membrane of the nostril will prove to have a tawny,
coppery or dull leaden hue. The eye of the affected side will
be weak and watery.
Usually the symptoms are more decided than this. The
horse is off his feed, his coat is unhealthy, he has a slight
cough, and sweats on slight exertion. There is a discharge
172 Diseases of the Horse,
of a starchy or gluey matter from one or both nostrils, often
tinged with blood. The lining membrane of the nose is
studded with small deep ulcers, and between the ulcers cov-
ered with unhealthy looking pimples. The eye of the affected
side is weak and watery. A distinct tumor can be felt below
the jaw, sometimes forming an abscess discharging an un-
healthy pus. If well taken care of, a horse may live in this
condition for a year or two and do moderate work ; but he
is liable at any time to be carried off by an acute attack of
the disease, and he is constantly an object of great danger, not
only to other individuals of his own species, but to every
person who comes near him.
Between the time of receiving the contagion into the sys-
tem and the appearance of the disease, there usually elapses
in the acute form but three to six days ; while in the chronic
form it may be two or three months.
Treatment. — Some of the best authorities recommend that
no treatment be attempted in glanders. It is considered
more desirable for the animal and his attendants that he be
killed as soon as the nature of the disease is recognized. A
positive law to this effect exists in England, and it might be
well if it were adopted by all the States in this country.
A vast number of remedies and receipts have been sug-
gested and various cm-es have been reported. They should
be accepted with hesitation, as it is quite likely that a nasal
gleet of some kind was mistaken for glanders. We shall give
several prescriptions w^hich have had the most said in their
favor, but our general advice is, as already given, to kill
every glandered horse as soon as he is determined to be so.
Sulphate of copper and arsenic have had the most said in
their favor. They may be given alone or combined, as :—
No. 178. Sulphate of copper,
Peruvian bark.
1 drachm,
loz.
Mix for a ball.
Glanders and Farcy. 173
No. 179. Sulphate of copper, 1 drachm.
Arsenic, 8 grains.
Mix with linseed meal and syrup to a ball.
No. 180. Sulphate of copper, 1 drachm.
Corrosive sublimate, 8 grains.
Mix as above for a dose.
No. 181. Syrup of the iodide of iron, ^^ oz.
To be given twice a day.
This latter is certainly effectual in curing many obstinate
nasal gleets which have been called glauders.
\Yhatever medicine is used, a full and nutritious diet,
moderate work, and a clean, well aired stable, with thorough
disinfection are all indispensable to success.
FAECY— BUD FARCY— BUTTON FARCY.
Definitlcn. — A contagious and malignant disease, charac-
terized by swelling and ulceration of the lymphatic glands
beneath the skin, and believed to arise from the same blood
poison which causes glanders.
Causes. — The most common cause is direct inoculation of
glanders or farcy poison ; but the infection may also be pro-
pagated through the air ; and the disease may appear spon-
taneously after exhausting disease or in old age. It is con-
sidered certain that the same poison produces both glanders
and farcy, and that the only difference in the diseases is in
the part of the system attacked.
Symptoms. — Farcy, like glanders, is divided into an acute
and chronic form.
In acute farcy the early signs are shiverings, fever, loss of
appetite and swelling of the legs. The w^hole limb becomes
enlarged, resembling that in weed (p. 157), but presenting
an uneven surface, increasing and decreasing suddenly, and
attended with pain and lameness. When the swelling lessens,
the enlarged glands can be felt under the skin forming cords
174 Diseases of the Horse,
and small rounded lumps, which latter are the so-called '* farcy
buds/' These in a little while point and burst through the
skin, discharging an unhealthy pus. They are usually found
in groups, and are situated at some distance from the joints.
Frequently the inside of the thighs will be found to present
hard and painful sw^ellings ; the muscles of the neck may be
hard and painful ; or the swelling may be in the side or in
one leg ; thus leading perhaps to the suspicion of rheuma-
tism.
In chronic farcy, the principal difference is that the buds
and hard cords connecting them are distinctly felt and are
evidently tender and painful, but they rarely pass into ulcer-
ation. The buds or buttons are arranged in groups about
the inner and outer aspects of the thigh, forearm, flanks, neck
and head. Sometimes they may be felt along the course of
the jugular vein, presenting swollen, hard and irregular
knots.
Treatment. — A horse with acute farcy should be forth-
with killed. He is as dangerous as one with glanders. The
milder cases of chronic farcy offer some chance of a cure.
The swellings may often be dispersed by blistering them, or
by rubbing them with ointment of the biniodide of mercury,
or what is handier, with a stick of lunar caustic. If there
are running sores, they must be frequently washed with a ten
per cent, solution of carbolic acid. The strength must be
supported by nourishing food and tonics. Prof. Williams
recommends : —
No. 182. Arsenic, ^ 5 grains.
Extract of nux vomica, 1 drachm.
For a drench in a pint of water twice a day.
He also speaks well of :
No. 183. Sulphate of copj
Iodine, of each
This amount in a pint of water twice daily.
No. 183. Sulphate of copper,
Iodine, of each 1 drachm.
Treatment of Farcy, 175
Cases of farcy and nasal gleet, with enlarged glands and
a fetid discharge, are sometimes benefitted, according to Mr.
Dun, by the following : —
No. 184. Creasote, 1 draclim.
Sulphuric acid fdilute), 30 drops.
Make into a ball with linseed meal, and give every morning.
For a dressing for farcy buds, Mr. Dun recommends the
ointment of iodide of mercury (No. 162).
As a tonic ball in this disease, Mr. Gamgee uses this com-
bination : —
No. 185. Sulphate of copper,
Sulphate of zinc, each ^ draclim.
Aniseed, 3 drachms.
Make into a ball with common mass, and give once a day.
As an ointment for dressing the buds, we may use
No. 186. Corrosive sublimate, 1 drachm.
Arsenic, J drachm.
Lard, 1 oz.
This is a strong stimulant, and must be used in small quantities and
cautiously.
A useful soothing application is : —
No. 187. Bromide of potassium, 2 drachms.
Lard, 1 oz.
Mix at gentle heat and rub on the buds.
CHARBON IN THE HORSE — PTJEPTTRA HEMORRHAGICA — SPOTTED
FEVER
Definition. — A malignant epidemic fever, arising from
blood poisoning, usually attacking old and debilitated sub-
jects, characterized by deposits of dark red or purple color,
passing into ulceration.
The name purj)ura should not be applied to this disease,
as it is widely different from that complaint as it appears in
the human subject. Professor Blaine calls it ^'malignant
typhus,'^ and it certainly resembles that disease, as much as
any other in man. It is in all probability a form of true
176 Diseases of the Horse,
charbonous or anthracose disease, but is much less fatal in
horses than in cattle, sheep or swine, and presents various
other marked differences.
Causes. — Purpura is found in old and broken down ani-
mals, and is especially apt to arise at the close of exhausting
diseases, as pneumonia, influenza, the epizootic, catarrhal
fever, etc. Its direct cause is nearly always from bad venti-
lation, imperfect drainage, and neglect of sanitary precautions.
^Yhell such precautions are properly taken, purpura is scarcely
ever seen. The absorption of the products of decomposition
into the body leads to a change in the blood, rendering it
fluid, and destroying its vitality, so that the walls of the ves-
sels soften and break down, and the blood flows into the sur-
rounding tissues, causing the dark spots characteristic of the
disease.
S3/TnptoniS. — The animal is weak, languid and unwilling
to move. On examining his mouth, spots of a dard red or
mulberry color are visible on its lining membrane. The
tongue has a peculiar dark claret color. Sometimes there is
an oozing of blood from the nose and mouth, dark in color
and fetid in odor. There is swelling of the legs, lips and
other dependent parts, of a peculiar character ; it extends
perhaps the whole length of the limb, and ends at its upper
border very abruptly, as if a string had been tied around the
part. The swelling is painful, hot and hard. Around the
hock and fetlock joints small vesicles or blisters about the size
of a pea appear, which burst and discharge a scalding fluid ; and
around the bend of the limbs cracks, and fissures are formed,
from which an unhealthy purple colored discharge flows.
Great swelling of the face, lips, nostrils and eyelids some-
times occurs. The skin over the swelling may ulcerate, caus-
ing unhealthy sores.
The bowels are either c(5istipated or there is diarrhoea.
Colicky pains are apt to come on, and the feces to be mixed
Purpura or Spotted Fever, 177
with blood. The urine is dark colored and has a strong
smell.
The more severe symptoms are remittent in their charac-
ter ; they may appear very threatening one day, seem almost
gone the next day, but return with the same or greater vio-
lence. Therefore the physician should be cautious Low he
pronounces the animal decidedly better.
Treatment. — It is of first importance to remove the ani-
mal to a clean, well drained, well ventilated stable. Purga-
tives are dangerous and bleeding as good as fatal. What is
wanted is to relieve the bowels when there is constipation or
irritation by a free injection or by a moderate dose of oil ; and to
administer something which will check the action of the poison
on the system. The most successful of all drugs for this
purpose is clilorate of potash, for the discovery of the appli-
cation of which in this disease we have to thank Prof. Wil-
liams. He gives half an ounce at a dose, and repeats it twice
in the twenty-four hours. A larger dose must not be given,
as it is liable to cause irritation of the bowels. Under this
medicine the results are most satisfactory ; the swellings
rapidly diminish, and restoration to health ensues, in the
great majority of cases.
The treatment preferred by Mr. Chawner is one to act on
the kidneys and keep up the strength. He prescribes : —
No. 188. Solution of acetate of ammonia, 2 oz.
Oil of turpentine,
Tincture of chloride of iron, each 1 oz.
This amount, in a pint of gruel, three or four times a day.
Or instead of this : —
Ko. 189. Sulphate of iron,
Powdered gentian,
Powdered camphor,
Nitrate of potash, each 2 dr.
For one ball, to be given night and morning.
The swollen parts may be bathed with vinegar and water,
12
178 Diseases of the Horse.
and if the swelling becomes excessive, may be freely scarified
with the lancet.
The convalescence in this disease is often very prolonged,
and the owner must make up his mind to do without the use
of the animal many weeks if he would see him recover to ad-
vanta2:e. As a valuable internal stimulant in this and simi-
lar low fevers, Mr. Gamgee speaks highly of mustard : —
No. 190. Powdered mustard seed,
Powdered juniper berries,
Flowers of sulphur, each 6 oz.
This to be added to a quarter peck of oat meal; and three or four table-
spoonfuls given several times a day.
The same authority has derived advantage from the min-
eral acids in conditions of exhaustion, as —
No. 191. Muriatic acid,
Or sulphuric acid, of either 30 drops.
Water, 1 oz.
Give three times a day, in a pint of ale.
EHEUMATISM.
DeHnition. — An inflammation of the joints, tendons, liga-
ments or muscles, due to an unhealthy condition of the blood,
accompanied by stiffness and lameness. The inflammation
changes its seat from one part of the body to another, and
very rarely passes into suppuration.
Causes, — In animals it may occasionally arise, in weak and
old subjects, from exposure to cold and damp, but usually fol-
lows or accompanies catarrhs, colds, influenza or other disor-
ders. It appears in some instances to be hereditary, and to
arise from a natural predisposition.
S3nnptomS. — The two forms of rheumatism are the acute
and the chronic.
Acute rheumatism, sometimes called rheumatic fever, be-
gins with sudden lameness, with or without swelling of
some particular joint. There are signs of fever, indicated by
Treatment of 'Rheumatism. 179
dullness, quickened pulse, hot skin, often perspiring (but not
with the sour smell noticed in the disease in man), and thirst.
The appetite is poor, the bowels generally constipated, the
urine high colored and scanty. Very often the lameness
will be in the joints on both sides of the body. Quite fre-
quently it rapidly changes its seat, passing from one joint to
another and back again to its first seat. It is confined to no
particular part, and may pass from the legs to the neck, caus-
ing a stiffness of the neck, commonly known as " the chords,^'
or ^^ the cords ;^^ or to the back, when it is called ^^unibago;^'
or to the heart, leading to inflammation of its envelope, or
^^ pericarditis,'^ always a dangerous complication. When
in the joints, it produces a considerable swelling, soft and
puffy, tender to the touch, and slow to disappear.
Chronic rheumatism is not so liable to change its seat. It
attacks a joint and brings about grave changes in its struc-
ture, such as ulceration of the cartilage and increase of bony
deposit around it. The lameness so produced is obstinate to
treatment, and the tendency of the disease to return on the
slightest exposure is very great. Fever is generally entirely
absent in chronic rheumatism, and the general condition of
the animal may remain quite good.
Treatment. — In the treatment of acute rheumatism the
most important discovery of modern times is the use of sail-
cyUc acid. This, if given early and freely, and backed by
proper nursing and care, will cut short nearly every case.
The following is a proper formula : —
No. 192. Salicylic acid,
Bicarbonate of soda, each 1 oz.
Mix in a pint of water or gruel, and give as a drench, three or four
times a day.
Tlie body should be well wrapped, the stable kept at a
moderate temperature, and if necessary, the slings should be
applied. If there is much constipation it is usually custom-
180 Diseases of the Horse,
ary to give a purge, but it is doubtful whether this does any
good. Bleeding is of no benefit whatever.
When the salicylic acid is not at hand, the next best re-
medy is nitrate of potash (saltpetre). This may be freely
administered, by dissolving two or three ounces daily in the
water. Or it may be combined as recommended by Mr.
Chawner, in the following prescription : — r
No. 193. Nitrate of potash, J oz.
Powdered colchicum, 1 draclim.
Oil of turpentine, 1 oz.
This to be mixed with linseed oil and given at one dose, night and
morning.
Blisters to the inflamed parts are very useful in reducing
the swelling.
Mr. Finlay Dun has relieved rheumatism in both horses
and cattle by —
No. 194. Calomel,
Quinine, of each 20 grains.
Give as a ball once a day.
In the more chronic forms, the same writer recommends : —
No. 195. Carbonate of potash,
Nitrate of potash, each 1 oz.
Iodide of potash, 2 drachms.
Give in a pint or two of water.
"Where the horse is stiffened and partially paralyzed by re-
peated attacks, but when there is no actual deformity of the
joints, very great benefit may be occasionally obtained by
giving—
No. 196. Powdered nux vomica, 1 to 2 drachms.
Gentian, ^ oz.
Give night and morning, beginning with the smaller dose and increas-
ing. The joints and muscles to be well rubbed with a stimulating
liniment.
The local treatment of rheumatic swellings and stiffening
of the joints is by liniments and embrocations, firing and
setons.
Bheumatism. 181
Of useful liniments we give the following : —
Ko. 197. Oil of turpentine,
Laudanum,
Soap liniment, each 1 oz.
Tincture of capsicum, 1 drachm.
This is a soothing and stimulating embrocation.
No. 198. Solution of ammonia,
Spirits of camphor,
Olive oil, equal parts.
Petroleum or kerosene, well rubbed in, is both often of
great service, and some recommend giving kerosene by the
mouth, in doses of two or three tablespoonfuls in a pint of
gruel.
Odc of the best of local applications in the form of an oint-
ment is the oleate of mercury^ made by heating oleic acid
with red precipitate. It is remarkably penetrating, and not
at all likely to salivate.
STRAKGLES— COLT DISTEIEPEE.
Definition. — A disease of the system, accompanied by fever,
generally attacking young horses, associated with swelling
of the glands beneath the jaw, and sometimes elsewhere,
with a tendency to suppuration. It has been called by Mr.
George Armitage ^^ specific adenitis."
Causes. — The cause of strangles is not known. Veterin-
arians are not even agreed as to whether it is contagious or
not ; nor as to whether a horse can have it twice or not.
The best authorities incline to the opinion that it is not con-
tagious, and that some horses are liable to have it several
times. Though generally appearing in horses from a few
months to six years old, it is not confined to any age. It
has at times been considered an epizootic influenza, but it dif-
fers essentially from the disease we described as such on
page 109.
182 Diseases of the Horse.
Symptoms.— The attacks differ considerably in severity,
the graver forms being called " bastard strangles."
Usually it begins like a common cold. The animal is dull,
has a slight cough and sore throat, loss of appetite and un-
willingness to swallow. There is some running from the
nose and mouth, a quickened pulse and rapid breathing. On
feeling in the space within the lower jaw bone, a hot and
tender swelling will be noticed, sometimes on one side only,
sometimes filling up the whole space.
At other times, for weeks or months before there is any
positive sign of disease, the animal is unthrifty, hide bound,
dull, easily chilled, with a slight cough, and losing flesh. In
tliis condition he is often said to be " breeding strangles," an
opinion verified finally by the appearance of the characteris-
tic swelling under the chin.
A more alarming mode of onset is when the swelling is sud-
den and great, filling up the mouth and bringing on those
symptoms of strangulation from which the disease derives its
name. There is great difficulty of breathing, accompanied
by a loud blowing sound. The animal is in great distress,
and unless promptly relieved is liable to die from suffocation.
Any of these forms may terminate in bastard strangles,
which is when the disease passes into a typhoid condition,
Vfith great exhaustion, extensive suppuration in various parts
of the body, and exhausting discharges.
Treatment. — In a light attack of strangles it is enough to
give the animal good nursing, apply a large poultice or hot
fomentations to the swollen glands, and put an ounce of salt-
petre in the water pail, night and morning.
If the tumor points and bursts, it may be poulticed and
left to itself; but if it seems slow to do this, and does not
diminish, it is best to put on a fly blister, to ^' bring it to a
head" promptly. It may then be opened with a lance.
Where a horse is suspected of " breeding strangles," he
Strangles, 183
should be well stabled and fed on extra good nourishment,
as this variety of disease is most apt to be followed by dan-
gerous internal symptoms. Neither in it nor in any other
form of the complaint should bleeding, purging or lowering
medicines, like aconite, digitalis, veratrum or lobelia, be used.
If there is danger of strangling, from the rapid growth of the
swelling, we may try very hot fomentations and poultices to
the throat, making the animal inhale steam, and opening the
abscess freely as soon as it ^^ points.^' But it will not do tcr
waste time with these measures in desperate cases. There is
then one only step to take, and that is to open the windpipe
at once, by the operation known as " tracheotomy.'^ This is
to be performed in the following manner : —
Have an assistant, elevate the horse's head and extend his
nose so as to put the skin of the throat on the stretch ; then
feel along the course of the windpipe for the part least covered
with flesh and fat, and make a bold incision down its central
line, about four inches long, through the skin and down to the
rings of the windpipe. When this is done, introduce the
point of a sharp-pointed knife between the upj)er exposed
rings, and cutting downward, divide two or three of them
completely across from above downward and in the middle
line of the neck. Introduce the tube into this opening, and
fasten its strings around the neck and to the mane. It should
be kept in until the animal is able to breathe through the nos-
trils, which can be readily ascertained by closing the tube
with the hand from time to time,
When the swelling is languid and does not "come to a
Iiead," it should be stimulated by painting it with tincture of
iodine, or friction with iodine ointment (No. 8). Should
this not affect the swelling promptly, a blister should be ap-
plied to the part.
When the ulcers which remain after the abscess breaks are
not disposed to heal, they must be touched with the stick of
184 Diseases of the Horse,
nitrate of silver, with dilute nitric acid, or dressed witli resin
cerate, or the following : —
No 199. Iodide of mercury, 1 draclim.
Lard, 1 oz.
To use as a dressing spread on soft leather or linen.
No. 200. Creasote, 1 or 2 parts.
Lard, 8 parts.
Use as the last.
Tonics are quite important in these cases, to hasten the
healing of the ulcers and improve the general strength, as : —
No. 201. Sulphate of iron,
Ginger, each 4 oz.
Mix with enough common mass to make ten balls, and give one twice
a day.
Cod-liver oil internally, in doses of 3 or 4 ounces, also
greatly aids in convalescence. Many sluggish cases are owing
to a scrofulous taint in the system, according to Prof. Gam-
gee, and for such nothing could be better than —
No. 202. Cod-liver oil, 2 oz.
Iodine, 20 grains.
Mix with a pint of fresh milk and give on an empty stomach, twice a
day.
One of the late writers on this disease, Mr. George Armi-
tage (in the Highland Sac. Agric. Report, 1878), justly says
that the whole treatment consists " in the production of the
discharge of the abscess." It is possible, by biniodide of
mercury ointment, to disperse it. But nearly always this is
followed by the sudden death of the animal, through some
obscure form of blood poisoning. It would appear that there
is some specific poison which requires to find an exit from
the body by the discharge of the contents of the abscess ex-
ternally.
Erysipelas, 185
EEYSIPELAS— ST. ANTHONY'S FIEE.
Definition. — An inflammation of the skin and tissues be-
neath, owing to a blood poison, characterized by a swelling
and hardness of the affected parts, which has a tendency to
spread and form abscesses.
Cause. — This is supposed to be, primarily, some alteration
in the blood. In horses and cattle erysipelas is nearly always
the result of wounds, and generally of those in the legs of
animal^- weakened by hard work and poor food, or else in
young animals whose blood is vitiated by the poison of glan-
ders or some other animal contamination.
Symptoms. — Generally on the third or fourth day after
receiving the injury the skin in the immediate neighborhood
of the wound is found swollen, smooth, shining, hot, tender
and painful. The swelling gradually extends around it,
and sometimes deep into the muscles. The surface is hard
and tense, but often when the finger is firmly pressed upon
it and w-ithdrawn, a little pit or depression is left. Blisters
on the surface and abscesses beneath the skin are frequently
seen.
The general symptoms correspond with the severity of the
local disease. In the lighter form the animal is fevered,
loses appetite, and is lame in the affected limb. In severe
cases there are severe chills, the pulse is weak and quick, the
breathing hurried, the bowels constipated, and the urine
scanty and high colored. There is no appetite, but excessive
thirst.
All the signs of a low typhoid state may follow, the ab-
scesses burrowing deeply between muscles and into joints, and
the animal dying of exhaustion.
Treatment, — In all cases begin with a brisk purge, aided
by injections if it does not act promptly. It is important to
186 Diseases of the Horse.
stimulate tlie bowels decidedly. If there is much fever, add
20 drops of tincture of aconite root to the water every few
hours; Prof. Williams justly remarks that this drug has a
most marked effect in allaying the irritation and fever in this
disease.
As soon as the bowels have freely acted, prepare the fol-
lowing : —
No. 203. Tincture of chloride of iron, 2 to 4 drachms.
Peruvian bark, 1 oz.
(Or quinine, 30 grains.)
Mix and give as a drench, in water, every four hours.
For applications to the part we have a choice of several.
The Scotch veterinarians prefer belladonna, smearing the parts
freely with the extract rubbed up with an equal quantity of
oil or lard ; or combined with aconite as a lotion.
No. 204. Extract of belladonna, 1 oz.
Tincture of aconite^ i oz.
Water, 1 qt.
Rub up together and paint on the part frequently.
«
French surgeons prefer the sulphate of iron.
No. 205. Powdered sulphate of iron, 1 oz.
Lard, 4 oz.
Mix and smear well on the swollen parts and the healthy skin near
them.
Or the swelling may be painted with tincture of the chlor-
ide of iron; or a strong solution of nitrate of silver, two
drachms to the ounce of water.
DEOPSY— ASCITES.
Definition. — An accumulation of watery fluid in the cavity
of the abdomen, in the sheath, legs, and other dependent por-
tions of the body. ,
Causes. — Generally dropsy is a result of disease of the
heart or liver ; but sometimes it appears in animals which
have been kept long on poor and insufficient food, in low and
. Dropsy. 187
ill-drained pastures. In the ox it not uofrequently is due to
a scrofulous state of the system, characterized by growths in
the lining membrane of the abdomen called ^^ grapes/^
Symptoms.— These are plainly apparent in the " pot belly '^
of the animal, which can readily be recognized as due to the
presence of fluid by the dull sound it yields on percussion,
and by the feeling of fluctuation or fluid motion it imparts to
the hand. If there is any doubt, a small quantity may be
drawn off with a fine trocar.
This condition is nearly always preceded by one of general
poor health, often with signs of heart or liver disease, weak-
ness and languor. As the fluid increases, the breathing be-
comes more difficult, the bowels irregular, the pulse feeble,
and the coat loose and unthrifty. The swelling of the legs
impedes the motions, and the animal dies of exhaustion.
Treatment. — The probabilities of success in this depends
much on tlie cause of the dropsy. When it is due to heart
or liver disease the prospects are far from cheering, and some
writers recommend the animal to be killed. But when poor
food and unhealthy surroundings have led to the condition,
it may be removed by placing the patient in a dry, clean and
well ventilated stable, giving a generous and nourishing
diet, and administering, internally, tonics and diuretics, as —
Ko. 306. Powdered digitalis, 1 dr.
Sulphate of iron, J oz.
Mix for one ball, morning and night.
No lowering medicines whatever should be used.
If the water in the belly is extensive, and does not promptly
diminish by medicine and proper food, it should be drawn
off by a trochar, which should be plunged into the most de-
pendent portion ; this may be repeated as often as the accu-
mulation of fluid demands it.
The class of medicines known as ^^ diuretics,'^ which exert
188 Diseases of the Horse,
their action on the kidneys, find in this disease an appro-
priate sphere. The usual diuretic mass of the Edinburgh
veterinary college is made thus : —
Ko. 207. Soap,
Nitrate of potash, each 2 lbs.
Eesin, 3 lbs.
Venice turpentine, 2 lbs.
Oil of turpentine, i pint.
Melt the soap and resin over a slow fire ; when cooling stir in the
other articles. The dose of this mass is two ounces, made into a ball
with a little linseed meal.
An efficient diuretic drench may be made thus :-
Ko. 208. Sweet spirits of nitre, 2 oz.
Oil of turpentine, 1 oz.
Give in a quart of decoction of broom corn tops.
The decoction of broom corn has by itself a very efficient
action on the kidneys, and will often rapidly reduce dropsi-
cal swellings. The same is true of another domestic remedy,
the milk weed (asclepias), which may be given in the same
way.
No. 209. Soap, 2 oz.
Ginger, essence of 2 drachms.
Balsam of copaiva, 1 oz.
Dissolve the soap in a pint of old ale or hard cider, and add the other
articles.
The above is praised by Mr. White as an active diuretic
in dropsy of the belly.
No. 210. Acetate of potash, 1 oz.
Powdered camphor. 1 drachm.
Eub the camphor down with the yolks of two eggs, and give tha
whole in a pint of linseed tea, or decoction of broom tops.
Diseases of the Horse, 189
CHAPTER VII.
DISEASES OF THE FOOT OF THE HORSE.
Structure of the Foot of the Horse,
Lameness in the Horse; How to Detect Lameness; How to
Ascertain the Cause of the Lameness,
Inflammation of the Feet — Laminitis — Founder — Fever in
the Feet,
Corns,
Thrush or Fvush of the Frog.
Canker,
Punctured Wounds of the Feet — Prickings — Gathered Nails,
Sand Crack,
False Quarter,
Quittor — Fistula of the Coronet — Fibro- Chondritis of the
Foot,
Navicular Disease — Grogginess — Contraction of the Foot,
Scratches — Mud Fever — Cracked Heels — Erythema of the
Heels,
Gh^ease — Eczema of the Heels,
In order to render clear the subjects treated of in this
chapter, we shall be obliged to begin with a brief descrip-
tion of the
STRUCTURE OF THE FOOT OF THE HORSE.
The following cut (Fig. 21) represents a section of the
foot divided tlirough the middle lengthwise, that is, from
190
Diseases of the Horse.
toe to heel, and shows the bones in their natural position
in the healthy hoof.
FIG. 21. — A SECTION OF THE HORSE's FOOT.
Commencing above, the letter D indicates the lower end
of the long pastern bone; b is the coronary bone, which lies
internally from the upper or coronary border of the wall
of the hoof; c is the coffin bone, or foot bone, os pedis;
d is the navicular bone, a small bone of very great interest
to the surgeon, because injury and inflammation of surface
tissues is a very frequent cause of lameness, producing that
condition called " grogginess/' The navicular bone bears
no part of the weight, but is apparently inserted for the
purpose of giving increased leverage power to the long
tendon, e, which passes from the coffin bone backward,
over the navicular bone and up the leg.
It will be seen that from the upper part of the long
pastern bone 'to the end of the coffin bone is a straight
line, inclined at an angle of about 45° to the surface of the
ground. This obliquity of position enables the bone to act
as a spring, for the purpose of modifying concussion.
Anatomy of the Foot,
191
Wlien^ for any reason, the relations of this natural mechanism
become disturbed, lameness is the result.
FIG. 22. — EXTERNAL PARTS OF THE HOOF.
Turning to the outer coverings of the hoof, we note that
it is made up of two parts : the one seen above the ground,
and the other that which is placed on the ground; in other
words, the wall and the sole.
The wall is divided into the toe (Fig. 22, a), which is the
forward point of the hoof; the heely which is the hinder
part, where the notch is seen; the quarters, which are the
portions on each side, midway between the toe and the heel,
FIG. 23.— THE SOLE OF THE HOOP.
and which are known respectively as the inside and the
oufe/c/e -quarter; the upper, or coro^iar?/ border (e); the
lower, or solar border; and the bars, which are the re-
Lameness. 193
HOW TO DETECT LAMENESS.
The horse is to be examined: first, at rest; second, in
motion.
A lame horse standing at rest will generally favor tlie
unsound limb by lifting it frequently, or by pointing it,
that is, by extending it in advance of its fellow. If both
feet are lame he will have a habit of lifting first one,
then the other. In elbow lameness, the fore arm is ex-
tended, the knee bent, and the foot on a level with, or
behind, its fellow. In severe shoulder lameness, the point-
ing is backward, the knee bent, and the foot behind its
fellow, sometimes the toe only touching the ground. When
the lameness is in a hind limb, the horse stands with it
"knuckling over" at the fetlock, or with the foot altogether
off the ground. If the lame leg is in advance of the
sound one, this indicates that the disease is in, or below,
the hock.
When both the fore feet are lame, the hind ones are
advanced beneath the body, so as to receive as much of the
weight as possible, while the front feet are lifted alternately.
When both hind feet are lamed, the fore feet are planted
beneath the chest, and close to the centre line, while the
body is pushed forward, and the head hung do^m, so as
to take as much weight as jjossible off of the hind feet.
Having noted carefully how the horse stands at rest,
the next procedure is to examine the suspected limb. If
there is unnatural heat, tenderness on pressure, or a swelling
in any part of it, the suspicion of lameness is at once verified.
But nothing of this kind may be obvious, even in cases of
incurable lameness, so the horse should next be examined
in motion.
It is far from easy to recognize all varieties of lameness
in a horse in motion; and unscrupulous dealers know many
tricks to conceal it. Thus, if one fore foot is lame, they
13
194 Diseases of the Horse,
will make the other equally so, by paring it, so that the
action of the two limbs correspond ; they will check up his
head, with a tight rein, to prevent the peculiar ^^ nodding"
motion, or dipping of the head, characteristic of a horse
lame in a front foot; or they will select a gait to show
him off which conceals his unsoundness. Again, some
varieties of lameness are visible in the gait only when a
horse begins to exercise; while other varieties only show
themselves after half an hour's use. Of this, of course,
the dishonest dealer will take advantage.
A proper examination is as follows : — •
As soon as the animal is taken from the stable, let an as-
sistant run with him at a slow trot, holding his head at only
a moderate height. It is necessary to watch him trotting
both /rom and toward the observer, for a horse lame in the
off fore leg when trotted //-om the observer seems to have the
fault in the near hind leg, as this quarter is the one seen to
ascend and descend — an error which is corrected on seeing
him approach. Another important point is to have the ani-
mal turned sharply in both directions while on the trot. The
lameness from string halt (p. 91) can often only be detected
by this motion.
When both front or both hind feet are lame, there is no
perceptible limp, but a peculiar shortness of action. Each
foot is carefully put to the ground and quickly lifted up
again. A horse lame in the fore quarter nods or dips his
head at every step ; one lame in the hind quarter drops or
jerks the croup.
Having examined the horse in a slow trot, if nothing is
discernible, but yet it is desired to push the inspection further.^
the horse should be exercised at a rapid trot or moderate
gallop for half an hour, then placed in a stall to cool off, for
twenty minutes, and then brought out again. He will then
assuredly show in his gait any splint or hock trouble that
he may have.
Examining for Lameness, 195
TO ASCERTAIN THE CATTSE OF THE LAMEITESS.
Lameness is not a disease in itself, but only the sign of a
disease or an injury. It may arise from some local disorder
in the foot, the bones of the legs or the joints ; or from some
general disease, as rheumatism, palsy, affections of the brain,
and even of the liver.
In every case of lameness where the cause is not perfectly
obvious, it is well to begin the search for it by removing the
shoe and closely examining the foot for the presence of some
of its numerous diseases, which will be shortly mentioned.
Satisfied that the cause is not in the foot, we should next pro-
ceed up the limb, carefully scrutinizing the soft parts, the
bones and the joints, for any signs of injuries, tumors, tender-
ness, swellings, or inflammation. If here, too, we are at
fault, then we should run over the general diseases of the
animal, mentioned above, which are accompanied by lame-
ness as one of their symptoms. An examination conducted
in this manner will seldom fail to result satisfactorily.
In the description of local diseases causing lameness,
which follows, we shall pursue the course here indicated, be-
ginning with diseases of the foot, and proceeding up the
limb.
As the subject of lameness is so important to all dealers in
horses, we add the following
CLASSIFICATION OF THE SYMPTOMS OF LAMENESS, AND
THEIR SIGNIFICANCE.
The symptoms have reference to the animal either, 1, at rest,
or 2, in motion. ^'' Pointing,'' it will be borne in mind, may be
only a habit; in that case one fore and one hind limb point;
but when it is indicative of lameness, only one limb points.
196 Diseases of the Ho7'se,
Symptoms when at Rest,
Symptoms, Significance,
Tore foot pomting the foot 1 Lameness of the leg.
in iront oi its leilow. j °
The fore arm extended, the ^
knee bent, the foot about > Lameness of the elbow.
on a line with its fellow. J
The limb relaxed, the knee ^
bent, the foot behind its V Lameness of the shoulder.
fellow. J
Hind foot bent "knuckling 1 Lameness of hind foot.
over,^ or on the ground, j
Hind leg in front of its fel- \ Lameness in or below the
low. / hock.
Hind feet brought well for-"^
ward under the belly; head V Lameness in both fore feet.
reared. J
Fore feet pushed back be-^
neaththe chest, head hang- > Lameness in both hind feet.
ing. J
Symptoms when in Ifotion.
Symptoms.
Head nodding or dipping. <
Croup dipping, or drop-
ping.
Foot lifted quickly, f
straight up. \
Foot swung in a half cir- C
cle, not much elevated. \
r
first.
Significance
Lameness in fore quarters.
J Lameness in hind quarters.
Lameness of foot or hock.
Lameness of elbow or
shoulder.
Side-bone, sprain of back
I sinews, sprain of suspensory-
Foot brought down toe ,. , . ■, -,.
^ y ligament, navicular diaease,
shoulder lameness, or hip
^ joint lameness.
Lameness and Founder. 197
( Founder, seedy toe, sand
Foot brought down heel j crack, ring bone, stifle joint
first. I lameness, inflammation of
I carpus, or os pedis.
Little or no lameness at (
n , ■[ , • 1 ) Splmt, sore shins, side
nrst, but increased on mo- i -, -,. ^ ,
, . I bones, disease of knee joint.
T.;r 11 . C Navicular disease, or P-roo^-
More or less lameness at ) . , ^ o o
« ^ T . .,. ,. < gmess, weed, corns, rheuma-
nrst, diimmsnmg on motion. > ° '
tism,
Little, or no lameness in r .
a straight trot, but observ- } ^j^j^J^ "' '*''''°''^ ^'"'^'
able on turning sharply. I °'
INFLAMMATION OF THE FEET— LAMINITIS—FOTINDER— FEVER IN
THE FEET.
Definition. — An inflammation of the sensitive portions of
the foot, including, at times, the laminae, the sole and the
foot bone.
Causes. — The causes of founder are numerous, and it is
not; surprising that it is one of the most common sources of
lameness. It may arise from over exertion, from gallop-
ing, or trotting on hard roads, from excessive feeding,
from drinking too much cold water when heated, from a
sudden chill, from having to stand a long time in rail-
road cars, or on ships, and from a transfer of an inflamma-
tion from some other part of the body. Horses with
heavy bodies and slim legs, and those which are very fat,
are more liable to it than others ; and animals which have
been taken from country roads and put to w^ork on hard
paved streets, very frequently suffer from an attack.
, Symptoms. — The inflammation is usually confined to one
• or ;^both fore feet. He stands with the hind legs drawn up
198 Diseases of the Horse,
under his belly, and his fore feet advanced, so as to relieve
thorn of as much weight as possible. When the inflam-
mation is active, the signs of pain are very manifest. The
animal trembles and quivers, his eyes glare, his nostrils are
dilated, he often groans with pain, and sweats moisten his
skin. Ilis pulse is full, strong and rapid, and his breathing
is quickened. He is very unwilling to move; and, if
pushed backward, will elevate his toes and throw his
weight upon his heels, by a peculiar motion, on which
some surgeons rely to diagnose the disease quickly. Some-
times he will lie down upon his side for hours together,
with his legs stretched out, evidently relieved by this
position.
If the hand is placed on the hoof and frog, they will
be found hot to the touch, and sensitive to firm pressure ;
the pastern arteries beat violently.
When the hind feet are inflamed, the fore feet are pushed
under the body, to support the weight; while the hind
ones are extended forward, so as to throw the weight
upon the heels; thus bringing all four of the feet close
together, under the belly. When compelled to move, he
takes a kind of a jump forward; but prefers to lie down,
to escape the pressure on them when standing.
Such are the characters of acute founder. But fre-
quently it is much less severe in its symptoms. In many
old and over- worked horses there is little heat or fever,
and the pain is not constant. After a day or two's work,
slight inflammation is excited, causing a lameness, which
disappears after a few days' rest, to reappear on the next
occasion. This is often mistaken for rheumatism.
In old cases, when the disease has been often repeated or
badly treated, it leaves behind it a condition known as "pu-
miced foot,'' the appearance of which is quite characteristic.
On looking at the hoof it is seen to have a number of fur-
Founder. 199
rowed, uneven or wavy ridges running around it, parallel to
the coronet. They resemble ribs or irregular rings running
together toward the front part of the foot.
Another result of acute founder is what is called "seedy
toe/' This name is applied to an inferior secretion of horny
matter at the lower margin of the foot bone, and in a small
space about the toe. The formation is of a porous, soft
character, and liable to be aggravated by dirt and gravel
entering its substance. Though not invariably producing
lameness, it is at all times liable to do so, and must be con-
sidered an unsoundness.
An affection that has been at times mistaken for acute
founder is inflammation of the muscles of the limbs, espe-
cially of the hind quarter and loin (myositis). In both dis-
eases there are stiffness, lameness and loss of power of motion.
The differences may be stated in a manner easy for compari-
son as follows :
Founder.
The horse lifts his feet from
the ground, first one then the
other.
"When the animal lies down
the pain and fever in the feet
are lessened.
Generally occurs in the
front feet.
Inflammation of the Muscles.
The horse keeps both feet
on the ground, and is unwil-
ling to move either of them.
There is no tendency to lie
down, and if cast, the symp-
toms are aggravated.
Generally occurs in the
hind quarters.
Treatment. — This, as often practiced, is far more hurtful
than beneficial. It should be an absolute rule not to give
large doses of purgative medicine. Experience has repeat-
edly shown that the irritation of the bowels thus produced
often makes the disease much worse; indeed, it is said some
cases have been brought on by an injudicious dose of the
kind, leading to inflammation of the intestine and transfer to
the feet.
200 Diseases of the Horse.
A gentle laxative is, however, in place. We may prescribe
No. 211. Powdered aloes, 2 to 4 drachms.
Bicarbonate of soda, 1 oz.
Give as a drench, in a pint of warm water.
Should there be much fever. Prof. Williams states that he
knows no treatment so effectual as aconite in repeated doses,
say 20 drops of the tincture of the root every 2 hours, in
the water, until the pulse decidedly falls. If the pain is very
severe, however, he would give first attention to this, by ad-
ministering one or two full doses of opium or morphia.
For local treatment to the foot, the most judicious is to
envelop it in a large warm poultice, or wrap it in numerous
woolen cloths and keep them wet with hot w^ater. After the
urgent symptoms have passed off, cold instead of hot appli-
cations will prove more useful.
Some writers of weight have recommended that the ani-
mal be moderately exercised during the course of the dis-
ease; but it is safe to say the majority do not favor this
course. Others, especially the old authorities, urge the im-
portance of bleeding. Certainly in the large majority of
cases this is wholly useless; and if practiced at all it should
only be in young, strong and full-blooded animals. Probably
local bleeding from the coronary arteries just above the hoof
will answer every purpose, and no doubt often does afford
prompt relief.
Pumiced foot is incurable ; but it can be greatly relieved
by fitting to the foot a bar shoe with a broad circle, thicker
at its outer edge and beveled off toward the center.
In seedy toe the diseased parts should be cut away, and
the growth of a healthy secretion stimulated by blisters and
strong liniments. The sole should be protected by bar shoes,
properly adjusted. The probability of a cure is very slight.
Lameness, 201
CORNS,
Definition. — Small swellings or tumors on the sensitive
Bole, in the triangular space between the bars and the wall at
the heel, found in the fore feet only, and almost always in
the inside heel.
Causes. — The cause of corns is almost alw^ays bad shoeing,
or wearing the shoe too long a time.
Symptoms. — Corns do not always cause lameness, though
as a rule they do. They are always sensitive to pressure,
and usually appear as tumors of a hard, horny character.
Treatment. — The shoe should be removed, and if there is
inflammation, the foot should be poulticed, and if the corns
are festered, an opening made to give vent to the pus. The
seat of the corn should be pared, care being taken not to cut
out portions of the bars or the frog. Many "corn salves"
are recommended. Mr. Chawner gives the following: —
No. 212. Tar,
Beeswax,
Honey, of each, J lb.
Glycerine, 3 oz.
Lard, J lb.
Nitric acid, 2 drachms.
Melt the lard and beeswax together, stir in the lard and other ingredi-
ents, and stir till cold.
Another corn plaster is —
No. 213. Subacetate of copper (verdigris), i^ to 1 oz.
Oil of turpentine^ 2 oz.
Yellow wax, J lb.
Melt together and apply on a piece of leather.
THRUSH, OR FRTJSH OF THE FROG.
Definition. — A diseased condition of the secretions from
the frog, commencing at the cleft and extending over the
whole of it, characterized by the discharge of a foul and fetid
material.
202 Diseases of the Horse.
Causes. — Standing in water and filth, such as wet straw
and stable refuse; frost bite; irritating applications, or ^^stop-
pings " to the feet,
S3^ptoms. — The apjDcarance of the frog, especiallv of its
cleft, and the bad odor, are characteristic. There is nearly
always tenderness on pressure, and consequent lameness.
Treatment. — Thrushes are usually easily cured. The ani-
mal should be placed in a clean stable, with a dry floor, well
littered. The seat of disease should be cleaned, the excessive
growth removed, and calomel applied, as —
Xo. 214. Calomel, ^ oz.
Sweet oil, 2 oz.
Mix, spread on a piece of lint or oakum, and insert in the cleft of the
frog, and over any other diseased parts.
The whole should be covered with a layer of wood tar, or
a leather shoe mav be used for a while with advantao^e.
Some veterinarians use caustic pastes, as this, by Mr.
Youatt :
Xo. 215. Sulphate of copper, 2 oz.
Sulphate of zinc, 1 oz.
Mix thoroughly with 2 lbs. of lard and one of tar, and every night and
morning cover it with a piece of tow, and introduce it into the cleft
of the frog.
Another is :
Xo. 216. Tar, 4 oz.
Sulphuric acid, J oz.
This to be applied on tow, as the foregoing.
Or nitric acid may take the place of the sulphuiic acid in
the formula.
CAICKER,
DefinitioiL — A diseased condition of the frog and sensi-
tive sole, resulting in an unhealthy and fetid secretion of
horny substance.
Canher of the Foot 203
Causes. — It may arise from an injury, as a prick, or the
irritation of a nail ; but at other times the cause is obscure.
S3^ptoms. — There is an abundant, ill-smelling, colorless
discharge from the frog, which is large, spongy and covered
with fungous growths, and offensively smelling, cheese-like
masses. The very disagreeable smell is attributed to the
sulphuretted hydrogen in the secretion of bone substance.
Generally, there is a gross, heavy habit of body; hence,
canker is most frequent in cart horses, with thick, round
legs and large feet.
Treatment. — Some veterinarians say that the treatment
of canker, by calomel (No. 214), is generally a successful
one. Others have not found it so, and recommend the
early removal of the whole horny sole of the foot, as the
only effectual remedy. This is performed as follows : —
The animal having been properly thrown and secured,
make a groove at the immediate junction of the sole and
wall, all around the foot, commencing at the heel. Then
divide this circle into two halves by a groove, from the
cleft of the frog to the toe. Take a sharp scalpel and cut
cleanly through these grooves, into the sensitive parts, so as
to completely separate the sole from the w^all. Strip off
one-half of the sole first, then the other, removing every
trace of the horny covering of both sole and frog. Cut
away all fungous growths, and freshen up the whole with
nitrate of silver. Pack with dry tow, bandage, and put on
a leather boot. Apply a tourniquet, moderately tight, to
the fetlock. The dressing should not be removed for two
days, when it may be done very carefully, after a thorough
soaking of the foot in warm water.
If fungous groAvths and the ill-smelling secretion still
continue, the surface must be repeatedly dressed with power-
204 Diseases of the Horse.
fill caustics, as nitrate of silver, sulphuric acid and tar
(No. 216), and the like. An efficient caustic M^ash, is: —
No. 217. Chloride of zinc, 40 grains.
Water, 1 oz.
This is known as De Morgan's solution, from the eminent
London surgeon of that name, and is unsurpassed as a wash
for fistulous and foul wounds and ulcers, which cannot well
be reached with the solid pencil of nitrate of silver, or
chloride of zinc. The solution may be syringed freely on
the part.
PTJNCTURED WOUNDS OF THE FEET— PRICKINGS, GATHERED
NAILS.
Most injuries to the feet, of this class, are caused by care-
lessness in [shoeing ; though, occasionally, a horse treads on
an upright nail, or a thorn, and brings about a lameness due
to its entrance into the sensitive portion of the hoof.
Symptoms, — The distinguishing marks of lameness from
this cause are its sudden onset, when the horse is in health,
without fever or other disease, and the intense pain. Should
the accident not receive attention, it may lead to festering
vrithin the hoof, disease of the bones of the foot, sympathetic
fever, and lockjaw.
Treatment, — The shoe should be gently removed, the
foot washed and pared, and moderate j^ressure against the
sole and wall of the hoof, all around, until some tender spot
is found. This is then to be scraped and pared, so as to re-
move any foreign body, and to give free outlet to any pus
which may have formed; and the foot then enveloped
in a large and warm poultice. After a day or two, if the
healing is delayed by proud flesh, or the continued discharge
of an unhealthy and ill-smelling matter, the wound should
be well syringed, several times daily, with a solution of car-
Various Lamenesses. 205
bollc acid : one drachm of the acid to an ounce of water ; or,
the following : —
No. 218.. Sulphate of zinc,
Sulphate of copper, of each 3 drachms.
Vinegar, ^ pint.
Mix, and use with a syring"-.
SAND CRACK.
Definition. — A crack or fissure in the wall of the hoof, be-
ginning at the coronet, and generally found in the inner quar-
ters of the fore and the toes of the hind feet.
Causes. — There is usually a defective quality of horny sub-
stance secreted in these cases. It is too brittle, and on bad
shoeing, or rapid traveling over hard roads, the wall of the
hoof splits. Sometimes this happens suddenly, but generally
the crack is of slow growth, beginning at the coronet and run-
ning downward.
Symptoms. — The appearance of the crack is characteristic ;
when the animal bears his weight on the foot it opens, and
when he lifts the foot it closes. Thus sand and dirt easily
effect a lodgment, and working into the sensitive parts, give
severe pain, and cause marked lameness. Sometimes irrita-
tive fever and local suppuration ensue.
Treatment. — When there is much inflammation, the shoe
shoul,d be removed, the edges of the crack pared, the fissure
cleansed, and hot fomentations and poultices applied. Caus-
tic should not be applied, even if there is a growth of proud
flesh, according to Prof. Williams, on account of the danger
of exciting further irritation.
When the inflammatory symptoms have abated, a bar shoe
should be applied to the foot, and the edges of the crack be
brought together and clasped, by an instrument made for the
purpose, which can be had of any surgical instrument maker.
Two or three of these may be placed up and down the
206 Diseases of the Horse.
crack* A small hole is bored with a red hot wire, to admit
the iusertion of thin hooks on each side of the crack, the
sides of which are thus firmly bound together.
Another and a simple expedient is to cut several notches
on one side of the crack, and drive a small horseshoe nail in
the wall, passing across the crack, and coming out through the
wall on its other side, where it can be firmly clinched. This
also brings the edges of the crack so closely together that no
dirt can enter, and if neatly performed, without injury to the
sensitive structures beneath, will give immediate relief, and
offer a very fair prosj)ect of a permanent cure.
Instead of these mechanical appliances, some cases will re-
cover by filling the crack, after cleansing it thoroughly, with
the following composition, and turning the horse out to grass
until a new hoof is grown.
No. 219. Beeswax,
4 oz.
Yellow resin.
2 oz.
Oil of turpentine,
loz.
Tallow,
Joz.
Melt together.
FALSE QTTARTEB.
Definition, — A large crack or gap in the coronet or wall of
the foot, showing a deficiency of the horn-making secretion
of the part, or that the secretion is unhealthy.
Causes. — The usual cause is some previous disease of the
coronary band, such as carbuncle, quittor, injury, severe frost-
bite, or the like, which has altered its structure to such a de-
gree that it can no longer perform its proper function of
secreting the material for the horny layers.
Symptoms. — Although a horse with false quarter is not
always lame, he is very apt to become so, and is esteemed
unsound by all authorities. False quarter differs from sand-
crack, both in origin and appearance ; it is much wider at the
Quittor, 207
base and contains a modified condition of horn. The coron-
ary band shows a loss of substance corresponding to that of
the wall. The space where the wall is imperfect is tender to
pressure, and requires careful shoeing and protection.
Treatment. — If there is a wound, its edges should be
freshened with the knife or caustic, and a firm bandage ap-
plied, to bring them together. Stimulating washes of carbolic
acid and water will keep the surface clean and hasten heal-
ing. In old cases little can be done besides filling up the
fissure with gutta percha, and having the horse wear a bar
shoe.
QUITTOR— FISTULA OF THE CORONET— FIBRO-CHONDRITIS OF
THE FOOT.
Definition. — Inflammation and suppuration of the fibrous
cartilage of the foot, extending by fistulous canals in various
directions, with one or more openings upon the quarters and
heels of the coronet. The name '^quittor'' is derived from
the verb to quity in the sense of to discharge, the external
opening of the fistulse being their vent or place of discharge.
Causes. — Pricks in shoeing, treads, suppurating corns, or
any other injury which leads to inflammation of the cartilage
in the hoof and the accumulation of pus inside the w^alls. ,
Symptoms. — A quittor differs from a w^ound or a recent
abscess of the coronet, by the condition of the parts, which
have taken on a peculiar unhealthy action; by the character
of the surrounding tissue, which is hard to the touch ; and
by the presence of the fistulse, or "pipes^' as they are called
by farriers.
The principal symptoms are lameness, which is often ex-
cessive ; swelling upon the coronet, about the center of which
one or more small orifices are seen, discharging a thin and
watery or a thick and curdled matter. On examining with a
208 Diseases of the Horse.
probe, tlie pipes are readily detected, leading generally in a
downward direction toward and into the foot.
Treatment. — There is a variety of ways of curing quit-
tor, and if we fail in the more mild, w^e must proceed to the
more severe, and not be deterred by fancied feelings of ten-
derness.
First, if there are heat, swelling, and excessive tenderness,
indicating an acute stage of the complaint, we must for the
time be satisfied with poulticing the foot and giving it the
utmost rest possible. The shoe should be removed, and any
puncture or inflamed corn sought out and treated as directed
under those headings.
These measures failing, the next step is to inject the fis-
tulse or pipes with caustic and strongly stimulating, injec-
tions. For this purpose we may use.
No. 220. Carbolic acid, 1 drachm.
Water 1 oz.
Or,
No. 221. Corrosive sublimate, 1 drachm.
Water 1 oz.
Nitric acid, 10 drops.
Once a day is often enough to use either of these, and it is
useless to repeat them more than half a dozen times.
• Should they fail, the next resource is what the old writers
call "coring the pipes,^' that is, burning them out with caus-
tics or the red hot iron. The former is effected by sprink-
ling about five grains of corrosive sublimate on a small
square piece of tissue paper, folding it like a plug, and in-
serting it into the pipe, w^here it is retained by means of a
bandage. In from five to seven days a circular slough will
have separated, leaving a healthy wound, which with proper
care will heal up from the bottom. The same end may be
attained by pushing a pointed iron, at white heat, to the very
bottom of the pipes, or by inserting a guarded bistoury, and
Treatment of Quittor. 209
cutting their sides freely, and then syringing them with the
stimulant above mentioned (No. 220).
If the quittor is near the front of the foot these proced-
ures must be carried out with care not to injure the joint,
which is there close to the surface.
A horse with quittor should not be worked, as it greatly
retards recovery, or renders it impossible. It is also essential
that during the cure his general system be well supported by
nourishing diet, healthy surroundings and tonic medicines,
when called for.
NAVICULAR DISEASE— CONTRACTION OF THE FOOT— (JROGGINESS.
Definition. — An inflammation of the surface of the navic-
ular bone, extending, occasionally, to its interior and to the
tendon which passes over its surface, as well as to adjacent
parts.
Causes. — This disease is said, by Prof. Williams, to be the
most fertile cause of lameness, that we know of, in high-bred
horses. For a long time its exact nature was doubtful, and
even yet there is not an entire agreement among veterinary
authorities; but the definition, above given, expresses the
most recent views. It is believed that a rheumatic constitu-
tion predisposes it; and that a bad fitting shoe, sudden and
violent exertion, and over-strain of various kinds, bring it
on. Racing and hunting horses are those most subject to it.
Symptoms. — The lameness it produces may be sudden in
its onset, or it may have been preceded by " pointing '^ of the
foot, and shortness of step. The chief signs of the disease,
are: a short, tripping gait, turning in of the heels, wearing
away of the toe of the shoe, pointing of the limb while stand-
ing, and wasting of the muscles of the shoulder — what is
called a sweeiiy (though this may arise from various other
diseases). The motion is stiff and peculiar, and once care-
14
210 Diseases of the Horse.
fullj noted, will be readily recognized. On examining the
foot it is often found hot, dry, and perhaps tender at some
points, especially on bearing firmly on the hollow of the
pastern. Tripping and stumbling are common.
As the disease progresses, a contraction of the size of the
foot always follows, which may extend to the muscles of the
fore arm and shoulder.
Treatment. — If this is commenced early, it will usually
succeed; but if postponed for several weeks, the horse is
ruined for life.
As soon as the lameness appears, and is traced to its right
source, the shoe should be removed, blood taken from
the arteries above the coronet, and the foot placed in a cold
water bath for a few hours during the day, and wrapped in
a poultice at night. No exercise should be allowed ; and if
the pulse is fast, an ounce of saltpetre should be given night
and morning, in the water. Moderate doses of aloes (about
four drachms), in a pint of water, will be of benefit.
If, after a fortnight, the disease is not conquered, a blister
should be placed around the coronet; and this not bringing
prompt relief, a seton should be put into the frog, as
follows :
If the near foot is to be operated upon, the needle should
be introduced from the frog upward; but if the off foot,
from the heel downward. The frog should be well pared,
a sharp-pointed, short, curved needle chosen, and its course
not made too deep, as the sinew might be wounded. The
point of the needle should be introduced about one inch
from the toe, and brought out midway between the bulbs of
the frog and the forward boundary of the hollow of the heel.
The ends of the ^ape are then tied together, and the seton
is dressed daily, for three weeks or a month, This will
usually be found to cure the lameness; but if it does not,
Scratches or Or ached Heels, 211
the case may be looked on as hopeless, and the most that can
be expected will be to render the horse, by care and quiet,
able to do some moderate work.
Some relief may be obtained, by the following hoof oint-
ment : —
No. 222. Tar,
Burgundy pitch,
Mutton suet, of each equal parts.
SCRATCHES— MITD FEVEE— CRACKED HEELS — ERYTHEMA OF THE
HEELS.
Definition. — An affection of the skin of the heels in horses,
considered a variety of chronic erythema, depending on altered
or suppressed secretions.
Causes. — Exposure to mud and water, melting snow, ne-
glect of grooming, constitutional predisposition. It is parti-
cularly frequent in wet, open winters.
Symptoms. — The horse is more or less lame, especially on
(Starting off in the morning. The skin of the heels is dry
and cracked, presenting upon its surface scaly crusts, the parts
swollen, and sensitive to the touch.
At times the scratches are on all four legs, and extend up
to the belly ; the horse is irritable, and some general fever is
noted. This is the form called " mud fever,'' as it is generally
brought about by the irritation of wet dirt, and lack of care.
For its prevention, it is recommended to allow the dirt to dry
on the horse, and then have it well brushed off, without the
application of water ; or if water is used to remove it, that
the legs be well bandaged immediately afterward.
Treatment. — The plan recommended by Mr. Broad, of
Bath, England, as always successful, is to groom carefully, give
walking exercise, and apply to the parts, once or twice daily,
the following : —
No. 223. Solution of subacetate of lead, 1 oz.
Glycerine, 8 oz.
Mix, and apply to the parts.
212 Diseases of the Horse.
Sometimes the system needs to be strengthened by extra
diet and tonics. And if the case seems very obstinate, the
part is to be penciled over with nitrate of silver solution.
No. 224. Nitrate of silver, 1 drachm.
Water, 1 oz.
For a local application.
Or a mild blister is to be applied, and the system generally
altered, by the administration of Fowler's solution of arsenic^
in the usual dose, for a few days.
Other useful preparations arc
No. 225. Powdered alum, 2 drachms.
Sulphate of zinc. 20 grains.
Water, 1 pint.
Wash the cracks well with this, and dress with petroleum ointment*
No. 226. Acetate of lead,
Sulphate of copper, of each ^ oz.
Mix in a pint of water, for the same purpose as the last.
When the inflammation is considerable, it may have tc be
reduced by poulticing ; the irritation and sensitiveness which
remain can then be reduced by the following : —
No. 227 Acetate of lead.
Oxide of zinc, each ^ oz.
Lard, 3 or 4 oz.
To be applied after the part has been well washed
GREASE— ECZEMA OF THE HEELS.
Definition. — An inflammation of the skin at the back of
the heels and fetlocks, with a formation of vesicles and pus-
tules, yielding a fetid, watery discharge.
Causes. — Negligent grooming, exposure to cold and wet
in standing, together with a constitutional tendency, or a low
condition. Grease is scarcely ever met with in vigorous
horses which are well cared for.
Symptoms. — There is an inflamed appearance of the skin,
the surface dotted with small blisters and pustules, pouring
Treatment of Grease, 213
out a discharge of ill-smelling matter, often considerable in
quantity. The limb is swollen and tender, and fever may be
present. The hind limbs are more frequently affected than
the fore ones. The hairs are matted together, and masses of
proud flesh spring from the unhealthy sores, forming rounded
bunches, which, from their imagined resemblance to the fruit,
are called by farriers '^grapes.^^ Closer examination may dis-
cover various parasites in these masses, and around the hairs.
The main point of difference between grease and scratches
is that the former is a moist, and the latter a dry disease of
the skin (though irritation and ulceration of the cracks, in
scratches, may sometimes deceive the hasty observer).
Treatment. — As the disease is very often owing to the
poor condition of the animal, he should have an entire
change of diet, should be comfortably housed and clothed,
and given, once a week, a moderate dose of aloes (4 to 6
drachms in a pint of water). An ounce of saltpetre should
be placed daily in his bucket of water.
Locally the parts should be kept clean by gentle bathing
in tepid water, and dusting with dry oxide of zinc (flowers
of zinc) ; or by bathing with the following, which is highly
recommended by Prof. Dick in the early stages of the dis-
ease : —
No. 228. Acetate of lead, 1 oz.
Sulphate of zinc, ^ oz.
Water, 1 pint.
Mix and apply twice daily, after cleaning the parts with warm soap
and water.
For the "grapes'^ Prof. Dick recommends sprinkling them
with powdered sulphate of zinc. Others clip them off with
scissors ; or fasten a tight ligature around their bases and let
them slough off; or remove them with an actual cautery.
For the unpleasant odor of the discharge, a lotion made
of one part of carbolic acid to ten or twelve parts of water
will prove effectual. Prof. 6ramgee recommends, as an excel-
lent preparation —
214 Diseases of the Horse,
No. 229. Tar, 4 oz. ^
Nitric acid, sufficient.
Pour the nitric acid on the tar, rapidly stirring the mixture until
active effervescence ensues. For a local application.
Another preparation which he praises for the same trou-
ble is —
No. 230. Nitrate of potash,
Oil of turpentine,
Sulphuric acid, each, 2 oz.
Vinegar, 1 pint.
Mix together, and then add as much sulphate of copper as it will dis-
solve, and apply locally.
For the bad odor a chloride of lime ointment is effect-
ual—
No. 231. Chloride of lime, 3 to 6 ozs.
Lard, 1 lb.
Mix and apply to the parts. This also has the advantage, in summer,
of keeping the flies away from the excoriations.
An American authority recommends —
No. 232. Sulphate of copper, 1 oz.
Water,
Whisky, of each, 1 pint.
Dissolve the vitriol in the water, then add the whisky. Apply three
times a day, bandaging the part afterward.
Inflammation of the Bones, 215
CHAPTER YIII.
DISEASES OF THE LEG.
Inflammation of the Bones.
Sore Shins — Inflammation of the Metacarpal Bones,
Splints or Splents.
Ring Bones.
Bog Spavin — Blood Spavin — Inflammation of the Hock
Joint.
Bone Spavin.
Thorough-Pin,
Capped Hock,
Side Bones,
INFLAMMATION OF THE BONES— OSTITIS -PERIOSTITIS.
The bones of the leg, and their covering, called the ^^ peri-
osteum,^' are liable to become inflamed, and to lead to sever-
al varieties of lameness, which we shall examine in order.
INFLAMMATION OF THE METACAEPAL BONES— SORE SHINS.
This form of inflammation of the bones affects young
horses, particularly race horses under four years old, and is
due to the fact that they are so often violently overworked.
Symptoms. — Lameness of the leg ; swellings of an elastic,
tense and doughy feeling over the shin bone ; tenderness and
heat on pressure; sometimes slight general fever. The
swelling may become very prominent, and tend to break ex-
ternally, but it always preserves its elastic feel ; or, it may
remain small and gradually become quite hard, changing
into bony matter, and the pain disappears.
Treatment. — If the swelling is decided and the pain
severe, a narrow-bladed bistoury should be introduced be-
neath the skin, and the periosteum freely cut, so as to allow
216 Diseases of the Horse,
its contents to escape. This is to be followed by warm and
soothing fomentations, as hot water containing a tablespoon-
ful of laudanum to the pint; later by cold water dressing,
and if healing is not prompt a blister should be applied to
the part.
With this, the constitutional treatment should not be neg-
lected. A smart purgative is required, followed by small,
repeated doses of aconite (twenty drops of the tincture of the
root three or four times a day), low diet, and the animal
kept as quiet as possible.
In the less severe forms incisions are not called for, and
the cold applications may be employed from the outset, suc-
ceeded by blisters, if needed.
SPLINTS OR SPLEKTS.
These arise from another form of inflammation of the
metacarpal bones. They are usually found upon the inner
surface of the leg, at the upper third of the bone. They
are a bony growth, the result of slight inflammation.
Although w^hen single and small they may exist without
causing lameness, their presence may be considered a mark
of unsoundnesss.
In regard to their causes, it is said that they are frequent-
ly hereditary, and are at other times developed by a long
continued moderate gait, from concussions and bruises.
Slightly built horses are most subject to them.
The peculiarities of lameness from splints are: (1) The
horse is often quite young (2) A splint-lame horse will
show it little or none in his walk, but in a marked manner in
his trot, the drop of the head upon the sound side being
very great. (3) The knee does not bend readily. (4) The
lameness increases the longer he is kept in motion. (5) Ten-
derness on firm pressure over the seat of the splint.
Their presence may usually be recognized by running the
Treatment of Splint 217
finger down the slight groove formed between the main
shank bone and the smaller one behind, where they will be
felt as small, bony swellings.
Treatment. — In new and acute cases, with decided swell-
ing and tenderness, a sharp scalpel should be inserted be-
neath the skin, and the sheath of the bone freely divided.
A seton may be placed over the spot, an active purgative
administered, and the part thoroughly fomented.
If these measures fail, it is well to fire the part as recom-
mended on page 64.
After an apparent cure the lameness may return, in which
case it is best to take the shoes off, turn the animal into pas-
ture, and give him a long rest.
A writer in the London Lancet has given the following as
a useful liniment in splint : —
No. 233. Oil of origanum,
Oil of turpentine, each 1 oz.
Alcohol, ^ oz.
To be applied night and morning, for a few days at a time.
RING BONES.
These are deposits of bony matter above and below the
coronet. They are produced by heavy work in draught
horses, or by rheumatic disease.
Lameness may not be present, although when inflamma-
tion is active, it may be extreme. The lameness is worse on
hard ground, and usually increases with exercise. Swelling
may be scarcely perceptible, and confined to the sides of the
pastern bone, or it may be an extreme enlargement of the
whole region. Forcible bending of the pastern causes pain,
as does also firm pressure on the swelling.
Treatment. — Active inflammation, when present, should
be treated as heretofore described. When this is absent, the
treatment is chiefly mechanical. When the ring bone is in
218 Diseases of the Horse.
the fore leg the horse puts the heel down first ; in this case
a thin-heeled bar shoe should be used. If, on the other
hand, he puts the toe down first and endeavors to walk on it,
this shows that the ring bone is in the hind limb and on the
sides or back of the pastern. He should then wear a high-
heeled shoe.
INFLAMMATION OF THE HOCK JOINT— BOG SPAVIN — BLOOD
SPAVIN.
The hock joint in the horse corresponds to the ankle joint
in man, and is subject to a class of diseases called spavins.
Of these, bog-spavin is the result of inflammation of the
structures of the joint. It is, in its acute forms, a tense fluc-
tuating swelling, accompanied by heat and tenderness, and
producing decided lameness. In a more chronic form it
seems to be but a dropsical swelling of the joint, and may exist
without apparently interfering wdth the gait.
The tendency in the acute form is toward ulceration of
the cartilage of the joint, and a consequent permanent stiffen-
ing of its motions. In chronic spavin, which is usually of a
rheumatic character, there is a slow depositing of bony sub-
stance in and around the joint, which also leads to perma-
nent impairment of the functions.
Blood spavin is strictly a distention of one or more of the
veins in the neighborhood of the hock, caused by the pressure
of the swelling impeding the flow of the blood.
Treatment. — The treatment of acute spavin should be by
liberal doses of opium, to relieve pain, placing the horse in
the slings to take the pressure off the joint, fomenting this
with hot w^ater, giving a moderate dose of aloes, and adding
an ounce of saltpetre to the w^ater, morning and night.
As soon as these measures have conquered the inflamma-
tion, setons and blisters to the hock, and rubbing it freely
with ointment of iodide of mercury (No. 162), will prevent
the remaining lameness.
On Spavin. 219
"WTien in chronic cases there is considerable deposit of
water around the joint, blisters, setons and firing will often
lessen it. But when the bony deposits are once formed, there
are no means at our command to remove them. As a blis-
tering liniment in chronic cases, we may use —
No. 234. Mercurial ointment, 2 oz.
Oil of cantharides, 4 drachms.
Mix and use locally.
The oil of cantharides, which is preferred by some veteri-
narians to other forms of Spanish flies, is made thus : —
No, 235. Powdered flies, 1 oz.
Olive oil, 8 oz.
Digest in a water bath for three hours, and filter.
It is an efficient stimulating liniment.
BONE SPAVIN.
Definition. — A bony growth on the inner and lower side
of the hock, arising from inflammation of the adjacent bones
(the cuneiform and metatarsal), terminating generally in a
bony union between two or more bones of the hock, and thus
creating a permanent unsoundness.
Causes. — These are defined to be hereditary and constitu-
tional. All writers agree that bone spavin is transmitted from
sires and dams to colts. Local exciting causes are sprains of
the lio^aments, and the use of shoes with hio;h heels or calks.
Blows, it is believed by the best surgeons, do not cause
spavin, in spite of w^hat certain horse breeders have main-
tained to the contrary.
S3^ptomSi — Spavins do not always cause lameness, but
it is almost impossible to say which ones are not liable to
develop it. As a rule, those in front of the hock are most
feared. The lameness is, as a rule, removable in young
horses, but incurable in those past their prime. Yet one
which has existed for a number of years without producing
220 Diseases of the Horse,
serious trouble with the gait, will, as a rule, never do so.
There is always a certain stiffness about a spavined horse,
which is observable to an experienced eye, although it is
often so slight as to pass undetected by ordinary witnesses.
Treatment. — The treatment for recent cases is the same as
that directed for other inflammations in the foot and neigh-
borhood.
When the acute symptoms have subsided, blistering or
firino^, or the insertion of a seton is called for. Various
stimulating oils, and the like applications, are used for a
similar object, as —
No. 236. Oil of turpentine, 12 parts.
Corrosive sublimate, 1 part.
Mix for a resolvent ointment
The objection to corrosive sublimate is that it blemishes.
No. 237. Mercurial ointment, 4 oz.
Powdered cantharides, ^ oz.
Oil of rosemary, 2 drachms.
Thoroughly and frequently rubbing the part with oleate of
mercury (referred to under Rheumatism, p. 181), will dis-
sipate as much of tlie swelling as has not become bone.
Firing has often been used with success in very obstinate
cases; and of all our resources, it is the one on which most
confidence can be placed. The objection to it is that it
blemishes; but any severe caustic application may do the
same; and by the use of Prof. Williams' firing iron, pre-
viously described (page 65), this objection is largely re-
moved.
Setons are next in value, if not fully equal ; and if skill-
fully inserted, leave little mark. They should be passed be-
neath a considerable tract of skin, covering the site of the
spavin, and the tape anointed with one of the stimulant pre-
parations mentioned in Part First (p. 64).
Before using any of these external remedies, it is good
Spavin and TJior^ough-pin. 221
practice to insert under the skin a narrow-bladed bistoury,
and scarify the site of the spavin freely; and during the
treatment, which on an average will be two months, the
horse should be stabled and used very little.
THOROUGHPIN.
Definition. — A dropsicai enlargement of the sheath of the
tendon which passes along the upper and posterior side of
the hock joint (synovial eifusion in the bursa of the flexor
pedis perforans muscle). The disease receives its name be-
cause the fluid which fills it may by pressure be forced from
one side of the hock to the other. There is really no con-
nection between the joint of the hock and the sheath of the
tendon. Thorough-pin is a dropsical eifusion in the latter;
bog spavin is a similar effusion in the former.
Causes. — Thorough-pin is usually found in short, fleshy
horses, and those which have heavy loads to start, thus strain-
ing the tendon of the perforating muscle.
S3^ptoms. — The distinctions pointed out in the definition
of the disease will serve to distinguish it from bog spavin,
which is the only disease with which it is liable to be con-
founded.
Treatment. — The horse should wear a shoe with high
heels, and a spring truss be applied to the swelling, exerting
upon it steady compression.
A more active plan, recommended by some, is to make a
free puncture at the most dependent part of the swelling, and
allow the whole of the fluid to drain off, keeping the punc-
ture open for several days. Meanwhile the sack should be
injected with a mild solution of sulphate of zinc (ten grains
to the ounce of water), or with dilute tincture of iodine.
No. 238. Tincture of iodine, 1 drachm.
Whisky, 1 oz.
Inject one or two teaspoon fuls.
222 Diseases of the Horse.
Tlie walls of the sack should then be brought into close
contact by a firm flannel bandage, and the horse be rested
for a week.
Other surgeons use a resolvent ointment, as
No. 239. Biniodide of mercury, 1 part.
Neats-foot oil, 7 parts.
Eub well together, and apply by gentle friction every day, until the
skin is inflamed.
CAPPED HOCK.
Definition. — A swelling on and around the point of the
hock, caused either by an effusion into the tendon of the gas-
trocnemius muscle — Synovial Capped Hock — or into the
loose tissue between that tendon and the skin — ^Serous Capped
Hock.
Causes. — Both these forms of capped hock generally pro-
ceed from kicking and striking the point of the hock against
some hard object, and are indicative of a vicious temj)er as
well as of an unsound horse. The synovial form causes
lameness, but the serous form does not necessarily do so.
Treatment. — The serous form can generally be cured by
blistering and applying firm presssure with a strong elastic
bandage. The synovial form must be managed in the same
manner laid down for thorough-pin, it being a disorder of a
etrictly similar nature.
SIDE BONES.
Definition. — A change to a bony substance, taking place in
the lateral cartilages of the fore feet.
Causes. — This change is usually found in heavy draught
horses, and is attributed to the over expansion of the car-
tilages from the great weight of the animal, added to a he-
reditary tendency, and shoeing with high calks.
Side Bones. 223
Symptoms. — Lameness is not invariably present, but the
action of the horse is ^'stilty f the feet are contracted, altered
in form, flat or convex in the sole, and weak in the heels.
The presence of the side bones may be detected by pressing
upon the cartilages ; when in health these are yielding and
elastic, but when ossified they lose this character and are
hard, enlarged and unyielding.
The lameness of side bones differs from that caused by
rino: bones. In side bone lameness the toe of the foot is first
brought to the ground ; when both feet are involved, there
are a shortness of step and a want of elasticity in the action,
resembling that of "grogginess" (p. 209).
Treatment. — This must be by the use of the bar shoe ;
rest to the limb ; counter-irritation by blisters and firing.
Removal of the cartilages with the knife has been tried in
France, but without satisfactory results.
224 Diseases of the Horse.
CHAPTER IX.
WOUNDS AND IIs'JURIES, AND THEIR RESULTS.
The General Treatment of WouTids; To check bleeding; Clean-
ing the wound; Restoring the position of the parts; To pre-
vent inflammation.
Sprains or Strains.
Strains of the shoulder and leg ; Rheumatic joint ; Sprain of
the flexor muscles ; Shoulder Slip ; Sprain of the hack sin-
ews, or flexor tendons.
Injuries of the Foot and Lower Leg ; Interfering ; Over-
reach; Tread, or Calking; Speedy cut; Brushing,
Wounds of the Knees — Broken Knees.
Elbow Sprain — Elbow Lameness.
Breaking Down — Strain or Rupture of the Suspensory Liga-
ments.
Wind-galls.
Curb — Sprain of the Calcaneo-cuboid Ligaments,
Poll Evil.
Fistulous Withers.
Rotten Bone — Necrosis and Caries of Bones.
Frostbite,
Burns and Scalds,
Stings and Bites.
Hernia — Rupture — Burst,
Choking,
THE GENERAL TREATMENT OF WOUNDS.
Whatever form of wound we are called upon to treat, we
should proceed to attend to four points to wit :
1. To stop the bleeding, if any.
2. To wash and clean the wound thoroughly.
Treatment of Wounds. 225
3. To bring the parts as near as possible into their natural
positions, and keep them tliere.
4. To guard against excessive inflammation.
The means we have to accomplish these results are as fol-
lows : —
1. To Chech Bleeding. — If the blood is bright red, and
flows in spurts or jets, an artery has been cut. Its open end
must be sought for, seized with the forceps, drawn out a little
and tied with a thread. A little practice will enable any one
to do this with great ease.
If the flow is steady and of dark blood, it need cause no
anxiety. Bathing the part in alum water (1 oz. of alum, in
powder, to a pint of water), rubbing it with a piece of ice, or
sponging it with clean water will quickly check it.
2. Cleaning the Wound. — This is best done by pouring
water on it from a height, not rubbing it with sponges or
rags. Pieces of hair, dirt, etc., can be picked out with the
forceps. Nothing is so useful for a cleansing wash as a weak
solution of carbolic acid, one or two ounces of tlie acid to a
gallon of water.
3. Restoring the Position of the Parts. — The edges of a cut
wound should be carefully brought together and sewed or held
by sticking plaster. A broken bone should be replaced in
its natural position and held there by splints. Strong curved
surgical needles should be in the outfit of every stock owner,
and he should practice their use on the dead animal. Where
they are not convenient, the edges of a wound may be held
together by inserting a strong pin and a twisted suture, as
shown on page 67.
The sutm-es are generally removed on the fifth or sixth
day.
As to local applications, after the wound is thus put up,
they are to be found in any quantity. Some good surgeons
15
226 Diseases of the Horse.
advocate nothing but a dry bandage; others a wet one,
moistened with cold or hot water, carbolic acid water, crea-
sote and water, *tar, petroleum solution of borax, and many
other substances. Wet clay has been praised. And there
are a great many ointments, balsams, oils, etc.
Whisky and water, equal parts, either simple or contain-
ing one grain of corrosive sublimate to the pint, is an excel-
lent dressing.
4. To Prevent Inflammation. The older surgeons had a
great fear of ^'wound fever," and to prevent it were wont to
bleed and starve their patients after an injury. This notion
has long since disappeared from human surgery, but still
holds its grounds with some veterinarians. It is a pernicious
error.
All that is needed to prevent too violent reaction after a
wound — and that is what was meant by wound fever — is to
keep the animal quiet, and if feverish symptoms appear, to
put an ounce of saltpetre in the drink, night and morning,
and administer a gentle purge. If there is much pain, noth-
ing equals a full dose of opium, either in the shape of lauda-
num by the mouth or of morpliia beneath the skin.
The dressings on the wound should be neatly and com-
fortably applied, and then not often changed. Cloths wet
with weak carbolic acid water two or three times a day are
never approached by flies or maggots, a point that must al-
ways be watched in the lower animals.
Often the wound is not seen for purposes of treatment
until days after it has occurred, and after it has become foul,
ulcerous, bad smelling, with ragged edges and perhaps filled
with mao;p;ots.
Here the first step Is to clean and disinfect it thoroughly.
To kill the maggots it may be freely sprinkled with calomel.
This will penetrate into the recesses of the wound and
destroy them promptly. Ragged edges and pieces of dead
Treatment of Wounds. 227
skin should be cut away, loose shreds removed with the
scissors, and the wound washed by pouring warm water on it
from a height. When in this manner it is w^ell cleaned it
should be thoroughly swabbed with a feather, or a piece of
tow on the end of a stick, with a disinfecting and stimulating
lotion, in which also pieces of tow, lint or rag should be wet
and laid in and over the wound ; the whole to be covered
by a bandage wet with the same. The wetting should be
repeated two or three times a day, but the bandage need not
be removed as long as the part appears progressing favorably
and the animal is comfortable.
Of such disinfecting and stimulating lotions we shall give
a number of formulas, so that when the ingredients of one
are not convenient another may be chosen : —
No. 240.
Alcohol or whisky,
Corrosive sublimate,
1 pint,
1 grain.
No. 241.
Carbolic acid.
Water,
2 drachms,
1 pint.
No. 242.
Powdered alum.
Sugar of lead.
Water,
i oz,
1 oz.
Ipt.
No. 243.
Hydrate of chloral,
Water,
n oz.
ipt.
A very excellent application.
No. 244.
Creasote,
Water,
1 drachm,
Iqt.
No. 245.
Chloride of zinc,
Water,
1 drachm,
1 qt.
No. 246.
Tar,
Boiling water,
^pt.
1 gal.
Crude petroleum is an excellent application also.
228 Diseases of the Horse.
tSPRAINS OR STRAINS.
Definition. — Stretching of a muscle, sinew or cartilage, with
rupture or other injury to some of its fibres.
Causes. — Sprains may arise from sudden violent exertion,
or long continued slight overtasking of the parts. They are
common in the horse, which is so frequently set to work
above his powers; and they cause a number of lamenesses, of
frequent recurrence.
Symptoms. — Strains are always followed by more or less
inflammation, characterized by pain and tenderness, heat and
swelling in and around the part strained. Unless relieved
by proper measures, this condition is very liable to lead to
one of atrophy or withering in the part, a form of unsound-
ness which is familiarly known in the horse as a sweeny,
from the German word schwrnden, to grow less, to disappear,
Treatment. — The general line of treatment in sprains and
strains may be stated as follows : (1) Give the part rest;
(2) Reduce the early inflammation by cold or hot water fo-
mentations, cooling lotions, etc. (3) Firm and steady pres-
sure by bandages, to prevent "bagging'' (serous infiltration) ;
(4) Counter-irritations and gentle but regular use, to prevent
stiffness and sweeny.
In carrying these principles out we may use, to reduce in-
flammation, either plain cold or quite hot water, whichever
gives most relief. Or we can employ some of the many
evaporating and refrigerant lotions which have been suggest-
ed, as, for example —
No. 247. Sal ammoniac, 1 o«.
Nitrate of potash, 2 oz.
Water, 1 pint.
Mix and use as soon as it is made.
No. 248. Acetate of lead, 1 oz.
Vinegar,
Water, each, 1 pint.
An efficient, cheap and useful lotion.
Treatment of Sprains, 229
No. 249. Spirits of camphor, 1 oz.
Vinegar, 4 oz.
Water, 1 pt.
Also cheap and effective.
No. 250. Tincture of arnica. ^ oz.
Water, 1 pt.
A very popular lotion. Eminent surgeons, however, doubt whether
the good effect is not owing to the alcohol in the tincture rather
than the arnica.
After the inflammation has subsided there are almost always
stiffness, swelling and pain on motion of the j^art, often very
slow to disperse, and particularly so in old patients. A host
of substances are used for rubbing and irritating the surface,
in order to stimulate the vessels and bring about the absorp-
tion of the effusion. As among the most effective of these,
we mention olcate of mercury y already described (see page
181), and the ointments of the iodide of mercury (No.
162), and of iodine (No. 81). Any one of these dili-
gently and persistently used will generally dissipate the
swelling.
Others of value are the two following, recommended by
Mr. Dun : —
No. 251. Mercurial ointment, 2 oz.
Camphor, 1 drachm.
Oil of tar,
Linseed oil, each 4 oz.
No. 252. Mercurial ointment, 2 oz.
Creasote, 1 drachm.
Solution of ammonia, 2 oz.
Linseed oil, 6 oz.
Mr. Gamgee speaks favorably of —
No. 253. Iodine, ^ oz.
Glycerine,
Mercurial ointment, each 2 oz.
Olive oil, 6 oz.
All of the above are excellent combinations, useful not
only in the swellings from old sprains and strains, but in
those from chronic rheumatism, scrofulous enlarged glandi?
230 Diseases of the Horse,
(as in tlie slow form of strangles, goitre, etc.), and the late re-
sults of inflammation of the udder, in weed, etc.
To those we may add —
No. 254. Oil of turpentine, 1 oz.
Spirits of camphor, 2 oz.
Specially recommended for pains in the shoulder, threatened with
sweeny.
No. 255. Iodine, 1 oz.
Soap liniment, 12 oz.
For callous swellings after bruises, and chronic glandular enlarge-
ments.
STRAINS OF THE SHOTTLDER AND LEG.
Lameness which has its seat in the shoulder joint may be
owing to three different conditions.
1st. Rheumatism or injury in the joint.
2d. Strain of the back or flexor muscles.
3d. Shoulder slip.
We shall proceed to consider briefly each of these.
1st Rheumatism or Injury in the Joint
This is what is generally meant by the term " shoulder
lameness.'' The gait of the horse reveals the seat of the dis-
ease at once to a practiced eye. He does not carry his limb
straight forward, but with a circular or swinging motion, the
foot being thrown outward^ so that the toe is made to describe
the arc of a circle. Sometimes the toe is dragged along the
ground, pain in lifting the foot being characteristic of shoul-
der and knee lameness, while pain in putting it down is char-
acteristic of foot lamenesses.
If when the horse is at rest the limb be moved backward
and forward, he will shrink and show distinctly the hurt he
feels. Sometimes swelling and heat about the joint can be
discovered.
2d Sprain of the Flexor Muscle.
This is the muscle which lifts and advances the limb, and
sprains and Strains, 231
it is quite common for it to suffer from over exertion. It
will be found swollen and tender along its whole course.
Such an accident is especially common in plough horses, and
is nearly always on the offside, because the limbs and shoul-
ders are thrown into an irrregular position by walking in the
furrow.' Such horses will work on the road without any
lameness, but will show it as soon as they -are put to the
plough.
3. Shoulder Slip,
By this is meant a peculiar outward slipping movement of
the shoulder joint at each step the animal takes when the foot
of the lame limb is upon the ground, and the opposite one
lifted. It might be supposed that each step threw the
shoulder out of joint. But this is not the case. The cause
of the trouble is the relaxation of the muscles which usually
hold the bone firmly into the cavity of the joint (those mus-
cles called by anatomists the anterior spinatus, the posterior
spinatus, and i\\Q external round muscle). This allows the
bone to slip around loosely, spoils the gait, and is liable to be
followed by sweeny.
Treatment. — The management of these injuries must be
on the general principles laid down for sprains. When re-
cent, and when inflammation is present, the horse should be
slung, and the part treated Vvdth cold or hot fomentations.
Generally, however, a more important question is what to
do with such cases in their chronic stage, when they are of
long standing. Some horse doctors claim vast skill in their
treatment of sweeny, their process always being a profound
mystery.
The best books on the subject do not have other recom-
mendation for the restoration of the muscles when wasted
than the repeated applications of moderately stimulating lini-
232 Diseases of the Horse.
ments, and mild blisters, and a long period of rest in the
barn-yard or at grass.
There are two agents, however, worth trying : The one is the
hypodermic injection of strychnia, one-half to one grain daily,
immediately over the "sweenied" muscle; and the other the
steady and intelligent use of electricity. "When the animal
is a valuable one, it will pay to have one or both these
measures carried out by a skillful person.
SPRAIN OF TEE BACK SINEWS, OR FLEXOR TENDONS.
This strain or diseased condition of the back sinews is gen-
erally seen in cart horses and others required to pull heavy
loads. It is a very common variety of lameness. The
sinew becomes sw^ollen, tender, enlarged and a little shortened,
so that the horse stands on his toes and cannot put his heels
to the ground. The leg is held stiff and upright and the toe
dug into the ground.
The treatment required is a high-heeled shoe, with rest,
and stimulating liniments. In old cases, where there is much
shortening, the sinew may be divided beneath the skin, by
the operation called tenotomy. To perform this requires a
close knowledge of the anatomy of the parts, to avoid wound-
ing the artery, so that it had better be left to the professional
veterinarian. '
INJURIES OF THE FOOT AND LOWER LEG.
Interfering. — This is an injury of the fetlock, caused by a
blow by the opposite fo.,t. It is commonly seen in young
and awkward, or else ill-shod horses, and can generally be
prevented by judicious shoeing and protecting the fetlock
with a piece of leather.
An Overreach is an injury to the coronet of the fore foot
by the shoe of the hind foot. It, too, is often owing to im-
Wounds and Injuries. 233
proper shoeing, but some horses, when traveling at a rapid
gait, are liable to the accident, although well shod.
A Tread or Calking is a wound upon the coronet by the
shoe of another foot of the same animal ; or by the foot of
another animal when crowded together, as at fairr, in rail-
road cars, etc. It is liable to bring on quittor, and thus
cause serious damage.
A Speedy Cut is a contusion on the fore leg, either above
or below the knee joint. It generally occurs when the horse
is 23ushed to considerable speed, and is a dangerous accident
to both horse and rider, as the animal is apt to fall down
suddenly, from the violence of the pain. It can sometimes
be prevented by careful shoeing, but this does not succeed
with some horses. In such it constitues, in law, an unsound-
ness.
Brushing is caused by the shoe of one foot striking against
the fetlock. It is generally in the hind limbs, and in
young horses or those exhausted and out of condition. The
remedy Is to use preventive shoes, according to the nature of
the injury.
Most of these injuries may be lessened or prevented by a
scientific manner of shoeing, for which no specific directions
can be well given, as the form and manner of fastening the
shoe must vary with the particular foot and the particular
nature of the injury. As for the treatment of the latter it-
self, it will be in accordance with the general treatment of
wounds and Injuries as laid down on pp. 225, etc.
WOUNDS OF THE KNEES— BROKEN KNEES.
Any Injury whatever to the knee of a horse may have dis-
astrous results, and should be closely watched; nor should
a purchaser accept as sound an animal that is scarred or at
all swollen at the knees. All careful horsemen give the
closest attention to such injuries, and treat them as follows :
234 Diseases of the Horse.
1. When the skin is bruised but not cut. — Tie up the ani-
mal's head so that he cannot lie clown ; sponge the knee re-
peatedly with a cooling lotion (No. 247): if there is much
swelling give a purge.
2. When the skin is cut. — Clean the wound very carefully,
by repeated w^ashing, and if needed a poultice, then clip the
hair around it, and fasten the edges together with sticking
plaster, and bandage lightly. Never stitch or pin a knee
wound. Stitches will not hold and always blemish.
3. When the sheath of the sinew is torn open. — The swell-
ing is generally very considerable, but the wound appears
worse than it will prove to be if careful treatment is used.
Tie the horse up, clean and fasten the parts together, as above
directed, give a brisk purge, use saltpetre daily in the water,
and when the wound is healing hasten absorption by stimu-
lating liniments. If the wound becomes unhealthy, syringe
it with Aveak carbolic acid water (one drachm to the pint).
4. When the sinew is torn and the joint opened. — A w^ound
of this severity will either kill the horse, from the fever,
suppuration and exhaustion which are certain to follow; or,
if he recovers from these, will leave him with a stiiF joint
and lame for life. It is only in exceptional cases, therefore,
that it is worth while to try to save him. He should be
treated as last described, with the addition of strong tonics,
to keep up his strength.
ELBOW LAMENESS, ELBOW SPRAIN.
A lameness which arises from a disease of the elbow joint
or a sprain of its ligaments, shows itself by a half-bent
position of the limb while the horse is standing; unwilling-
ness to lift the foot far from the ground ; and an excessive
dropping or nodding of the head and shoulders when in
motion.
The cause of a sprain at this point is usually the horse's
Strains and Sprains. 235
fore leg slipjiing outward or forward on the ground, in frosty
weather. The usual signs of inflammation may generally
be discovered around the elbow, on examination.
BEEAZn^G DOWN-STRAIF OF THE SUSPENSORY LIGAMEITr.
The suspensory ligament is at the back part of the knee,
and passes down to the foot. Its strain usually takes place in
young, fast horses who are speeded beyond their powers.
When it comes on suddenly, with actual tearing of the liga-
ments, the horse at once becomes excessively, and often per-
manently, lame, and the injury is called " breaking down."
It may also appear gradually, and then, if taken in time, a
few months' rest and the ordinary treatment will restore the
parts to their original strength.
The lameness, when from " breaking down," appears sud-
denly, in either the fore or kind leg ; there is intense pain,
heat and swelling, the horse turns up his toes, and there is a
falling of the fetlock pads. ,He stands on his fetlocks, as it
were, the toe being turned up and the sole looking forward.
The same symptoms, in a much milder form, mark the slower
and insidious form of the injury.
WINDGALLS.
Definition. — Dropsy of the bursa of the sesamoid bones at
the back part of the fetlock, or inflammation of the bones
themselves, with effusion.
This injury shows itself when it is in the form of wind-
galls, as soft, puffy swellings about the size of a hickory nut,
to the back and sides of the fetlock. They are not consid-
ered an unsoundness, as they can generally be dispersed by a
stimulating liniment and wearing a high-heeled shoe. Or
the swelling may be opened, the fluid allowed to escape, and
the sac mjected, as reconmaended for bog spavin, page 219.
236 Diseases of the Horse,
Bat there is a hard variety of windgall, where the small
" sesamoid ^^ bones themselves are inflamed, and this is a more
serious matter. The horse is then lame, going on his toe,
and there is heat and and swelling at the back of the fetlock.
The swelling is lense and hard, quite different from the
"boggy" feel of common windgall.
For the relief of the latter, it is recommended to place the
animal in slings, and to bathe the part steadily with cold
water ; when the tenderness lessens, give him rest, and let
him for a long time wear only high-heeled shoes.
CURB.
Definition. — A sprain of one of the ligaments of the foot
(the calcaneo-cuboid ligament).
Symptoms. — Curb presents itself in some instances as a
small, hard nodule upon the lower part of the back portion
of the hock. In others it is an elastic, moderately soft, but
firm and easily seen protuberance on the back of the hock,
four to five inches below the point of the heel bone (os calcis).
Hocks which are bent over are most liable to curb.
The lameness curb produces is marked by difficulty in ex-
tending the hock, and in some severe cases by the animal
keeping the limb elevated so as to relax the ligaments.
Treatment. — The shoe should have a high heel, and the
part be placed at rest and treated with cold water and cool-
ing lotions as long as any inflammation remains, as evidenced
by heat and tenderness.
"When this has disappeared, it will often be found that
the swelling remains in a chronic condition. To induce its
absorption, steady friction with an absorbent ointment is
usually successful, as —
ITo. 256. Biniodide of mercury, ] drachm.
Lard, 1 ,oz.
Oiirb and Poll Evil 237
After cutting the hair over the swelling, a little of this
may be rubbed in every night, until a free watery discharge
is produced on the surface. The leg should be fomented with
hot water, to encourage the flow, and if after a week's time
the curb has not disappeared, the ointment should be aj^plied
again in a similar manner.
POLL EVIL.
Definition. — A fistulous ulcer, situated immediately be-
tiind the ears of the horse.
Cause. — Poll evil is caused by accidental violence, or more
frequently by the use of a tight, bearing rein.
Symptoms. — In its first stage, it is a soft tumor, surrounded
by a tender swelling, with stiffness of the neck. Later, it
breaks externally, and forms a deep ulcer or abscess, discharg-
ing unhealthy, ill-smelling matter. The fistula may extend
deep into the structures of the neck, sometimes even to the
neck bone, and the joint between the head and the neck, caus-
ing intense suffering. In such cases, if a probe is inserted
and pushed carefully along the track of the fistula, the bone
can be felt at its bottom.
Treatment. — If seen early, when there is no external open-
ing, the horse should have a moderate purge, and the part be
kept wet with cold water or a cooling solution, as —
No. 257. Tincture of arnica, 2 oz.
Vinegar,
Water, each 1 qt.
Lay cloths on the swelling, and wet them frequently with this.
If the inflammation is overcome, the hardness remaining
can be dispersed by rubbing with an ointment of iodine or
iodide of mercury, as —
No. 258. Iodine, 1 drachm.
Lard, 1 oz.
Mix for an ointment.
238 Diseases of the Horse.
No attempt should be made to open the swelling unless
pus ean be distinctly felt, when it cannot be done too prompt-
ly. A free cut should be made, the wound kept open for
about a week, the part fomented, and the j)us gently pressed
out.
Often the case is first seen when the pus has burrowed into
the neck, making long fistulas or pipes. Here the treatment
is difficult. The fistulas must be freely opened to their ends
by a sharp scalpel, the bone scraped, if diseased, and the
whole thoroughly washed and syringed every day with a
cleansing and stimulating lotion, as —
No. 259. Chloride of zinc, 30 grains.
Water, . 1 quart.
Or,
No. 260. Tincture of the chloride of iron, 1 oz.
Water, 1 quart.
When the joint is attacked, the case is desperate, and the
animal may as well be killed.
In less severe cases setons inserted from the original open-
ing along the track and down to the bottom of the fistulas,
and then brought out upon the opposite side of the poll, are
very successful, and do away with the necessity of using the
knife.
FISTULOUS WITHERS.
This injury closely resembles poll evil. It is caused by
bruises from ill-fitting saddles, and those horses are most
liable to it who have high withers.
Symptoms. — In the early stage there is an enlargement
of the heads of the spinous j^rocesses with heat and tenderness.
This continues and leads to the formation of an abscess; but
as, on account of the position of the withers at the top of the
horse in standing, the pus cannot escape, it sinks down-
ward, burrowing in between the skin and the muscles, or
Fistulous Withers. 239
among the muscles themselves which connect the shoulder
blade with the trunk. Consequently, the inflammation ex-
tends, there is serious lameness of the shoulder, and the
animal suffers generally.
Treatment. — In the early stage, the spinous processes, as
soon as they are noticed to be inflamed, must be protected
from pressure and dressed with cooling lotions. Later, when
it is evident that pns is formed, by the fluctuating feel of the
abscess, it should be freely opened by an incision as low down
as possible on the right side, as most horses lie down on that
side, and the escape of the pus is thus favored. The abscess
sliould be syringed with carbolic acid water (1 to 2 ), and
dressed with a carbolic acid salve (1 to 8), or petroleum.
In older cases, where a fistula has already formed, running
down into the shoulder, careful search should be made for
its lowest poach which contains the pus. This will be either
before or behind the shoulder. A free incision should be
made into it, and the fistula syringed and dressed as above.
Sometimes a more active stimulus is required to make the
sides of the fistula take on healthy action. A seton tape
may then be passed through the fistula from end to end, and
left there. Or the folloxA^ng injection may be freely injected
into every part of the fistula, two or three times a weak : —
No. 261. Cliloride of zinc, 1 drachm.
Water, 1 pint.
These measures, combined with general tonics and good care,
will be quite certain to bring about good results.
EOTTEK BONE, -NECROSIS AND CABIES OF BONE.
Definition, — A decay of the bone, owing to its death from
inflammation. It is called by veterinarians "necrosis," when
it attacks the shaft or body of the bone, and "caries," when
it is confined to its ends, at the joints (Williams),
240 Diseases of the Horse.
Causes. — These, in nearly all instances, are wounds and
injuries of some kind, or the result of the very severe inflam-
mation which follows them. Thus the bone is liable to
decay in founder, poll evil, after severe kicks, cracked or
fractured bones, etc.
S3^ptoms. — Severe and painful inflammation in the part
is followed by one or several abscesses, which break but do
not heal, remaining as fistulas. The discharge at first may be
odorless, but after a time gives off a peculiar and very fetid
odor, easily recognized by one familiar with it, as proceeding
from decaying bone. If a probe is carefully inserted into
the fistula, and made to follow its course, it will reach the
decayed bone, and give a dry grating feel to the finger.
Treatment. — The most prompt treatment of necrosis,
when it is in a position to permit of it conveniently, is to cut
freely down upon the decayed bone, scrape it clean with a
scraper, remove all loose pieces, wash the wound with car-
bolic acid water or De Morgan's chloride of zinc lotion
(No. 217), and treat the cut like any other wound.
This cannot always be done, for various reasons, and then
the next best procedure is to open the fistulas so as to admit
of throwing injections to their bottom, and wash them out
once a day, for a week or two, with "Yillate's Solution.^'
No. 262. Sulphate of zinc,
Sulphate of copper, each, ^ oz.
Solution of subacetate of lead, 1 oz.
White wine vinegar, 6 ozs.
Use one part of this to ten of water, bj means of a syringe.
The upper and lower jaws, from their exposed situation,
and from the abuse of the bit with long levers, and from in-
juries to the teeth, and also the roof of the mouth, are parts
especially liable to caries, the ulcers being inside the mouth.
The sore caused is characteristic' There is a depression, in-
dicating a loss of substance, which contains a fungous growth
Diseases of the Bone. 241
of "proud flesh/' which is not attached to the sides, but only
to the bottom of the ulcer. There is a watery and offensive
discharge, but as this flows inside the mouth and becomes
mixed with the saliva, often the only circumstance which
calls attention to the presence of the disease is the bleeding
from the mouth when the bit is in place. The mouth is full
of a slightly bloody pink froth.
This form of caries is best treated by ceasing to use tlie
bit, and touching the sore repeatedly with the nitrate of sil-
ver stick, w^hich should be pushed deeply into it and held
for a second or tw^o. By judiciously continuing this for a
few w-eeks, taking care not to use the caustic more than
enough to keep down the proud flesh, a cure can be effected
without the necessity of cutting down and scraping the bone.
Nevertheless, wdien time is an object, the latter is much the
more expeditious plan. The horse should be cast, and
chloroformed, the granulations removed with the knife, the
dead boue scraped away, and the wound swabbed with, the
solution of chloride of zinc.
FSOSTBITE.
This is caused by prolonged exposure to the cold, espe-
cially by standing in the snow, and in half-thawed slush, as
is so often the case in the cities.
Tlie skin of the part becomes weaker, turns of a purple
color, is easily inflamed, cracks, and discharges a bloody-
looking fluid.
In more severe and sudden cases the skin and underlying
tissues become pale, insensible and shriveled. The skin,
particularly on the heel, will slough across from side to side,
forming a deep crack, a condition familiarly called "cracked
heel.''
Treatment. — Where the skin is unbroken, and the ex-
posure has not been for a long enough time to destroy the
16
242 Diseases of the Horse,
life of the part, it should be briskly rubbed with snow for
five or ten minutes. The foot should then be put in a bucket
of cold water, and the friction continued until there is a re-
turn of warmth.
The raw surfaces and sores which follow on neglected frost-
bite are particularly slow to heal, on account of the dimin-
ished vitality of the tissues. Mr. Dun recommends as a valu-
able application —
No. 263. Extract of belladonna, 1 to 2 drachms,
ivub this up with an ounce of the petroleum ointment or lard, and
apply twice a day.
It may advantageously be combined as follows :- —
No. 284. Extract of belladonna, 1 drachm.
Ointment of red oxide of mercury, 1 oz.
Kub together and apply daily to the ulcerated patches.
BURNS AND SCALDS.
These are quite common in horses employed about iron
works, factories and steam mills.
In all severe cases there is fever, often preceded by shiv-
ering, coldness of the ears and legs, prostration of strength,
and a c|uick and feeble pulse. The surface of the burned part
will become pale and leathery, or will crack, and a watery
discharge will flow from it. Swelling and inflammation
come next, and an eflbrt of nature is made to separate the dead
from the living tissues by suppuration.
The most troublesome burns in horses are about the shoul-
der and elbow, as, owing to the continual motion of these
parts, a wound upon them is very slow to heal.
Treatmenti — The traditional treatment of burns is, to
smear them over, several times a day, with what is called
Carron oil. It is made as follows : —
No. 265. Lime water,
Linseed oil, equal parts.
Mix, and apply direct to the burned surface, dredging flour over it, to
thicken it.
Treatment of Burns and Scalds. 243
A still better, and often a more easily obtainable, applica-
tion is ordinary bicarbonate of soda — baking soda. This may
be dredged directly on the part, or stirred up with water to
a thick paste and laid over the burn. The relief it causes is
immediate.
In milder burns, a cheap and very excellent application is,
to paint the whole of the burned surface with several thick
coats of ordinary white lead j^aint. On the large surfaces of
horses and cattle, this is the most convenient of all dressings.
After being well covered, carded cotton should be laid over
the paint, and the whole covered by a moderately firm ban-
dage. No further dressing is needed, as the pain is at once
allayed, and the burned surface heals kindly under the im-
penetrable cover thus given it.
No. 266. Alum, powdered, 2 oz.
Water, 1 pint.
An excellent application for fresh burns and scalds. The part
should be soaked with it, and cloths wet with it applied to the sur-
face.
When the parts ulcerate, they should be well washed out
with warm water, with a little carbolic acid in it, or with tar
water, and the following dusted over the surface with a flour
dredger : —
No. 267. Oxide of zinc, 1 oz.
Starch (or rye flour), 2 oz.
Whenever more moisture appears, this should be dredged
on again, so as to keep the parts covered with a thick, dry
crust.
STINGS AND BITES.
Hornets, wasps and bees often attack animals, and some-
times cause them serious injuries.
Solution of ammonia, or a weak carbolic acid wash (1 oz.
to a quart of water), will promptly relieve the smarting.
244 Disease^,- of the Horse,
Lime water, alone or containing a clraclim of commercial
carbolic acid to the pint, is very soothing; while others
speak highly of the oil of lobelia, promptly applied.
HEENIA—ETJPTTJEE— BURST.
Definition. — A protrusion of any j^ort^on of the bowels,
or their coverings, through a rent or opening in the walls of
the abdomen.
Causes. — Ruptures are quite common in the horse. They
are often seen about the navel at birth, and disa^^pear with-
out any treatment, during the first year of life. Stallions
are more liable to them than geldings. They may be owing
to constitutional weakness in the walls of the belly; or to
violent eiiorts and strains tearing the muscular structure; or
to kicks, blows and similar violence.
Symptoms. — These differ as to the part of the abdominal
wall which has given way. There is usually a visible tumor
or bulging, which has a hollow sound on percussion, and on
feeling it between the fingers the contents are felt to slip
upon each other. Often, by properly directed pressure the
gut is slipped back into the belly, and the tumor disappears,
but returns as soon as the animal makes any exertion.
When the hernia is inflamed the tumor is tender, hot to
the touch, and there are signs of colic, and often constipation.
In the ruptures which take place in stallions when a part of
the gut passes into the inguinal canal, there are symptoms of
severe colic, which has the peculiarity that the animal seems
relieved of the pain when he lies upon his back, a position
he retains for half an hour at a time.
When the rupture is " strangulated," that is, when the gut
is caught and pinched in a narrow slit in the abdominal walls,
the suffering is very intense ; the body is covered with cold
sweat, the animal sighs, the eyes become bloodshot and the
pupils wide and staring.
Treatment of Rupture, 245
Treatment. — The general treatment of rupture is as
follows : —
"When the gut can be returned to the abdomen, a pad,
such as a smooth piece of wood, should be placed over the
part, and kept in position by a firm leather or rubber band-
age, which will not slip, and which can be tightened. This
should be worn for months, until the rent is healed.
When the hernia is inflamed and strangulated, the animal
should be chloroformed to insensibility, and gentle and re-
peated efforts made to return the parts. This will often
succeed if intelligent and persistent efforts are iised. When
returned, cold lotions should be applied, and a well-fitting
bandage.
In case return is impossible, and the distress is severe, the
skin must be opened down to the sack, taking great care not
to cut into it, and a blunt-pointed bistoury be slipped up be-
tween the gut and the edges of the rent or slit in the abdomi-
nal walls and these edges cut and nicked very slightly,
thus allowing the gut to be replaced. This is a safe, easy
and successful operation, if one is well acquainted with the
anatomy of the parts ; but should only be tried as a last re-
sort, in otherwise hopeless cases, by a person who has no
special knowledge of the kind.
CHOKING.
This accident is, in the horse, usually caused by some arti-
cle of food, as a potatoe, apple, or piece of dry fodder, lodg-
ing in the gullet. A common substance in England to cause
choking is an Qgg^ many grooms there having the absurd
idea that an egg given whole has a beneficial effect on the
horse's condition.
The symptoms in choking are violent efforts at swallowing,
with the throat and neck spasmodically drawn up. Some-
times the offending substance is visible to the eye, or to be
246 Diseases of the Horse.
felt by the hand passed down the front of the neck. Should
the animal try to swallow, the fluid is returned by the nos-
trils. There are coughing, slavering, a look of great dis-
tress in the face, cold sweats and exhaustion.
Treatment. — Whenever the obstacle can be reached with
'the hand or with a pair of forceps, it is to be withdrawn
through the mouth. The tongue should be pulled well out
of the mouth, and this kept well opened, while the operator
removes the substance.
When this cannot be done, and the object can be felt from
the outside, it is to be loosened by being gently pushed up-
ward and downward. Sometimes this maneuver can be aided
by having the animal swallow some sweet oil. This, or some
other fluid should always be used if the object is dry, as fod-
der, chaff, etc.
If this plan fails also, it becomes necessary to use a probang
and push the offending substance down into the stomach.
This is a difficult job in the horse, though much less so in
cattle. The following rules should be observed : —
Directions for Using the Prohang.
1. Kaise the animal's nose so that the mouth and throat
are in a straight line.
2. Keep the neck straight.
3. Push the j^robang gently down the gullet, taking care
not to injure, still less to enter, the windpipe.
4. When the end of the probang reaches the object, do
not push strong upon it, but gently, and for but a few seconds
at a timo, then again after a few seconds of rest.
In cases where the object is so solidly caught in the gullet
that even the probang fails, the next resource is to cut down
upon it and remove it. An assistant presses the off side of
the neck, so as to make it bulge as much as possible on the
operation for Choking. 247
near side where the operator stands. The latter, with one
bold cut of a sharp knife, divides the skin gullet and
tissues down to the offending substance, making a cut long
enough to remove it. This should be promptly done, and the
edges of the cut brought together and stitched, first, the walls
of the gullet, with fine thread (or better with catgut), and
over them the skin. For several days, or a. week, the ani-
mal should have only milk and water, or thin slops. But
it should be added that this operation is often followed by a
permanent narrowing or stricture of the gullet, which may
prevent the use of solid food for the rest of the animaFs life.
248 Diseases of the Horse,
CHAPTER X.
DISEASES OF THE EYES.
Inflammation of the Eyes — Conjunctivitis,
Periodio Ophthalmia — Moon Blindness,
White Spot — Eye Spot — Albugo,
INFLAMMATION OF THE EYES— CONJUNCTIVITIS.
Definition. — An inflammation of the outer covering of the
eye-ball, and the lining membrane of the eyelids.
Causes. — These may be the stroke of a whip, a blow, a
cold, or some foreign substance getting into the eye and irri-
tating it.
Symptoms. — The eyelids are swollen, and partly closed^
and the tears flow down the cheeks. If the eyelids are turned
uj), their lining membrane will be found red and bloodshot,
the surface of the eye itself also red, and the pupil dull look-
ing, while there may be the signs of some injury visible, or
of some irritating substance.
Treatment. — Of course the first step is to remove any
splinter, hay seed, piece of chaff or other substance visible in
the eye. A strong feather is often convenient for this pur-
pose, or a small pair of forceps. If there is very much in-
flammation, it is well to take blood from the angular veiji,
which is seen traversing the face, immediately below the eye.
The organ can then be covered with soft cloths, and these
repeatedly wet with clean cool water.
Should the inflammation or the injury be so severe that it
lias involved the inner structures of the eye, great advantage
V. ill be derived from smearing the eyebrows and outside of
the eyelids with —
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250 Diseases of the Horse.
Symptoms. — The disease derives its name of ^^ moon blind-
ness;*' because the attacks come on suddenly and g-enerally at
nio4it. As it is considered incurable, and vet between the
attacks, wliich usually last for a vreek or two^ the horse can
see tolerably well, it is of chief importance to be able to re-
coornize the sians of the liabilitv to it.
Mr. Percival says tliat vhen a horse j^i'^^ents several of
the following symptoms, he is probably subject to the dis-
ease: — A sunken or dull look of one eye compared to the
other; prominence of the winking membrane; pinkness of
the white of the eye ; a watery state of the eye ; dimness or
cloudiness of the pupil, especially at its edges, and dullness
or discoloration of the center ; the pupil of one eye smaller
than that of the other; haziness, milkiness, or a small white
speck to be seen in the pttpil ; a wrinkled or furrowed ap-
pearance of the upper lid or eyebrtjw. "Where any two or
three of these are found, the horse is probably liable to moon
blindness.
To examine an eye for cataract, the horse's head shoidd
be turned away from a strong light, the eye shaded with a
black hat, and if necessary the eye dilated by rubbing some
belladonna on the lid.
Treatment. — !Moonblindness is at times no douln of ma-
larial origin, as we might judge from its periodic character,
and in all cases a full and early trial should be made of the
specific remedies for malarial diseases, especially Peruvian
bark or quinine and arsenic.
Xo. 275. Powdered Peruvian bark, ^r '^^•
Sulphate of iron, 1 drachm.
Give twice or three times a dav, and double the dose when the attack
is expected.
The French veterinary surgeons claim many ctires by this
method. Arsenic can be given, as Fowler's solution of ar-
senic, an ounce once a day in the water for several weeks,
suspending a few days now and then.
Moonhlindness, 251
When this fails, and we are forced back to tlie rheumatic
theory of the affection, we should attack it with a steady
course of iodide of potash constitutionally, keeping down the
inflammation of the eye by belladonna ointment and eye
washes, as recommended on page 249.
The old practitioners taught that moon blindness is due to
the presence of the "wolf teeth," and their first step in the
treatment was to extract them. This notion does not receive
any countenance from the modern school ; but no harm can
be done, by following the traditions in this respect; and in
human surgery the close sympathy of the teeth and the eyes
is often observed.
WHITE SPOT— EYE SPOT— ALBTTGO.
Definition. — A bluish or pearly white spot on the pupil of
the eye, the result of inflammation, and generally causino-
some defect of sight.
These spots are blemishes which detract considerably from
th^ value of horses, more often than they should do, for they
may interfere little or none with the sight.
Some veterinarians attempt to remove them by blowing
irritating matters through a quill into the eye. This rude
and barbarous plan does generally more harm than good.
They never entirely disappear, but they may be lessened by
occasional light touches with a stick of nitrate of silver.
252 Diseases of the Horse,
CHAPTER XI.
DISEASES OF THE SKIN.
Iiingwo7"m.
Nettle Rash — Surfeit — Urticaria.
Moist Tetter — Humid Tetter — Eczema.
Mallenders and Sallenders — Psoriasis of the Carpus and the
Tarsus.
Warbles — Grubs — Sitfasts.
Ilange — Itch.
Lice.
KINGWORM.
There are two forms of ringworm in the horse, the one
known by surgeons as herpes ^ which is an affection of slight
importance and not contagious; the other called tinea which
is contagious, obstinate and disfiguring.
Herpes is characterized by an eruption of small blisters the
size of a grain of w^heat, on inflamed patches of skin which
assume a circular form. It is usually owing to indigestion,
or being shut up in a railroad car, or the hold of a ship in
close or foul apartments.
Contagious ringworm is, on the contrary, found on well-
cared-for animals as well as neglected ones. It attacks and
destroys the hairs, leaving patches of baldness usually of a
circular form, the surface of the patch being covered with
fine, white, bran-like scales. The hairs around the edges first
become dry and brittle, and then break off, and then the
patch gradually extends. This form of ringworm is owing
to a minute parasite on the skin, supposed to be a plant.
Treatment. ^For simple ringworms or herpes, it is enough
to bathe the parts with a sugar of lead lotion, as :
No. 276. Acetate of lead, i oz.
Water, 1 pt.
Treatment of Ringioorm. 253
And to 'give the horse a smart purge. After this tonics will
be required (as Xo. 20) if the horse is weak and out of
condition ; and if there are scratches and small ulcers on the
patch it should be rubbed with a stimulating ointment, as,
No. 277. Nitrate of silver, 10 grs.
Lard, 1 oz.
When very obstinate, a blister can be applied directly over
the patch which will be pretty sure to effect a cure.
The treatment of the contagious or branny variety con-
sists in first washing the patches thoroughly with soft soap
or weak lye, and then rubbing them with the following oint-
ment : —
No. 278. Iodine,
Iodide of potash,
Cosmoline,
^ drachm.
1 drachm.
1 oz.
Mix for an ointment, to be used every day.
The stable should be thoroughly cleaned and white-
washed, the harness and collars washed with strong soap and
water, and then brushed over w^ith a solution of corrosive
sublimate (one drachm to a pint of water), and the blankets
worn on the animal boiled.
Instead of the iodine ointment we may paint the part with
the following, which is highly recommended by Mr. Dun :
No. 279. Carbolic acid, 1 part,
Acetic acid, 20 parts.
Mix for local use.
Or with tincture of the chloride of iron ; or.
No. 280. Corrosive sublimate, 2 grs.
Water, 1 oz.
254 Diseases of the Horse.
NETTLE RASH— SUREEIT— URTICARIA.
This is a frequent form of skin disease in the horse, and
consists of an eruption of small elastic lumps, roundish or
oblong in shape, and attended with itching.
The lumps rise quickly and upon the greater part of the
body, generally beginning upon the neck, and frequently
disappearing as suddenly as they come. They are unequal in
size, some no larger than grains of wheat, others as large as
beans, and flattened upon the surface.
The most singular feature of this eruption is the sudden-
ness of its appearance. Sometimes it will break out over all
parts of the body in a few minutes ; and it will disappear
with equal promptness.
The cause of the disease is some disturbance of the diges-
tion ; it often appears in horses when they are first turned
out to grass in the spring ; and sometimes a draught of cold
water when they are heated will bring it out on those pre-
disposed to it. It entails no serious consequences.
Treatment. — As a rule all that is necessary is to give a
mild purge, and to relieve the itching bathe the eruption
with a wash of sugar of lead (one drachm to the pint of
water).
MOIST TETTER— HUMID TETTER— ECZEMA.
This is a non-contagious skin disease, which usually be-
gins about the neck, shoulder, back and thighs.
The onset is sudden, and the animal is seen to rub and
scratch himself to relieve itchino;. On examination the skin
is found to be red and inflamed, often scratched and torn by
the efforts of the animal. Small blisters or vesides w^ill bo
noticed on portions of the skin not lacerated by these efforts,
which eruptions break and discharge a watery fluid, keeping
the surface moist.
Tetter, • 255
As a rule, it is a summer disease, and some horses have a
return of it season after season ; and it is often difficult to
assign any other cause for it than that it is constitutional.
Nearly always this kind of tetter is confounded with the
mange, which it very closely resembles in appearance ; but
it differs from it in two important particulars, first, that it is
not contagious, and secondly, that it is not caused by an in-
sect.
Treatment.— This should be begun with a change of diet
and a purge of aloes. If after the purge, the bowels are
found to be irregular, and feces ill smelling, it is well to give
the following : —
No. 281. Bisulphite of soda, 1 oz.
Powdered gentian, J oz.
Make a ball, to give night and morning.
The most effectual internal remedy is arsenic. This can
be advantageously given, as Fowler's solution of arsenic, one
ounce once or twice a day.
For the treatment of the eruption itself, it is necessary first
to remove the scabs and crusts, by first soaking the parts
with sweet oil for a few hours, then washing with soap and
water. If the hair is long, it must be clipped, and all dust
and dirt removed. Then the whole of the diseased surface,
and a large space of the healthy skin around, should be cov-
ered with the following : —
Ko. 282. Flour of sulphur, Jib.
Carbonate of potash, \ lb.
Carbolic acid, 1 oz.
Lard,
Olive oil, each 2 lbs.
Mix thoroughly with the aid of gentle heat.
This is to be left on the skin two or three days, and then
washed off with strong soap and water.
256 Diseases of the Horse.
Another very useful, clieap and handy remedy is tar oint-
ment, made as follows : —
No. 283. Tar,
Lard, equal parts.
Mix well together.
This should be used in the same manner as above.
For this and other itching skin disorders, the following Is
an excellent combination : —
No. 284. Soft soap,
Tar,
Alcohol (or whiskey), equal parts.
Used for painting on the parts twice a daj.
3SIALLENDEIIS AND SALLENDEES— PSOEIASIS OF THE CARPUS AND
THE TASSUS.
This is a common and troublesome disease of the skin above
the feet in horses. At first it generally begins very much as a
moist tetter (eczema), but as the eruption becomes persistent,
the discharge of watery fluid dries up, and the parts become
covered with hard crusts and scabs.
Horses which are otherwise healthy are most liable to the
disease, and it d(k2 not extend beyond the bends of the
limbs. But the eruptions are unsightly, they sometimes
crack and inflame, and therefore they lower *Ji^ value of the
animal. Unfortunately, it is by no means an easy matter to
cure them.
Treatment. — If there is indigestion or constipation, the
food of the animal should be carefully regulated, and he
should have a moderate purge. Next, he should have with
his drink an ounce of Fowler's solution of arsenic, once or
twice a day.
The sore spots shoidd be washed thoroughly w^ith soap
and warm water, touched lightly with a stick of nitrate of
silver to freshen them up,, and covered with pure wood tar.
This procedure should be repeated twice a week, and may be
said to be a " sure cure."
Mallenders and Sallenders. 257
Many ointments are recommended, of which we may men-
tion that of Mr. Youatt : —
No. 285. Acetate of lead, 1 oz.
Tar, 2 oz.
Lard, 6 oz.
Mix, and apply to the part. Give a diuretic dose occasionally, to act
on tlie system.
Another application is : —
No. 286.
Mix for an
Powdered red precipitate,
Lard,
ointment.
2 drachms.
2 ozs.
Or,
No. 287.
Powdered camphor,
Acetate of lead,
Mercurial ointment.
1 drachm.
^ drachm,
loz.
For an ointment, to be applied after washing with soap and water.
WARBLES— GRUBS— SITFASTS.
These names are all applied to different forms of the skin
disease, known to physicians as acne. It' is characterized by
the j)resence of small hard lumps beneath the skin, origin-
ating in swelling of the glands at the root of the hair. They
are especially frequent on the withers, back and neck, and at
the root of the mane and tail. They are more often found
in the spring of the year, and on parts of the skin which are
chafed by the harness.
The tops of these inflamed follicles suppurate or become
rubbed off, leading to small ulcers, slow to heal, and of an
angry appearance. Where constantly irritated by the har-
ness or saddle they may mortify, and the skin assume a hard,
horny or leathery appearance in the center, with an inflamed
ring around the whitish central patch. This is familiarly
known as a '^sitfast'^ on account of the difficulty experienced
in its removal.
17
258 Diseases of the Horse.
Treatment. — In the simple varieties, where the pimples
are ulcerating, the repeated application of poultices is very
useful. Internally, the animal should have an ounce of
sulphur mixed with his feed every morning. Sometimes this
plan fails, and then it is well to rub the sores with a stimu-
lating ointment, one of the best of which is that of the
iodide of mercury (No. 239).
For the treatment of sitfast the only satisfactory method
is carefully to dissect out the hard, dead piece of skin in the
center of the ulcer, and dress the whole with a mild carbolic
acid ointment, as,
No. 288. Carbolic acid, 1 drachm.
Lard, 3 ozs.
Mix and apply on rags.
Or, cover the wound with crude petroleum. Blisters and
caustic, recommended by some, are of no use.
Sometimes they can be softened by the following oint-
ment :
Ko. 289. Gum ammoniac, 4 ozs.
Mercurial ointment, 8 ozs.
Oil of turpentine, 10 ozs.
Mix with gentle heat and apply on rags.
MANGE— ITCH.
Of all skin diseases on the lower animals, this is by far the
most frequent, and by far the most to be dreaded, on account
of its contagiousness. Any animal that has it should be shut
off from others and active measures taken to clean thoroughly
every blanket, every piece of harness, brush, curry-comb or
other utensil that has touched him.
The mano^e or itch is characterized in all its forms bv itch-
ing, scurfiness, thinness and loss of the hair on the affected
part, and a surface torn and lacerated by scratching and rub-
bing, moist from a flow of thin, watery matter, or covered
with scabs and crusts, caused by the drying of this exuda-
Mange or Itch, 259
tion, and the presence of dust, dirt and skin scales becoming
entangled and matted in the hairs. The parts of the animal
most frequently attacked are the legs, and the sides and upper
border of the neck, and the root of the tail.
The cause of the mange is the presence of insects, which
live in or upon the skin, and find their food in the watery
discharge which their bites cause to flow forth. These in-
sects are of several species on each animal, some living on,
some in the skin. They are hardly visible to the naked eye,
and are often very difficult to point out when present. They
have been named and described by naturalists, but it is not
necessary for practical purposes that we should enter into an
explanation of their forms and habits. The symptoms they
cause, and the treatment they require, are similar or the
same.
Treatment. — In all cases the utmost precautions should
be taken, as above stated, to prevent the disease spreading.
As an application to the mangy spots, many prefer the old-
fashioned sulphur ointment : —
No. 290. Flour o«f sulphur, ^ lb.
Lard, 1 lb.
Mix thoroughly, and apply once or twice daily, rubbing it in well.
As a sulphur wash of a very effectual nature, the follow-
ing will be found valuable : —
No. 291. Flour of sulphur, 2 lbs.
Quick lime, 1 lb.
Water, 2 gallons.
Boil together, stirring until the ingredients are combined. Bathe the
parts with it several times a day.
For horse mange some prefer ointment of stavesacre made
as follows : —
No. 292. Powdered stavesacre,
Lard,
Olive oil,
2oz.
8 oz.
loz.
Mix at a gentle heat.
260 Diseases of the Horse.
Whatever remedy is applied, the parts should first be oiled
and washed with warm soap and water, to nemove the crusts,
dirt and scabs, before the ointment is applied, or otherwise
it will not reach the insects, especially the varieties which
burrow into the skin.
As a serviceable mange dressing, Mr. Finlay Dun speaks
well of —
No. 293. Iodine,
Iodide of potash,
Tar,
Lard,
h oz.
^ oz.
1 oz.
8oz.
Mix for an ointment.
No. 294. White hellebore,
Tobacco, each 2 ok.
Water, 3 pints.
Boil, strain, and when cold add a pint of fresh lime water.
Ko. 295. Flour of sulphur.
Oil of turpentine, each 4 oz.
Tar, 8 oz.
Wash the parts with soft soap, dry them, and apply the above.
LICE.
Poor, half-starved and old animals are very liable to be-
come lousy. This is best treated by clipping them, giving
them good food and tonics, and washing the skin with a de-
coction of stavesacre : —
No. 296. Powdered stavesacre seed, 2 oz.
Water, 1 quart,
Boil for twenty minutes.
Care should be taken that the animal does not lick this
from the skin.
Horses which are stabled in hen-roosts are liable to be at-
tacked with chicken lice, which produce an intense itching,
sometimes setting the poor beast nearly frantic. The treat-
ment is to remove the chickens, whitewash the stable, and
Receipts to Destroy Lice. 261
wash the horse with a decoction of tobacco or of stavesacre
(No. 296), or rub with this mixture :—
No. 297. Scotch snuflE) 2 oz.
Lard, 6 oz.
Mix well together.
Hot water poured on crude petroleum, well stirred and
allowed to settle ; or poured on quick lime, 4 oz. to the gal-
lon, will destroy these parasites. The following is also an
excellent, but poisonous preparation : —
No. 298. Bruised cocculus indicus berries, 2 oz.
Boiling water. 1 gallon.
With this the skin and hair may be thoroughly mopped.
No. 299. Calomel, 1 drachm.
Petroleum ointment, 1 oz.
This both allays the irritation of the skin and destroys the
vermin.
No. 300. Corrosive sublimate^ 3 to 6 grains.
Petroleum ointment, 1 oz.
A very efficient, but poisonous remedy.
No. 301. Oil of turpentine, 1 part.
Olive oil, 3 parts.
Mix for an ointment.
JERSEY COW, "TURNBRIDGE WELLS."
JERSEY COW. "GREY PRINCESS FANNY.
PART III.
Diseases of Cattle, Sheep and Swine.
INTRODUCTORY.
General Remarhs on the Diseases of Cattle^ and their Treat-
ment.
Peculiarities of the Action of Medicines on Cattle.
There are a number of diseases which in general outline
and management are nearly or quite the same in the two
large quadrupeds, the horse and the ox. As previously
noted, (page 83), a number of these will be found discussed
under the Diseases of the Horse. There remains, however,
a large class of maladies which are either peculiar to cattle,
or present peculiar traits in them, which demand separate
discussion ; and to these this Part will be devoted, as also to
the consideration of the less known, though really not less
interesting, sicknesses of sheep and swine. We begin with
some
GENERAL REMARKS ON THE DISEASES OF CATTLE, AND
THEIR TREATMENT.
The purposes for which cattle have been domesticated, and
their characteristics as ruminating animals, lead to several
(263)
264 Diseases of Cattle,
peculiarities in the diseases to which they are subject, and
the effect of medicines upon them.
Unlike the horse, they are never prized for their speed, so
that lamenesses and disorders of the " wind " are much less
frequent and less important ; unlike him again, their food is
not regulated to insure the utmost muscular power with the
least accumulation of fat, but just the reverse.^ Cattle are
naturally plethoric, slow of motion, and averse to much ex-
ercise ; and as they are generally under a stimulating and
forcing system of diet, they become peculiarly subject to all
those diseases which are brought on by excessive richness of
the blood.
Their tolerance of disease is also much less than that of
the horse. They do not bear pain with nearly so much for-
titude as that nobler animal ; and when continued for some
time, it preys upon them speedily and injuriously, as may
constantly be seen in painful foot affections. Moreover, theii
courage to bear suffering is but little, and they readily yield
to despair and become indifferent to life. Often they refuse
to rise when perfectly able to do so, and require energetic
measures to force them on their feet. For this reason also
they demand tonic medicines more freely and earlier after
acute disease than is necessary in the horse.
Another result of this lesser vitality is their proneness to
local disease-producing influences. It is well known that
they do not thrive well and are more subject to diseases when
pastured in low-lying, swampy fields, and on rank grass.
Epidemics are both numerous and destructive among them.
Indeed, contains and infectious maladies of various kinds
are by far the most dreaded of all forms of disease with
them, and have repeatedly desolated the herds of whole con-
tinents. Even the accident of abortion in pregnancy puts
on an epidemic form in cows, and is a source of frequent
anxiety to possessors of dairies.
Peculiar Diseases, ^ 265
The richness of the blood and general plethora predispose
them to glandular swellings, ulcers, and especially mortifica-
tion and gangrene. It is an acknowledged fact that although
the flesh of the bullock is one of the most esteemed foods of
the human species, there is no animal in which gangrenous
ulcers and malignant forms of carbuncular disease are so
numerous or so destructively poisonous.
The gullet of the ox is several times larger than that of the
horse; but owing to the greater development of the bones of
the nose (the ethmoid and turbinated bones), the pharynx, or
upper part of the throat is smaller, and the windpipe is con--
siderably less. From these anatomical differences it arises
that inflammations of the upper throat are much more liable
to produce suffocation than they are in the horse, and de-
mand, therefore, early and active attention, or the perform-
ance of tracheotomy more promptly. (See page 112.)
For what reason has not been definitely ascertained, true
inflammation of the lungs (pneumonia) is not nearly so fre-
quent in cattle as in the horse. What is usually so called in
them is an inflammation of the small air tubes of the lung,
and is known to medical men as "capillary bronchitis/'
Pleurisy, on the other hand, occurs much oftener than in the
horse, and the compound disease called pleuro-pneumonia,
where there is along with pleurisy scattered masses of in-
flamed tissue in the lung, is at times a malignant epidemic.
The most terrible of lung diseases in the human race, con-
sumption or pulmonary phthisis, is hardly known in horses,
but is very common in some breeds of cattle, and in milk
cows after neglected colds, pneumonia or pleurisy. It is
closely associated with scrofula, which is a hereditary taint
of the blood, far more common in the best breeds of cattle
than it is in the hog, from which animal the name is derived
(Latin, scrofa, a sow).
266 Diseases of Cattle,
PECULIARITIES OF THE ACTION OF MEDICINE ON
CATTLE.
There are several peculiarities in the action of medicines
on cattle which the veterinarian takes into account. They
are chiefly referable to the construction of their stomach in
four divisions, only the last one of which corresponds in its
action to the single stomach of the horse and of miin. The
first and third compartment always contain food and in large
quantity, and until the medicines have passed through these
and have reached the fourth stomach, they have little or no
effect whatever. It is a common but erroneous notion, as has
been shown by Mr. Finlay Dun, that medicines when poured
very slowly down a cow's throat, pass, like the ruminated
food , direct to the fourth stomach. On the contrary, they pass
through the first, second and third stomachs first.
Accordingly it happens, and not unfrequently, and partic-
ularly in some diseases of an inflammatory nature, that the
medicines remain in the first or third stomach for a long
while after they are administered. Dose after dose is given,
and their lack of action is attributed to the obstinacy of the
constipation or the inertness of the medi^iine. At length the
rumen is excited to action, and the collected doses are ex-
pelled into the fourth stomach and intestines, exciting violent
and perhaps fatal action.
To avoid this, tw^o precautions are to be observed : —
1. Never give medicine to cattle in a soli4 form, as balls
or pills, but in a liquid state, as in drenches, and with plenty
of water, a quart or two at a time.
2. Always combine with cattle medicine w^hich is de-
sired to act promptly, some stimulating and aromatic sub-
stance which will incite the partly insensible coat of the
rumen to action. For this purpose, ginger, carraway seed in
powder, and flour of mustard, are generally preferred.
Medicines for Cattle* 267
The dose of medicines for cattle is nearly double the
amounts used for horses, the formation of the stomach and
the phlegmatic temperament of the ox rendering him not
readily affected by medicinal substances. Their kidneys and
skin are less easily acted on than the corresponding organs in
horses; and they resist the action both of stimulants and
tonics.
LoDg experience has given the preference to certain drugs
for cattle, different from those administered to horses. Thus
aloes, which is the favorite purgative for the horse, acts ir-
regularly and feebly in the ox and cow. For them saline
cathartics are altogether preferable, either sulphate of mag-
nesia (epsom salt), sulphate of soda (glauber salt), or com-
mon salt; or, as many prefer, a mixture of the three in equal
parts. A pound of such a mixture in a quart or two of
water, with a teaspoonful or ^wo of essence of ginger, or a
dash of cayenne pepper, constitutes a most efficient and de-
pendable purge. Linseed and castor oils, either of which
tnay be strengthened by the addition of croton oil, are also
excellent purges. To exert a continued laxative effect, sul-
phur is a very useful means.
Mercury in any form must be given to cattle with greater
caution than to horses, as, whether it be as calomel internally
or as mercurial ointment rubbed on the skin, it salivates and
mercurializes them easily. Especially we would advise not
using mercury iu any shape with milk cows. If pregnant,
they are more apt to abort; and the mercury passing into the
tissues is secreted with the milk, and is thus conveyed to the
human race. A French author states that he has witnessed
lambs die from mercurial poisoning, when the ewes had been
rubbed with mercurial ointment to destroy insects.
268 Diseases of Cattle,
CHAPTER I.
THE COXTAGIOUS OR EPIDEMIC DISEASES OF CATTLE.
The Cattle Plague — Rinderpest — Contagious Enteric Fever oj
Cattle,
Pleuro-Pneumonia — Contagious Lung Fever.
Foot and Mouth Disease — Fpizootic Aphthae — Contagious
Eczema,
Charhon — Blach Quarter — Quarter III — Contagious An-
thrax— Bloody Murrain,
Splenic Fever — Texas Cattle Disease — Spanish Fever.
Cow-pox — Smallpox of Cattle — Variola Vaccina.
THE CATTLE PLAGUE— RINDERPEST— CONTAGIOUS ENTERIC
FEVER OF CATTLE.
Definition. — A malignant contagious fever originating on
the plains of Asiatic Russia, and conveyed by the expoi-ta-
tion of cattle to other countries. It is essentially a disease of
the bovine family, but has been known to attack sheep, goats
and deer.
Causes. — This formidable disease is believed to be owing
to a specific poison which is given off by the animal suffering
from it, or w^hich may be conveyed by a healthy animal
from a locality where the disease is prevailing. This last fact
has been abundantly proven, and is of prime importance.
Symptoms. — The time which elapses between exposure to
the poison and the outbreak of the disease is from three days
to a week ; and the course of the disease to its usually fatal
termination is about a week. But within two days of ex-
posure the fever often begins, although its ]3resence may not
be noticed, unless the thermometer is used.
The average temperatm^e of a healthy ox is 101° Fahren-
TJie Cattle Plague, 269
belt. It has been found that when an animal has been ex-
posed to the poison of the cattle plague, and is about to take
the disease, the thermometer rises to 103° or 104°, while no
other symptom of disease is present.
About two days after this rise of the temperature the
breath becomes ill-smelling, and the mouth, as well as the
vagina in cows, will be found unnaturally red and hot to the
touch, and with a slight eruption of minute blisters on its
surface, about the size of a pin's head. These are both very
characteristic symptoms.
Even at ^his stage of the disease a clay or two may still
pass by without the animal showing any very positive signs
of being sick. But after the fourth day from the beginning
of these warnings is past, the constitution is thoroughly satu-
rated with the poison. Then the head begins to droop, the
ears hang, the pulse weakens, the breathing is difficult, and
there is a foul discharge from the eyes, nose and mouth.
The next day, usually the sixth, all these symptoms grow
worse, the pulse becomes hardly perceptible, the breath is
drawn w^ith effort, and there is great weakness in the limbs.
If now the temperature is taken with the thermometer, it
will be found below the natural heat, probably at 96° or
98° Fah.
Death usually occurs on the seventh day from the time the
temperature first begins to rise.
Of course, in different epidemics, and in different herds,
there is considerable variation from the above description ;
but they are those of degree only, and it will serve as a cor-
rect type of them all.
• Treatment. — There is but one treatment for this terrible
disease, and that is the preventive one. When it appears in
a country, all importations of cattle, sheep, or goats from that
country should be positively forbidden by government; when
it attacks even a single steer of a herd, not only that steer,
270 -Diseases of Cattle.
but every member of the herd should be slaughtered before
the sun goes down, and the most energetic disinfecting
measures be taken with every thing about the premises.
No form of disease in the lower animals is more fatal and
more contagious than this ; and any hesitation in " stamping
it out " at the very first will entail the loss of millions and
millions of dollars' worth of stock.
Fortunately, it has never had more than a slight foothold
in this country ; but we are exposed to it almost every year,
and should be prepared to deal with it summarily and effec-
tually when it is introduced.
Of the medicines which have been tried in its treatment —
and about all known to veterinary pharmacy have been ex-
perimented with — the most favorable reports have been from
bisulphite of soda, chlorate of potash, sulphate of iron and
carbolic acid, given by full and frequent doses by the mouth
and by injection into the veins.
PLEUEO-PNEUMONIA— CONTAGIOirS LTTNCt FEVER.
Definition. — A contagious fever of cattle, accompanied by
great prostration, together with local inflammation and other
diseased changes in the lungs and their envelopes.
Cause. — This no doubt is a specific blood poison. It is
often slow in its development, several weeks or even months
elapsing between the exposure to the poison and the onset of
the disease. In its more malignant phases, and particularly
at the beginning of an epidemic, it runs a rapid course, de-*
stroying life in the course of a few days ; but generally oc-
cupies from four to six weeks.
Symptoms, — The earliest symptoms are apt to pass un-
noticed. The fii'st that can be observed is a rise of tempera-
ture to 103°-106°, indicated by the thermometer in the
rectum. The moment this is observed when pleuro-pneu-
Pleuro-Pneumonia. 271
monia Is about, the animal should be separated from the
herd, disinfectants used, and a watch kept for the next de-
velopments of the disease.
These are slight shivering and staring coat ; some loss of
aj^petite ; scanty milk ; an occasional dry and hard cough ;
irregular che\ying of the cud ; bowels rather constipated ;
urine less than usual, and high or dark in color.
These insidious symptoms may continue several days
without the appearance of others of a more marked charac-
ter. Sometimes there is tenderness on pressure between the
ribs over the lungs, as evinced by a slight wince or groan.
The cough now increases, the breathing is more frequent,
and when the animal stands the ellbows are turned out, the
nose is extended, the back arched, and the hind legs drawn
up under the body. Later on, there is a watery or mattery
discharge from the eyes and nose, there is rapid loss of flesh,
the animal is hide bound, and there is either obstinate con-
stipation or a violent watery diarrhea of fetid matter, which
rapidly weakens and destroys life.
The symptoms on percussing over the lungs are in the
earlier stages a clear or resonant sound, which, as the disease
advances, gives way to a dull, heavy one. On listening in
the first stage, a dry, creaking sound is heard, caused by the
inflamed surface of the lung and its covering (the pleura)
rubbing against each other. Later, there are irregular whist-
ling or rough breathing sounds, easily distinguished fromlhe
sounds caused by the lungs in health.
The rule is generally positive that where both lungs are
affected the animal dies.
Treatment. — It cannot be said that the medical treatment
of pleuro-j)neumonia is very satisfactory. Many remedies
have been recommended from time to time, but the use of
them in practice has not met the expectations created.
Perhaps the most prudent course is to put the animal in
272 Diseases of Cattle.
the best sanitary surroundings possible, and avoid most
scrupulously either bleeding, or blistering, or putting in
setons. Give no lowering medicine, neither aconite noi?
tartar emetic. If constipation is decided, a small dose of
salts will remove it.
When there is much ^swelling or " bloating " of the stom^
ach, it may be removed by carbonate of ammonia, one ounce
in gruel, repeated, if necessary.
The diet should be low, and some writers recommend no
solid food at all, but feeding on thin gruel, linseed tea, or
slippery elm bark water.
Slight diarrhea is believed often to be of advantage, and
should not be checked ; but wdien it is violent it may be held
up with some astringent, as
No. 302.
Gallic acid,
Gruel,
2 OZ.
J pint.
Or,
No. 303.
Alum in powder,
Milk,
Joz.
1 quart.
"When the worst of the attack is over it is well to hasten
the return to health by mixing a teaspoonful of sulphate of
iron with the food several times a day.
]Mr. Finlay Dun has found ounce doses of the acid sul-
phite of soda, given twice daily, to lower the temperature
and ease the breathing. In the second stage of the disease
he has also derived decided benefit by giving, every three oi
four hours, one or two ounces of whiskey or of oil of tur-
pentine.
For a tonic mixture ^ir. Jekyll recommends : —
No. 304. Sulphate of copper, 1 part.
Water, 4 parts.
Dissolve and add solution of ammonia until it begins to precipitate.
The dose is half an ounce every six or eight hours, as soon as the
feverish symptoms have abated.
Prof. John Gamgee, who made an elaborate report on this
disease to the United States Government, published by the
POSITIONS ASSUMED BY CATTLE IN DISEASE.
Pleura-Pneumonia, 273
Department of Agriculture in 1871, joins in absolute con-
demnation of purgatives and bleeding. If the case is seen
and attended to early in the disease, he believes its progress
may be checked by active internal astringents. He places
the whole herd in which the malady has appeared on regu-
lar daily doses of sulphate of iron, allowing about half a
drachm to a drachm to a bullock, mixed mth an equal
amount of bruised coriander seeds, given in some bran,
-the better to disguise the iron. Prof. Gamgee has uniformly
found its use followed by a mitigation of the cough and a
disappearance of the disease in the herd.
When the case has progressed to the second stage of the
malady, he believes that light but nutritious food, copious
warm water injections, and the use of a stimulant, such as
half an ounce of carbonate of ammonia in a quart of lin-
seed tea, two or three times a day, the most hopeful plan.
But when the lung is already filled and solidified by the
progress of the inflammation, the advice of this author is to
leave the case to nature. If both lungs are involved, there
is substantially no hope ; but if only one is implicated, re-
covery occasionally takes place.
Blisters, setons, rowels and cauterization, are all out of
place in the acute stage, though they may be applied after
the fever has abated in some instances. For the coup-h and
o
debility following the disease, a tonic used by Prof. Gam-
gee is :
No. 305. Oxide of manganese,
Iron filings, each ^ oz.
Tincture of gentian, 1 J oz.
Water, 1 pint.
To be given daily in gruel.
Or the sulphate of iron, as mentioned above.
The carbolie acid treatment has been unquestionably ot
considerable success in various instances. It may be carried
out as follows : —
18
274 Diseases of Cattle,
Ko. 306. Carbolic acid (pure), 1 drachm
Water, 1 pint.
For one dose three time a day.
The otlier preparations of the acid, as the carbolate of
Boda, etc., may also be used, but the above is more direct and
simpler.
FOOT-AND-MOTTTH DISEASE— EPIZOOTIC APHTH.E— CONTAGIOUS
ECZEMA.
Definition. — A highly contagious, but rarely fatal, febrile
disease, occurring in cattle and sheep, and capable of trans-
mission to pigs and man; it is characterized by an eruption
of small blisters in the mouth, between the clefts of the
hoof, and along its upper margin at the coronet.
Causes. — The cause is a specific poison supposed by some
to be of an animal, by others of a vegetable nature. It re-
mains in the system from one to four days before it produces
the characteristic symptoms.
The foot-and-mouth disease was first introduced into the
United States in 1869, and has prevailed more or less ever
since.
Symptoms. — These are, at first, an increase of temperature
in the body, shortly followed by an eruption of small
blisters, about the size of a ten-cent piece, on the tongue, in-
side the lips, on the roof of the mouth and sometimes on the
udder. Smaller blisters also make their appearance in the
fissure of the feet, and around the coronets and heels.
There are some lameness, a flow of water from the mouth
and eyes, constant movements of the lips, and difficulty in
swallowing.
The blisters soon break and leave behind raw surfaces,,
which either proceed to healing, or, in severe cases, form
ulcers and become gangrenous.
Foot-and-Mouth Disease. 275
Treatment. — Mild cases require but little treatment, as
they tend to recovery after a week or two, and medicine does
little to hasten it. While the mouth is sore, the animal
should have plenty of water, with an ounce of saltpetre, or
of chlorate of potash, or of powdered borax, dissolved in
each bucketful. The food should be slops.
The feet should be kept clean, and washed frequently
with a mixture like the following :
No. 307. Acetate of lead, i oz.
Carbolic acid, 1 oz.
Water, 1 quart.
Mix. Dip pieces of lint or tow in this, and bind them to the foot and
between the toes with a bandage.
"Where there is extreme weakness, whiskey should be
given.
The bowels usually become loose as the disease advances,
but this condition should not be interfered with, as it is be-
lieved to be an effort of nature to throw off the poison.
As a mouth wash the following is excellent :
No. 308. Chlorate of potash, 2 oz.
Molasses, 8 oz.
Eub well together. A spoonful of this to be placed within the lips
several times a day.
For the external ulcers on the foot, Mr. Gamgee recom-
mends :
No. 309. Powdered chalk, 4 ozs.
" charcoal, 1 oz.
" alum,
Sulphate of zinc, of each, J oz.
Mix for a powder to be sprinkled on the ulcers.
The following wash is used for both foot and mouth
ulcers :
No. 310. Sulphate of copper, 1 lb.
Soft water, 1 gallon.
Wash the mouth with this, by means of a sponge fastened to a stick
and bathe the feet with it, especially between the claws.
276 Diseases of Cattle.
CHARBON— BLACK QUAETER— QTTARTEIt ILL— CONTAGIOUS
AUTHItAX— BLOODY MURRAIN.
Definition. — A contagions and malignant disease of the
blood, most common in cattle, but communicable to all do-
mestic animals, and even to man (when it is known as
" malignant pustule.") It is called by the French cliarhon,
a coal, and by the English " black quarter,'^ " black leg,"
" black tongue," etc., because the part attacked turns of a
dark purple or nearly black color, from the decomposition of
the blood.
Causes. — The French writers, who have given this dis-
ease especial study, on account of its prevalence in their
country, teach that it arises from contagion ; from spoiled
and tainted food ; from pasturing in low swamps and among
stagnant pools ; and from hot and damp seasons. It is most
commonly seen in summer and autumn, especially when the
temperature is high and rain frequent.
Most of the latest writers believe that the contagious prin-
ciple of charbon or anthrax consists in certain extremely
minute vegetable organisms which are found in the blood in
vast quantities. They are in the shape of rods, and have
been called anthrax bacteria and bacillus anthracis. They
are so extremely small that one writer estimates that eight or
ten millions may exist in a single drop of diseased blood.
Carefully conducted experiments leave hardly any doubt but
that these are capable of conveying this disease to healthy
animals.
These poison-producing organisms have a wonderful ten-
acity of life, and hence every part of a diseased animal, the
blood, flesh, hides, hair, hoof, horns and excrement are poison-
ous, and \vill convey the infection. Prof. Gross mentions
the history of three persons who were attacked by the disease
after picking the feathers from a turkey-buzzard (a bird itself
POSITIONS ASSUMED BY CATTLE IN DISEASE.
Bloody Murrain, 277
not liable to anthrax), which had fed on the carcass of an ox
dead of murrain. Flies can carry the disease on their feet
and probosces. An ox yoke worn by an infected animal has
been known to carry the infection to a well one ; and even
grain and straw, grown on a soil where a diseased animal has
been buried, are said on good authority to communicate the
malady. Strong alcohol does not diminish its virulence.
Prof. Agnew tells of his own knowledge a case where a man
died of malignant pustule ; his face had been occasionally
wiped with a handkerchief saturated with alcohol ; six months
afterwards his widow used a little alcohol from the same
bottle to bathe her face, and was at once attacked with the
same terrible disease.
Symptoms. — The animal becomes languid^ the ears drop,
the eyes are red, the mouth and nose hot and dry, and the
pulse rapid and feeble, from 80 to 120 beats per minute.
In the course of a short time swellings appear about the
loins, back, head, neck, brisket or legs. They cause pain
and stiffness, which make the animal unwilling to move or
rise up if he is lying down. The appetite is entirely lost, he
does not chew the cud, the bowels are constipated, and the
urine scanty and dark in color.
When the swellings mentioned are felt, they are found to
be cool or cold, not very tender or painful, and may give out
a crackling sound. They are dark or nearly black in color,
having the appearance of mortification.
In a few hours or a few days the symptoms of exhaustion
deepen greatly ; the animal cannot rise from the ground, his
eye is fixed and staring, the breathing is shallow, and he dies
often in convulsions.
When the disease attacks the tongue it is known as "black
tongue '' or " blain ; " and when in the throat, as " malignant
sore throat '' or " putrid sore throat." At times the tumors
form on the intestines, when the prominent sign is the pas-
278 Diseases of Cattle.
sage from the bowels of quantities of dark colored Iblood,
which form is particularly known as " bloody murrain/^ Or
it may attack the spleen, causing a rapid and fatal malady,
sometimes described as "apoplexy of the spleen." This is
especially common in milk cows.
When charbon is prevalent, almost any wound which one
of the herd receives, no matter how free he is from the dis-
ease, is very liable to put on this malignant form of ulcera-
tion, and lead to fatal results.
Gloss-anthrax or blain is occasionally, perhaps often, epi-
demic among herds. On examining the mouth, the tongue
seems enlarged, and large vesicles or blisters, dark red or
purple, are seen running along its sides and under surface,
especially toward the tip. These vesicles are filled with a
bloody fluid, which flows forth when they break, leaving an
angry raw spot, which quickly becomes a corroding ulcer.
Other blisters form near it, and in malignant cases, the blood
of the animal is quickly poisoned, and death may ensue in
twenty-four hours. In less rapid cases, the tongue is grad-
ually eaten away by the ulcerations, the glands behind and
under the jaw swell and break externally, and other ulcers
begin to appear about the feet, particularly at the junction
of the haw and the hoof, threatening the loss of the hoof.
Constipation is always present, and an irritative fever of a
low typhoid form speedily makes its appearance, and carries
off the animal.
This fever led to the disease, in some of its forms,
being described as "inflammatory fever of cattle," by
Youatt and others ; but a more modern study of its nature
has shown that the fever is a symptom only of a general
blood poisoning.
" Anthrax fever " occurs when the malignant inflamma-
tion attacks some of the internal organs. The cow or steer
ceases feeding and ruminating, trembles, has partial sweats,
Charbon in Cattle. 279
arches the back and rests his quarters against a wall or fence.
The temperature is high, 105° to 107° ; and this is the ear-
liest symptom of the approach of the disease. The eye is
sunken, dull and often yellow ; the pulse weak and irregu-
lar, the breathing jerky, and there is tenderness over the
loins, back or sides. The urine becomes bloody, a bloody
liquid escapes from the nose, the eyes and the anus, and the
dung is mixed with blood. Hence the expressive name of
the disease, " The Bloody Murrain.'' The temperature falls
below the natural one (100°), and the animal dies in convul-
sion or stupor, often within twenty-four or forty-eight hours
of the first symptoms ; or else, the symptoms rapidly disap-
pearing, he makes a prom23t recovery.
A remarkable form of the disease prevailed in Nebraska
in 1872-3. It was confined to cows and heifers. They
were attacked, while apparently in perfect health, with
a malignant carbuncle or gangrenous swelling at the lower
commissure of the vagina, the spot looking " as if dead or
frozen.'' This ulcerated and extended rapidly up the va-
gina, involving the rectum and surrounding tissues. In
about twenty-four hours from its first appearance, the cow
was seized with nervous shudders, violent twitching of the
tail and loss of power in the hind quarters. By the wild
eye, total loss of appetite and bellowing, it was easy to see the
suffering was great. In from thirty-six to forty-eight hours
from the beginning of the attack it usually proved fatal.
Inflammation and ulceration of the lower bowel and vagina
were the principal post mortem appearances. It was asserted
that the early application of crude petroleum to and in the
vagina cured some cases. The facts were reported by Sena-
tor Dodge to the United States Commissioner of Agriculture,
but the nature of the disease was not recognized at the time.
Treatment. — In spite of the extensive studies that have
been given to this destructive disease, no very successful
280 Diseases of Cattle,
method of treatment has been discovered. It may be pre-
mised that all bleeding, purging, lowering medicines are hurt-
ful ; and that all local applications to " backen" the swellings
are useless.
Prof. AYilliams believes the most promising treatment is :
No. 311. Chlorate of potash, J oz.
Water, 1 pint.
Mix and give three times a day.
This, he says, is superior to all other medicine.
In blain, and whenever the disease arises from inoculation,
(as in "malignant pustule" in man), the great majority of
cases can be cured if seen at an early period, before the poi-
son of the local pustule or vesicle has been absorbed into the
system. The treatment must, however, be prompt. The
vesicle or pustule must be freely opened with a lancet or sharp
knife, from end to end, and the raw surface thus exposed
thoroughly mopped with a chloride of zinc solution (twenty
grains to the ounce of water), with tincture of the chloride
of iron, with sulphuric or nitric acid, nitrate of mercmy or
of silver, or some other efficient caustic. The hot iron itself
is the best in some locations.
In bloody murrain Youatt and others have spoken highly
of chloride of lime (bleaching powder) : —
No. 312. Chloride of lime, 2 to 4 drachms.
Prepared chalk, 1 oz.
Laudanum, 2 drachms.
Mix and give in a pint of warm gruel every two or three hours.
A similar remedy has been praised by Sir J. Tyrrell, to-
wit: —
No. 313. Sulphite of soda, 1 oz.
Water, 3 gallons.
Of this the sick animal is to be given to drink as much as it wants.
Mr. Dun combines the soda with chlorate of potash, as : —
No. 314. Sulphite of soda,
Chlorate of potash, of each 1 oz.
Give in a quart or two of water two or three times a day.
Charbon in Cattle, 281
Of undoubted and positive efficacy both in the prevention
and treatment of this disease is a seton in the dewlap, and it
should always be inserted at the first intimation of the
malady, smeared with irritating ointment and turned every
day. It should be a broad, coarse tape, a foot long and an inch
wide, and it should remain in six or eight weeks.
All animals who die of any form of this disease should be
buried at once, as their flesh is poisonous to man and beast,
and the odor from their decaying bodies is believed to dis-
seminate the disease.
Recent French authors recommend as specifics large doses
of quinine, one to two drachms repeated every two or three
hours in severe cases ; and the hypodermic injection of a solu-
tion of iodine in the following solution :
No. 315. Iodine, 2 grains.
Iodide of potassium, 5 grains.
Water, 1 oz.
Use a syringeful every hour in severe cases.
In extreme cases this may be thrown into the veins. It is
of absolute importance that with this treatment the strength
be kept up with frequent doses of stimulants, among which
these writers recommend most strongly the carbonate of
ammonia.
The germs of the disease, when it is epidemic among ani-
mals, may be destroyed by fumigation with sulphur (as re-
commended, page 28), and by sprinkling the forage or
pastures with solutions of sulphuric acid, one drachms to two
gallons of water.
TEXAS CATTLE DISEASE— SPANISH FEVER— SPLENIC FEVEB.
Definition. — A contagious fever originating in the low
swampy lands of Southern Texas, and extended by the ex-
portation of cattle to other sections. In its effects on the sys-
tem it very closely resembles the Einderpest of Asiatic Kus-
282 Diseases of Cattle.
sia, but it is less destructive and less contagious. Animals
are found after death to have the spleen enlarged and soft-
ened, the fat is yellow, the blood fluid, and the kidneys
broken down.
Causes. — The Texan cattle themselves do not appear to
suffer from this disease in a violent form ; but it proves very
fatal when introduced into Northern herds. Its contagion is
communicated through the dung, and the roads, pastures and
streams convey it into other neighborhoods. It is destroyed
at once by frost, and, apparently, one Northern animal cannot
give it to another.
Symptoms. — Four or five weeks may pass after the poison
has been taken into the system before it shows itself. There
will be at first a moderate fever, showing an increase of tem-
perature to 103° to 107°.
This is followed in five or six days by dullness, drooping
of the head, arched back, cough, trembling, jerking of the
muscles, the horn hot, and the appetite and cud lost.
The eyes become glassy and watery, the urine turns to a
deep red or black from the blood which is . in it, and the
dung is hard and often coated with blood. When the mouth
and rectum are examined, they are found to be of a dark red
or coppery color. The animal dies in a stupor or in convul-
sions.
In 1871 the United States Government published an elabo-
rate study of this disease, prepared by Prof. John Gamgee
and other eminent observers. They found it to occur in two
forms. The first is insidious, latent and usually fatal, and
the more frequent form among Southern cattle ; while the
more active form is found in Northern herds.
After death there is only one diseased condition of the or-
gans which is invariably present. The fourth stomacji, how-
ever, is "almost invariably'' distinctly inflamed, and the
Texas Cattle Disease, 283
spleen is uniformly enlarged ^ the weight varying from two to
ten pounds. It is of a purplish color, and on cutting it the
pulp oozes out, it being soft, like currant jelly. From this
condition of the spleen, which was found in nearly 5,000
cases, Prof. Gamgee calls the disease " the splenic fever.'^
While not stating positively an opinion on its cause, he
does assert that all the cattle in the States bordering on the
Gulf of Mexico, for a distance of two or three hmidred
miles inland, are affected with malaria ; that they have " ague
cake ^' and thin blood, and more or less disturbance of the
stomach ; and it is this low tone of the system which he
conjectures, leads to an imperfect development of the blood,
and the generation of a " crowd poison,'^ highly injurious to
other members of the same species not under the influence of
the same conditions. He does not consider it a true epizo-
otic or contagious disorder, but one conveyed by the excre-
tions of the animals (the dung, urine, etc.,) containing poison-
ous matters.
Treatment. — The animal should be put in a roomy stall
where the ventilation is good, and should have soft food.
Internally he should be given twice or three times a day : —
No. 316. Chlorate of potash, ^ oz.
Tincture of chloride of iron, 1 oz.
Water, 1 quart.
Mix, and give at one dose.
When the weakness becomes considerable he should have
whisky freely.
As soon as the most dangerous symptoms are passed the
food should be light and plentiful, and tonics be admin-
istered, as : —
No. 317. Sulphate of iron. J oz.
Tincture of ginger, 1 oz,
AVater, 1 qt.
This amount twice daily.
284 Diseases of Cattle,
A remedy relied on by many, as tlie best in this disease, is : —
No. 318. Bicarbonate of soda,
Carbolic acid, of each, 12 ozs.
Glycerine, 4 ozs.
Of this the dose is two tablespoonfuls, three times a day, in a quart of
water.
Prof. Gamgee in his report above referred to does not
speak hopefully of any particular plan of treatment. He
recommends the animals should be sheltered, the limbs well
rubbed, and the bowels moved by injections. Eelief is af-
forded by ounce doses of laudanum during the first day or
two. He adds that he has seen cows return to nearly their
full quantity of milk on such treatment, aided by the fol-
lowing stimulant :
No. 319. Sulphuric ether, ^ J oz.
Solution of acetate of ammonia, 4 ozs.
Give in a quart of linseed tea or water, three times a day.
COW-POX— VAEIOLA VACCINA.
Definition. — A contagious fever, characterized by an erup-
tion which is at first a pimple, then a vesicle, next a pustule,
and last a scab. It is the same disease as small-pox in man.
Cause. — The only cause positively known is inoculation
or contao-ion. But there seems little doubt but that in cer-
o
tain instances cow-pox has appeared " spontaneously " in a
dahy. At times it seems to spread rapidly through several
herds, but is generally neither very contagious nor is at all
dangerous, fatal cases being very rare.
Symptoms. — There is more or less of fever for a few days
preceding the attack. The pimples appear on the teats, udder
and belly ; the milk is diminished, and the appetite slightly
impaired. Successive crops of vesicles are formed, burst, and
dry up, appearing thus one after another for several weeks.
Treatment. — This need not be active. When the disease
first appears, it is well to separate those affected with it from
the rest of the herd, to prevent the contagion spreading.
Coughs and Colds, 285
CHAPTER II.
NON-CONTAGIOUS AND LOCAL DISEASES OF CATTLE.
Catarrh — Colds — Coughs — Snores — Snivels.
Consumption — Wasting — Pining.
Hollow Horn — Horn-ail — An<jemia of Cattle.
Hoven — Blown — Impaction of the Rumen or First Stomach.
Fardel-hound — Maw-hound — Stomach Staggers — Impjaction
of the Omasum or 2 hird Stomach — Gastritis of Ruminants
— Lahehurn.
Ohstruction of the Bowels.
Congestion and Inflammation of the Liver — The Yellows,
Bed Water — Black Water — Bloody Urine,
Dysentery — Bloody Flux — Scouring Rot,
Milk Sickness — The Tremhles,
Rheumatism — Felon,
Foul in the Foot — Foul-claw,
Lice, Ticks and other vermin,
CATARRH— COLDS— SNORES— SNIVELS.
These disturbances of the breathing tubes are in causes,
symptoms and treatment essentially the same in cattle as in
horses. (See pages 102, 105).
Cattle are, however, peculiarly subject in some localities
to a stoppage of the nostrils by an abundant, thick secretion,
and by the swelling of the lining membrane. This forces
them to breathe with some difficulty ; they emit a snorting
or snoring sound, from which the disease is locally termed
the "snores'' or the "snivels.''
On examination, there is occasionally found a swelling in-
side the nostril, which nearly fills the passage, and later bursts
and forms an abscess. When this breaks the animal is re-
lieved.
286 Diseases of Cattle.
This form of nasal catarrh is asserted to be confined to
horned cattle.
The treatment is to inject the nostrils with olive oil, so as
to prevent the drying of the secretion ; to have the animal
inhale steam from hot bran mash in a nose bag ; and to
syringe the nostril with a disinfectant solution when the ab-
scess breaks.
A cough in a cow should not be neglected, as these ani-
mals are peculiarly prone to have it run on into consump-
tion. The throat and breast should be well rubbed with
mustard stirred up in boiling water, and if there is fever,
the following modification of Mr. Youatt's "fever powder"
will be in place : —
No. 820. Powdered digitalis, ^ drachm.
" ipecac, 1 drachm.
Nitrate of potash,
Sulphur, each, 2 drachms.
To be given in a pint of gruel, linseed tea or slippery elm bark mu-
cilage, as occasion requires.
"When there are no feverish symptoms present, but only
an old haoiving, or hoarse cough, the following is praised by
Mr. Gamgee, as a useful expectorant in all animals :
No. 321. Guaiacum, 2 ozs.
Sassafras root, 1 oz.
Water, 1 qt.
Boil to a pint, and add a half ounce of liquorice stick. When dis-
solved, strain, and give in two doses, night and morning.
Young cattle and calves are particularly liable to a cough
from the presence of a species of worm in the throat.
Whenever they are noticed to have a hoarse husky cough
this may be suspected. The proper treatment will be con-
sidered under Hoose.
The bowels should be kept moderately loose in all chronic
coughs, the animal sustained on tonics and good and
abundant food, protected both from inclement weather and
Consumption. 287
from too hot stabling j and it is good practice to insert a
seton, and thus establish counter-irritation from the lungs.
CONSTJMPTIOIT— WASTING— PINING.
Definition. — A tuberculous disease, allied to phthisis in
the human race ; in cattle, rarely found attacking solely the
lungs, but rather the intestines, mesentery and serous mem-
branes, and other tissues.
Causes. — Consumption in cattle, as in the human race, is
very often hereditary, and often follows severe and neglected
colds, insufficient food, exposure to cold and wet, excessive
milking, and as a sequel to various acute diseases.
Symptoms.— These differ in respect to the parts of the
system which the disease attacks.
"When its seat is the intestines, it produces tubercular
chronic dysentery. There is a constant scouring, with the
discharges bloody, very foul smelling, and mixed with pus.
This, and the wasting of the flesh and fever, strongly resem-
ble ordinary chronic dysentery ; and, indeed, it is generally
considered during life to be this latter disease.
In general consumption, the early signs are unthriftiness,
irregular appetite, a dry cough, a dull skin and dirty hair.
If it is a cow, she will probably abort, the milk will become
thin and watery, and if not pregnant she will probably have
violent and continued sexual desire.
With these signs there is steady loss of flesh ; the cough
increases but there is no discharge from the nose or mouth ;
the digestive organs are weak, and watery diarrhea may set
in, w^hich soon reduces the animal to a skeleton and destroys
life.
By listening k> the lungs, some differences from the natural
sound are nearly always heard, but these are neither constant
288 Diseases of Cattle.
nor well marked. There may be dullness from water on the
lungs, and also dropsy of the belly.
The disease is very variable in its duration, sometimes
running Its course in a week or two, sometimes extending
over several months.
In cases where the serous membranes are most exposed to
the tuberculous change, the joints are not unfrequently at-
tacked, producing marked and incurable lameness. Ignor-
ant farriers often treat these cases with firing, setons and
blisters, and thus add still further to the misery of the beast.
Treatment. — To have any chance of success, the treat-
ment must be begun in the earliest stage of the disease.
Cows should not be milked nor oxen worked, fattening food
should be given, careful attention paid to their housing and
healthy surroundings, and the digestive organs well looked
after.
The most appropriate food is milk, oil cake, sound hay
and ground corn. Internally, cod liver oil should be given
in doses from a quarter to a half pint daily. A seton should
be Inserted and turned daily, to counteract the process of dis-
organization.
Change of climate does not seem to be of any benefit in
the consumption of cattle. On the contrary, the disease is
often produced by such a change, although from a low and
swampy to a dry and well drained locality.
As the hereditary character of the disease is universally
recognized, it is not desirable to raise calves of consumptive
mothers. They should be slaughtered, and others obtained
for keeping.
CD
Hollow Horn. 289
HOLLOW HORN— HORN- AIL— ANEMIA OF CATTLE.
Definition. — A special diseased condition of the blood, in
which there is either a deficiency in the amount of blood in
the body, or a diminution of some of its important constitu-
ents, especially the red blood corpuscles.
Causes. — Such a condition of the blood may follow an at-
tack of any acute disease where the recovery is slow and par-
tial ; but generally it is brought about by poor or insufiicient
food, exposure and neglect, foul air, lack of cleanliness and
other necessary conditions of health. The food may be
abundant in quantity, but contain an excess of water and
a deficiency of solid matter. Thus, instances are given in the
Country Gentleman's 3Iagazine, 1874, where the exclusive
use of roots, or of green food grooving on damp soil, and even
the persistent use of one food only, resulted in this depraved
condition of the blood. Cattle fed winter and summer on
timothy hay have been known to suffer from it. Monotony
of diet in them, as in human beings, leads to the manufac-
ture by the digestive organs of an inferior quality of blood.
Symptoms. — These are those of general debility and "poor
condition." The animal is scant of flesh, hide bound, and
with staring coat. The hair is often ragged and lousy. The
appetite is ravenous or irregular > the bowels either consti-
pated or too loose, generally the latter, the dung is foul-
smelling, and there is much wind passed. The pulse is
feeble, and the animal easily fatigued. On examining the
inside of the mouth, the lining membrane looks paler than
usual, and on feeling the horn it is colder than natural, some-
times almost " deathly cold.''
This last mentioned trait is what has given the disease its
common name, and the ordinary cowleech imagines the dis-
ease is a local one, originating in the horn. Hence he will
bore it with a gimlet and squirt some turpentine into the
19
290 Diseases of Cattle,
orifice ; or he will put a plaster at the base of the horn. But
ia fact, the temperature of the horn is low on account of the
general poverty of the blood, and these measures are vain.
Thouo'h we have been familiar with cases of this disease
from boyhood, we have never seen one where the horn actu-
ally was hollow ; though that this might not happen through
the processes known as atrophy and absorption of the inner
vascular structure, we do not deny. Later symptoms of the
disease are swellings under the jaws and about the navel, and
dropsy of the belly.
Treatment. — This is suggested by what has been said of
the causes of the disease. The animal must be well fed,
well housed and well cleaned. The food should be given in
small quantities and often. If lousy, as is very often the
case, it must be washed and some of the insecticides recom-
mended for that purpose must be applied.
No boring or bleeding is needed. It will not be amiss to
commence with a moderate dose of salts or oil, to clean out
the bowels. The diarrhea, if persistent, should be checked by
astringents. After this, a tonic is needed, especially an iron
one, in small doses, to aid in enriching the blood ; and with
it may be very advantageously combined a little nux vomica,
to stimulate the nervous system, as :
No. 322. Sulphate of iron, 2 drachms.
Powdered nux vomica, 1 drachm.
Powdered gentian, 1 ounce.
This amount daily in dry food or as a drench.
After one week it should be suspended for a week, and
then resumed for one week more. These measures will cer-
tainly cure all. cases of hollow horn that do not depend on
some serious organic disease.
1. STEAMING A STEER. 2. SEAT OF OPERATION FOR IMPACTED RUMEN.
Hoven, 291
H07EN— BLOWN— IMPACTION OF THE RTTMEIT.
Definition. — A form of indigestion in cattle, frequently-
accompanying other diseases, consisting of an unnatural dis-
tension of the rumen or first stomach by food, and by the
gases it gives off in the process of fermentation, or by gases
evolved from the walls of the organ.
Causes. — In health this condition is brought on by over
feeding with damp grasses, especially green clover. Almost
any food in excessive quantities may produce it. In various
diseases there is a secretion of gas from the inner coat of the
stomach, causing great and painful distension, sometimes
called. " tympanites.^^
Symptoms. — There is a. swelling on the left side, which
appears while the animal is feeding or shortly afterwards.
The breathing is difficult and painful, becoming more so as
the gas is generated and the swelling increases. This is
manifested by the general appearance of the animal. There
are expansion of the nostrils, moaning during expiration,
belching, dribbling from the mouth and uneasiness. The
animal loses his cud. The bowels are constipated ; and if
the swelling is great, there vnll be a prominence and wild-
ness of the eye, which is characteristic of obstruction to the
entrance of air into the lunges.
... . ♦
Unless relieved, the animal will die from suffocation, from
laceration of the stomach, or from blood poisoning from the
gases.
Treatment. — In very severe cases, when the swelling is
from gases, the proper course is to plunge a trochar into the
rumen and allow the gas to escape through the canula. The
operation is to be performed on the most prominent part of
the swelling, and if the tube becomes choked by the contents
of the stomach, it must be cleaned out with a wire or stick.
When the symptoms are not so urgent as to call for this
292 Diseases of Cattle,
measure, they can generally be relieved by some of the stimu-
lants given below. After the severe symptoms are relieved,
a strong purgative is to be prescribed, such as : —
Ko. 323. Epsom salts, i lb.
Croton oil, •'^ 20 drops.
Linseed oil, 1 pint.
Mix.
In cases where the swelling is from over feeding, and the
rumen is crammed with solid matters — which is easily recog-
nized by its doughy feel and solid sound on percussion — it is
often necessary to empty it before any medicines can take
effect. The best method of performing this operation is as
follows :
Fasten the animal by its nose, with its right side to the
wall ; then plunge a sharp bistoury into the rumen, begin-
ning midway between the last rib and the spine of the haunch
bone, and from four to six inches from the back bone, cutting
downward until the opening is large enough to admit the
hand. Then run a stitch through from the skin to the inner
part of the stomach at the lower portion of the cut, so that
the contents of the stomach may not escape into the cavity of
the abdomen. Turn out with the hand these contents^
Clean the edges of the wound thoroughly. Sew up first the
coats of the stomach, turning the edges in ; and next the
outer wound in the usual manner. Apply a stiff pitch plas-
ter over the wound, and feed the animal on small quantities
of slops for a few days.
Of medicines, Mr. Dun recommends turpentine, in small
and repeated doses, as half an ounce every fifteen minutes,
until four ounces are taken. Mr. Gamgee prefers assa-
fcetida : —
No. 324. Assafoetida, h oz.
Linseed oil, 1 pt.
Mix for a drench.
Impaction of the Stomal 293
Or:—
No. 325. Strong solution of ammonia, | oz.
Water, 1 pt.
For a drench.
Or:—
No. 326. Creasote, 2 drachms.
Water, 1 pt.
For a drench.
Other stimulants used are whiskey and brandy, oil of
peppermint, essence of ginger, and red pepper tea, either of
which will at times work satisfactorily, and at others fail
entirely.
When the animal is liable to frequent returns of the dis-
ease, Prof. Law recommends careful dieting, and the follow-
ing tonic :
No. 327. Fenugreek,
Iron rust,
Carbonate of soda,
Common salt, of each, 4 ozs.
Powdered nux vomica, 2 drachms.
Mix well, and give a heaping tablespoonful, twice daily, in the food.
FAEDEL-BOTJND—MAWBOTJND— STOMACH STAGGEHS— IMPACTION"
OF THE THIED STOMACH— GASTRITIS OF RUMINANTS—
LAKEBTJEN.
Definition. — Distension of the third stomach, the many-
plies or omasum, with undigested food, which may be
followed by congestion and inflammation of its lining mem^
brane, and also of that of the fourth or true stomach, the
caul or abomasum.
The best authorities on veterinary medicine, such as the
late Professor Dick and Professor Williams, do not make a
distinction in practice between impaction and inflammation
of the third stomach. By the older writers impaction was
called ^' fardel -bound," and inflammation, ^' lake-burn /' and
they taught that the third stomach alone was the one usually
at fault. Closer observation has shown that the symptoms
294 Diseases of CaUte,
of these supposed diseases really refer principally to inflam-
mation of the fourth or true stomach. The third compart-
ment, indeed, participates in the disorder ; as do also often
the first and second stomachs ; but the main and principal
seat of the morbid change is in the abomasum ; thus sho^ -
ing the disease to be a true gastritis, or inflammation of the
stomach.
Causes. — The causes of the disease are sudden changes in
the food, or in its condition. Sometimes the consumption of
damp or mouldy* hay will produce it. More frequently it
appears when the animals eat ravenously of spring grass,
clover or green corn. So also an excess of corn meal, cotton
cake, or similar dry and heating food; or irritating sub-
stances, as wild mustard, or various poisonous articles are
liable to bring it on.
Symptoms. — A highly excited state of the nervous system
is a distinguishing symptom. It is shown by a glaring eye,
madness, staggers or fits, or by stupidity and palsy of the
hind quarters.
The bowels are at first loose, but this is soon followed by
an obstinate constipation. The animal often strains vio-
lently, and passes both blood and watery substances ; and a
hard swelling may sometimes be detected on the right side,
owing to impaction of the stomach. In many cases swelling
of the whole bowels and stomachs comes on early in the di-
sease, causing severe colicky pains, and greatly adding to the
animal's suffering.
After death, the contents of the third stomach are gen-
erally found hard and dry, the coats of the fourth stomach
red and inflamed, or pale and soft, and the bowels filled with
gas and w^atery, half digested food. The fluid condition of
the contents of the intestines shows that the obstinate consti-
pation is due to palsy of the bowels.
Fardel-Bound, 295
Treatfiient. — The old treatment of this disease was bleed-
ing largely until the animal was faint ; giving it a full sized
dose of purgative medicine, and pouring cold water from a
height upon its head.
Very few surgeons would follow this plan now. Recog-
nizing: that the disease is an inflammation of the coats of the
stomach and bowels, to give strong purges is to rasp and irri-
tate still more the inflamed membrane, and to lessen the
chances for life which the beast has left him ; and to bleed
in a disease where death often comes through exhaustion, is
contrary to all prudent doctrine.
Therefore it
is best to begin with
a sedative and an
alkali, as :-
—
No. 328.
Extract of belladonna,
Bicarbonate of soda,
2 drachms.
1 oz.
Mix in a
quart of water and give three or four times a day.
Or—
No. 329.
Tincture of aconite root,
Lime water.
Sweet oil, each
20 drops.
4 oz.
Add to a
quart
of inilk and give three times
a day.
Give the animal plenty of milk and water to drink, and
as soon as the severest symptoms are abated, horn down a
quart of linseed oil, repeating it every twenty-four hours till
it brings on a moderately free evacuation of the bowels.
Professor Strangeway's treatment, which was very success-
ful, was as follows ; He gave, to begin with, such a dose as
this : —
No. 330. Laudanum, 2 oz.
Castor oil, IJ pints.
To be given at one dose.
When the feverish symptoms had to some degree abated,
he prescribed : —
No. 331. Sulphate of magnesia, 10 oz.
Sulphuric acid, 20 drops.
Quinine, 30 grains.
Mix with a quart of water for one dose.
296 Diseases of Cattle.
After this he kept the animal quiet, and did not disturb its
bowels with any medicine for three or four days, when, if
the constipation continued, the last prescription was repeated.
He found it very seldom necessary to do this.
A peculiar form of impaction of the third stomach is of fre-
quent occurrence in the corn producing districts of the United
States, where at times it has severely devastated the herds.
This disorder formed the subject of a special report to the De-
partment of Agriculture by Prof. Gamgee, published in
1871. He found that it was owing to the cattle eating quan-
tities of smutty or ergoted corn, and the disease is conse-
quently most frequent after wet seasons.
The cattle are constipated. The animal lies down, has an
unthrifty coat, dry muzzle, dull eye, trembles easily, perhaps
shivers, or seems delirious. One of two conditions predomi-
nate ; one of stupor, staggering and sluggishness ; or else of
excitement, wildness and apparent blindness. The animal
dies speedily, in from one to four days. At death the third
stomach is always found firm, distended, and the food caked
between the folds, while the fourth stomach contains but a
scant quantity of greenish, half digested matter.
Almost all animals die unless relieved ; but fortunately it
is not difficult to treat them so successfully that the danger
can be averted. At first a purgative must be administered.
"The one Prof. Gamgee recommends is : —
No. 332.
Sulphate of magnesia,
lib.
Powdered aloes,
4 drachms.
Powdered ginger,
2 drachms.
Water,
1 quart.
Give in warm linseed tea, oat meal gruel or water.
Warm w^ater injections are of the highest importance, and
they can be given in such cases most advantageously by the
funnel described on page 43. About a quart or two of
lukewarm water, without any addition but a little sweet
Obstruction of the Bowels, 297
oil to lubricate the instrument, should be poured into the rec-
tum every half hour.
On the second day it may be found that the medicine does
not act very freely. The best agent to be given then is : — -
No. 333. Carbonate of ammonia, ^ drachm,
Linseed tea. 1 quart.
Mix for a drench twice or thrice a day.
As soon as the appetite returns, a succulent diet, such as
grass, sweet hay, boiled turnips, etc., will complete the cure.
OBSTRUCTION OF THE BOWELS.
Definition. — A closure of the intestinal tube, either by
twisting upon itself, when it is known as " gut tie '' or " the
cords ;" or by being involved in the sac of an irreducible rup-
ture ; or other mechanical means.
Causes. — In the ox such a condition may arise from cas-
tration carelessly performed, as was pointed out by Professor
Dick, of Edinburgh ; or from dust balls or foreign substances
becoming impacted in the bowels and setting up inflamma-
tion which binds the intestines in a cord ; or from kicks and
severe blows, leading to the same result. Though perhaps
more common in the ox, it is not, as Mr. Youatt taught, at
all confined to that animal.
Symptoms. — These are obstinate and absolute constipa-
tion, and excessive pain, coming on in paroxysms of atro-
cious severity. The belly swells, the ears and horns are cold,
the eyes are indicative of intense suffering, the mouth and
muzzle turn pale, and the breathing is laborious and heard
at a distance. The disease continues for six or eight days,
and death comes from exhaustion.
Treatment. — The result is usually fatal. Yet cases are
on record where recovery took place, and the obstruction was
overcome.
298 Diseases of Cattle.
Purges of all kinds are utterly out of place. They are
both useless and harmful. The only medicine to give by
the mouth is the following : —
No. 334. Lavidanum, 2 oz.
Extract of belladonna, 2 drachms.
Essence of ginger, 1 drachm.
Eub down the extract in a pint of linseed tea, and give the whole
every two or three hours.
No. fears must be had of over dosing, as it is a hand to
hand fight with death.
Large clysters of warm water should be given by the rec-
tum, and repeated every two hours. In some instances the
addition of a spoonful of tobacco tea to these clysters have
brought about severe nausea, and with it a relaxation of the
" tie," followed by prompt relief.
THE YELLOWS— CONGESTION AND INFLAMMATION OF THE LIVER.
This is by no means so common a disease among cattle as
many farriers would have us believe. It is more frequent
in the Southern than in the Northern States, in the late sum-
mer and fall than at other seasons, and in milk cows and
stall fed steers than in other members of the herd.
Causes. — Over feeding with rich food, the use of heating
condition powders, sudden changes of the weather from hot to
cold, producing chills, excessive milking, gall stones, and old
age.
Symptoms. — The animal " loses the cud," as the herdmen
say ; that is, he ceases to ruminate. He appears dull and
languid, is hide bound, and has a rough, unhealthy coat.
He is loath to move, loses appetite and is generally listless
and sluggish. Sometimes he staggers and seems w^ak.
On examining the whites of the eyes and the interior of
the mouth, it is found that they have a dull, muddy, yellow-
ish cast. The bowek are generally costive or have a loose, ill-
Liver Diseases, 299
smelling scouring. In cows, the secretion of milk is lessened ;
and in tlie pasture they wander off hj themselves in a de-
jected manner.
Treatment. — This should begin by changing the animal's
food and surroundings. If it is a stall-fed steer, he should
be turned into the yard or field, given plain sweet hay or
bran mashes, with plenty of water. If it is a milk cow on
a rich pasture, she should be stabled in a roomy stall and
fed on light slops, her coat well rubbed and curried, and
milked only moderately.
For medicines, a moderate warm laxative is in order, as : —
Ko. 335. Powdered aloes,
Powdered ginger, each, J oz.
Castile soap (scraped fine),
Peruvian bark (powdered), each 1 oz.
Mix in a pint of warm water for a drench.
This may be repeated once every three or four days.
Another excellent combination is to use small doses of
turpentine and salts, as : —
No. 336. Sulphate of magnesia,
Common salt, each ^ lb.
Oil of turpentine, 1 to 2 oz.
Slippery elm mucilage, 1 quart.
Give every day or every other day for a week or two.
The following also will be found efficient in slow cases. It
is a modification of a formula of Prof. Law : —
No. 337. Podophyllin, ^ 20 grains.
Powdered nux vomica, 1 drachm.
Sulphate of magnesia,
Powdered gentian, each 1 oz.
Mix in a quart of gruel or linseed tea for a drench every day or two.
When jaundice is brought on by a gall stone, we have, in
addition to the yellow skin as seen in the mouth, and the
jaundiced eye, heaving of the flanks, a hard, rapid pulse, no
appetite, but an insatiable thirst. The ears are alternately
cold and hot, the urine changes to a transparent yellow, dark
300 Diseases of Cattle.
red or brown, the bowels are constipated, and when the dung
passes it is in hard and black masses. For this condition a
full dose of salts is demanded, combined with opium to re-
lieve the pain, as : —
No. 338. Sulphate of magnesia, 1 lb.
Croton oil, 20 drops.
Laudanum, 2 oz.
Mix in a quart of linseed tea.
Mashes should be given to hasten and increase the action
of the physic, and the animal should be turned out to grass
during the day.
RED WATER— BLACK WATER— BLOODY URINE.
Definition. — A disease of cattle characterized by the pas-
sage of reddish, chocolate colored or black urine, the color-
ing matter being derived from the blood.
The exact nature of this disease is not yet clearly ascer-
tained. The urine always contains albumen and broken-
down corpuscles ; but the kidneys indicate no inflammation,
their color is lighter than natural, the tubules are enlarged,
and sometimes their lower surfaces spotted with effused
blood. It is probable, therefore, that the disease is a general
degeneration of the system, showing itself by an early and
obscure form of kidney disease, similar to some of the
phases of Bright's disease in man.
Cause. — This is well ascertained to be scanty and un-
healthy food. Indeed, it has been called in England "the
disease of the poor man's cow." It is quite common in cows
two or three weeks after calving, when they are fed on
turnips grown on swamp lands. It is also frequent in bad
weather, when food is scanty, and of inferior quality.
Symptoms. — The characteristic symptom is the color of
the urine. With this are associated great prostration, palpita-
Bed Water and Black Water, 301
tlon of the heart, a rapid arid trembling pulse, and at first
diarrhea, which is followed by obstinate constipation.
In the form which attacks cows after calving, there is, in
addition to the above signs, loss of milk, and the vagina has
a contracted or puckered-up appearance. The milk some-
times froths unusually in the pail, and on standing deposits
a reddish sediment.
The black water is said by some writers to appear after
the red, and to be a sign of the advance of the disease to a
more serious stage. When the change takes place from red
to black water, the animal often stales several times of a
natural color.
Treatment. — As the complaint is essentially one of faulty
or insufficient food, the most pressing rule is to put the ani-
mal at once on sound and abundant diet. It should be taken
from a low lying or scanty pasturage, to one well drained
and set in succulent grass ; or if stall-fed, turnips should be
discarded, and plenty of boiled meal, corn, bran and sound
hay be supplied. Besides this, rich animal food is of gitat
value, as half a dozen eggs beat up in half a gallon of milk
several times a day.
The violent purgative medicines, and the strong as-
tringents so much and so indiscreetly urged by old writers,
should be avoided. The bowels do best with moderate doses
of oil, as : —
No. 839. Castor oil, 2 oz. :
Linseed oil, 1 pt.
Give at a dose, and repeat every two days for three or four times.
The diarrhea generally present at the outset of the disease
should not be checked, as it is an effort of nature to relieve
the overloaded circulation. And for the constipation which
follows, the above oil mixture will be sufficient to relieve it.
Along with the above, a chlorate of potash and iron mix-
ture is always of great benefit : —
302 Diseases of Cattle.
No. 340. Chlorate of potash, i oz.
Tincture of chloride of iron, J oz.
Mix in a pint of thin gruel for a dose : to be repeated twice a day.
Mr. Gamgee speaks well of the following : —
No. 341. Sulphuric acid, 1 drachm.
Laudanum, i oz.
Molasses, 4 oz.
Mix with a pint of water in warm gruel and give daily.
Turpentine is advocated by Mr. Dun, Mr. Downing and
others, as : —
No. 342. Oil of turpentine, .; 2 oz.
Nitrate of potash, 3 oz.
Iron rust, 1 oz.
Mix for two doses, night and morning, in gruel.
The sulphate of iron (copperas) may be substituted for
the iron rust.
DYSEITTERY— BLOODY FLTJX— SCOTTRING ROT.
This disease has already been described as it occurs in the
horse (page 143). But it is much more frequently seen in
cattle, where it has received the name " scouring rot," when
it appears in its chronic form.
Symptoms. — In cattle the acute form is attended with
shivering, arching of the back, and tenderness about the
loins. The animal grunts, yawns, grinds its teeth, and at
short intervals discharges from its bowels a thin and ill-
smelling dung, mixed with blood and pus. There is much
straining of the lower bowel, and the anus looks sore and
red. There is pain in the belly indicated by arching of the
back, whisking of the tail, and swelling of the bowels. The
thirst is excessive, the animal is dull and stupid and loses
flesh rapidly.
In the chronic form the thinness is marked, the hide is
rough, unhealthy and often mangey, the teeth are loose, and
the dung bloody and fetid. The eyes sink in the head,
Dysentery, 303
dropsical swellings appear about the lower jaw and legs, and
the creature dies exhausted.
Treatment. — In either form a change of diet is absolutely
necessary to a restoration to health. If stabled, put on dry
food, and given a pint of linseed oil every day or every
other day, most slight cases of the acute kind will rapidly
recover. It may be w^ell if the action of the bowels does
not cease promptly, to give a mild astringent, as : —
No. 343. Powdered alum,
Powdered ginger, each, 5^ oz.
Mix and give in a quart of milk once or twice a day till tlie dis-
charge moderates.
Or,
No. 344. Powdered galls,
Ipecacuanha, each J ot.
Mix and give as above.
The chronic form is a very obstinate disease, and not un-
frequently baffles every attempt to cure it. Here, too, close
attention to diet stands in the first line of treatment. Some
writers recommend that all vegetable food be withheld, and
the animal fed on broths, thin soups, the blood of other ani-
mals and milk. The following is an excellent food in such
cases : —
No. 345. Fresh mutton suet, 2 lbs.
Fresh milk, 6 quarts.
Mix with gentle heat over a slow fire and give while warm.
Another valuable form of diet is :
No. 346. Cod liver oil, 2 to 4 oz.
Fresh eggs, 4 to 5.
Mix thoroughly in a quart of fresh milk and give twice a day.
To support these articles of diet, we may choose a gentle
and stimulating astringent, as : —
No. 347. Calcined rhubarb in powder, 1 oz.
Powdered chalk, 2 oz.
Powdered opium, 2 drachms.
Mix as a ball or in the food. To be given every morning.
304 Diseases of Cattle,
When the dysentery is of an epidemic character, Mr.
Gamgee recommends that the early feverish symptoms be
subdued with twenty or thirty drops of the tincture of acon-
ite root, given twice daily ; and this followed, when the acute
symptoms subside, with one of the following : —
No. 348. Chloride of lime,
Tincture of arnica, each 2 drachms.
Nitric ether, 1 oz.
To be given two or three times a day in gruel.
Or,
No. 349. Solution of potash,
Wine of ipecac, of each 1 oz.
Tincture of cantharides, ^ cz.
To be given in a quart of warm gruel daily.
When the discharges are slimy, bloody and weakening,
sometimes rapid improvement is derived from the fol-
lowing : —
No. 350. Corrosive sublimate. 8 grains.
Water, 1 pint.
Give one to two tablespoonfuls of this in a quart of water every two
hours. The dose must, on no account, be greater than this.
This is well spoken of by Mr. Finlay Dun and others.
MILK SICKNESS— THE TEEMBLES.
Definition. — A disease of unknown origin, affecting the
blood and nervous system, strictly confined to certain locali-
ties in the Western and Southern States.
Cause. — This very strange disease has completely puzzled
all observers to account for its appearance. It is developed
in cattle by pasturing in certain definite localities, a particu-
lar meadow, mountain side or bottom. Many have attrib-
uted it to eating some poisonous plants, especially the white
snake root, Eupatorium ageratoides. But the flora of the
localities in question has been repeatedly scrutinized by
competent botanists, and no plant whatever of a poisonous
Milk Sickness, 305
character discovered, (and it appears where the snake root is
unknown, and is unknown where that plant is common),
have assigned it to drinking water, and others again to an
" emanation from the soil." But all these are guesses only.
It is common in some parts of Ohio, Indiana, Southern
Illinois, Tennessee and South Carolina.
One of its most serious features is that it is communicable
to man through the milk of diseased animals ; and it is in
many instances incurable, and finally fatal.
So concentrated is the poison that hides of animals which
have died of it, if eaten by rats and mice, will destroy
them as certainly as "ratsbane," as has been proven on un-
questionable authority. Horses and sheep are also liable to
attacks of it.
S3nnptoms. — The principal symptoms of the trembles are
great weakness and prostration of the nervous system, dull-
ness and drooping, accompanied by obstinate constipation and
colic. The animals are unable to make any but the shortest
journeys, and on the least fatigue stagger and tremble, or
drop down.
Should they recover, or apparently so, and resume their
usual condition of health, this nervous exhaustion remains,
and they are never able to bear a long march. Animals
which die of the disease usually present an acute inflamma-
tion of the intestinal canal.
Treatment. — This is either by large doses of stimulants
or by full quantities of salts and other purgatives, aided by
injections to overcome the constipation ; or by both these
methods combined, as occasion demands.
The pasturage should be changed and the suspected field
ploughed up and cropped ; or if it is a grove, it should be
cut down, stubbed and tilled. Whatever the cause of the
20
306 Diseases of Cattle.
disease may be, it has been conclusively shown that it disap-
pears by cultivation of the infected district.
As the milk of poor and underfed animals is always much
more dangerous than that of well fed ones, a full diet and
tonics are clearly demanded in all cases where the trembles
have showed themselves.
RHEUMATISM— FELOU.
This disease has already been spoken of as it affects the
horse, and the symptoms and treatment in cattle are substan-
tially the same. (See page 178).
The advantages of blisters are conspicuous, and their use
should not be neglected. Nitrate of potash (saltpeter) should
be given to the ox in larger doses than to the horse, say two
ounces twice a day ; and a purge, half a pound to a pound
of sulphate of magnesia (epsom salts) is preferable to aloes.
Cows, when suffering from rheumatism, will often lie down
and refuse to rise. In such cases repeated change of bedding
is absolutely necessary. The animal must be kept dry, clean
and warm. The inflamed joints should be wrapped in dry
flannel, and protected from injury.
Rheumatism in cattle is more apt than in any other ani-
mal to pass into suppuration and sloughing of the joint,
causino: what is sometimes called " bustian foul." This con-
dition is incurable, and when it occurs the animal should be
slaughtered at once, to put it out of its misery.
Treatment. — Of several plans of treatment specially
adapted to cattle we may mention that by sulphur. This drug
has an old and probably just reputation for chronic cases.
No. 351. Flour of sulphur, 8 oz.
Ginger, J oz.
Give in gruel every third day.
Small doses of turpentine combined with an alkali have
also received praise in responsible quarters, as : —
Treatment of Hheumatism. 307
No. 352. Oil of turpentine, 1 oz.
Bicarbonate of soda, 1 to 2 oz.
This amount in gruel every day or two.
Another frequently valuable mixture for old cases is : — •
No. 353. Powdered guaiacum,
Caraway seeds.
Aniseed, of each 2 or 3 drachms.
Give in a quart of a decoction of willow bark every day.
The willow bark contains salicin, a drug of much value
in rheumatic complaints.
Of embrocations to relieve the affected joints, those con-
taining turpentine are among the best, as : —
No. 354. Neat'sfoot oil, 4 oz.
Oil of origanum.
Oil of turpentine,
Laudanum, of each 1 oz.
Mix and apply by gentle and thorough friction.
No. 355. Olive oil, 2 oz.
Oil of turpentine.
Strong solution of ammonia, each 1 oz.
Mix. This is a strongly exciting liniment.
These are very suitable in the " lumbago/' or pain in the
loins, which cows and oxen of rheumatic constitution are apt
to be troubled with. In such cases, besides friction with the
above, it is well to keep the lower bowel free with warm in-
jections of water or soap and water, and to cover the hind
quarters of the animal with rubber cloth.
This variety of rheumatism is sometimes known as '^ felon,''
when in its acuter form. The beast is then more or less off
his food. His coat is staring, his eye dull, his nose is dry
and his back or loins are sore, so that he flinches when the hand
is pressed along the sides of the backbone, and arches his
back. Often with this his teeth loosen. In such cases, if
he is well housed and given the following cordial, he will
generally soon recover : —
508 Diseases of Cattle,
No. 356. Turmeric,
Fenugreek,
Powdered aniseed,
Powdered liquorice, of each 1 ox.
Mix, and giv». in a quart of ale daily for a few days.
A respectable English writer, Mr. M. M. Milburn, in his
work on Dairy Husbandry j recommends a singular opera-
tion for this complaint, which he says he has tried in hun-
dreds of cases with entire success. It is to cut the under side
of the tail. This relieves the back and fastens the teeth.
The operation is thus performed : Feel for a soft place on
the under side of the tail. The knobs felt are the joints ;
between them lies the bone. Cut the skin across at the soft
part ; it will bleed for eight or ten minutes. When the
bleeding has ceased, tie up the tail with a piece of linen cloth.
As the operation is simple and safe, and may act in some
efficient curative manner, it is worth remembering.
FOTTL IN THE FOOT— FOUL CLAW.
Definition. — A disease of cattle characterized by inflam-
mation and suppuration of the substance between the cleft of
the hoof, and occasionally extending to the bones and joints
of the foot, producing great lameness, with much fever, loss
of condition, and even death. It is most commonly, but not
invariably, seen in the hind feet.
Causes. — These are : Overgrowth of the hoof, causing an
excessive strain on its parts ; the irritation of pebbles, thorns,
dirt or other foreign substance caught between the claws ; and
sometimes a general scrofulous character of the constitution.
S3finptoniS. — These are evident in the lameness of the
animal, and in the condition of the foot. Where it arises
from a scrofulous condition of the blood, it is apt to be asso-
ciated with the signs of consumption, as described on page
1. XOSE BAG FOR GIVING INHALATION. 2. BANDAGE FOR FOUL CLAW.
3. THE VACCINE DISEASE ON A TEAT.
Foul in the Foot 309
287. In these instances the efforts at cure will not be likely
to prove successful.
Treatment. — If attended to in time, the disease is not
difficult to manage, except when it is owing to scrofula. All
loose horn should be removed, and all dirt and foreign sub-
stances. The wound, if much inflamed, should then be poul-
ticed for a day or two ; and after that dressed with one of
the astringent applications given below (Nos. 357-9).
If the pus has burrowed much in the surrounding tissue,
it is best to syringe the foot thoroughly with a solution of
carbolic acid, one part of the acid to ten or twelve of water ;
and having done this, soak small pledgets of tow in the solu-
tion and fasten them in the wound with bandages. The ani-
mal should be kept in a clean stable, or on a dry, short pas-
turage.
Some neglected cases are met with, where the foul has ex-
tended into the foot and up as high as the fetlock ; the claws
are separated by the swelling, the bones are attacked and
rotten, the stench is overpowering and the animal ^^dead
lame." Cattle so troubled will give up the struggle for life ;
will refuse their food, lose flesh, lie down and die.
But even such desperate cases may be often cured com-
pletely by amputation — taking off the foot through the fet-
lock joint; or, if this is too diseased, by sawing through the
canon bone above it. This is not a difficult nor dangerous
operation, and gives the owner a chance to feed up the ani-
mal for the butcher, which should be done as soon as possi-
ble. The animal should be cast, a sharp knife used, and
abundantly long flaps of sound skin and flesh be left on each
side of the Kmb, to fold over and cover the ends of the bone.
Bleeding should be prevented by a tourniquety and the arte-
ries carefully tied. Carbolized water is the best dressing for
310 Diseases of Cattle,
the stump, as it is not only disinfecting and healing, but
keeps away the flies.
Of local applications to foul claw there are many, as : —
No. 357. Oil of turpentine.
Lard, of each 4 oz.
Powdered sulphate of copper, 1 oz.
Melt together the lard and turpentine and add the copper.
No. 358. Carbolic acid, 1 drachm.
Water, 6 oz.
Apply by a brush or feather, and cover with a piece of tow wet with
it.
No. 359.
Chloride of zinc,
10 to 20 grains.
Water,
1 oz.
Use as the last.
Saturated solutions of alum, or of sulphate of copper, or
the sulphate in crystal, or the pencil of nitrate of silver, may
also be used to remove the diseased slough. Mr. Youatt's
suggestion of a poultice mixed with one-fourth oil of tur-
pentine is useful where it is difficult to cleanse the hoof.
LICE, TICKS, AND OTHER VERMIIT.
Cattle, cows and calves, especially when in poor condition,
are very subject to attacks of several species of lice, and as
these pests propagate with incredible rapidity, they infect
other stock as well as the stables and barns. Hence, no time
should be lost in attacking them vigorously ; and at the
same time the cattle are treated, the stables should be thor-
oughly cleaned and whitewashed, and the posts, stones and
other scratching places be painted with crude petroleum or
gas tar.
On a previous page (260) we have suggested various
remedies for lice in horses, any of which may also be used
in cattle. None, however, of a poisonous character should
be used on these latter animals on account of their habit of
licking themselves, and each other. A useful wash, and a
justly popular one, is a strong decoction of tobacco leaves,
Lice on Cattle. 311
saturated with rock salt. With this the hide should be well
saturated several times at intervals of three or four days.
This repetition is absolutely essential to success, as the nits in
which the lice store their eggs, and which can readily be seen
fastened to the hair, have a covering of a waxy material
wholly insoluble in water or mild alkalies. They all hatch
out in a week or ten days, and by repeating the wash, the
young are killed before they have had time to deposit other
nits.
The covering of the nits is, however, readily soluble in
alcohol. Therefore, the most effective of all louse-killing
preparations are made by pouring common spirits of some
kind on tobacco leaves, allowing it to stand for a few days
then bottling for use. Such tinctures of stavesacre seeds, and
of cocculus indicus are also very promptly destructive to
vermin of all kinds in the hide and fleece of animals; but
these two last mentioned drugs are actively poisonous when
taken internally, and must not be carelessly used. It may be
said of the cocculus, that it is so intensely bitter that we
question whether a cow would lick her hide with that flavor
on it.
An excellent and cheap oily preparation is : —
No. 360. Linseed oil, 4 parts.
Common creosote, 1 part.
Mix well together.
Another is : —
No. 361. Flowers of sulphur, 1 lb.
Oil of turpentine, ^ pt.
Train oil, 4 pints.
Mix the sulphur with the train oil bj gentle heat, and when cold stir
in the turpentine.
Ticks which infest live stock should not be pulled off, but
snipped in two with a pair of scissors, and the head half
which remains touched with a feather dipped in oil of tur-
pentine.
312 Diseases of CatUe,
No. 362. Common carbolic acid, 1 oz.
Whale or neats foot oil, 1 qt.
Mix for outward use.
This both destroys -vermin and keeps away flies from ani-
mals.
FACIAL EXPRESSIONS OF CATTLE IN DISEASE.
Diseases of Cows, 313
CHAPTER III.
DISEASES OF THE COW IN PREGNANCY AND CALVING.
Barrenness or Sterility,
Abortion — Slinking — Slipping — Dropping the Calf,
Calving or Parturition ; Rigid Neck of the Womb ; Bending
of the Neck of the Womb.
Unnatural Positions of the Calf,
Flooding.
Retained After-birth.
Inversion of the Womb,
Medical Treatment of Calving.
Management of the Milk ; To dry the milk ; To bring on or
increase the milk ; To correct bloody and blue milk.
Milk Fever — Puerperal Fever — Parturient Fever — Partur^
ient Apoplexy — Inflammation of the Womb.
Garget — Caked Bag — Mammitis.
BARRENNESS OR STERILITY.
Barrenness in high priced cows, bought or raised for the
purpose of breeding, is a serious loss to the owner, and it is
worth making energetic attempts to remedy it. Its causes
are either constitutional or accidental.
Constitutional barrenness generally exists in heifers twinned
with a bull calf. They are called " free martins," and rarely
go in heat, and when they do, they fail to conceive. Usually
they have a steer-like appearance, though smaller in growth.
When their sex organs are examined they are found to be
small and ill-developed.
Incomplete growth of the ovaries and malformations of
the genital organs, are other constitutional causes of sterility
found occasionally in the lower animals. It is needless to
say that any attempt to remedy these defects are vain.
314 Diseases of Cattle.
Accidental barrenness is quite frequent. In the large
majority of cases it can be traced directly to improper food
or exercise. This does not mean insufficient food. On the
contrary, probably the most common of all causes of barren-
ness in co^vs is overfeeding — to which the most valuable ani-
mals are for obvious reasons most exposed.
It is well ascertained that a fat heifer is slow to heat and
uncertain in conception. Such animals should be turned
out on a poor pasture with a young bull. This will often
succeed in cases given up as hopeless.
Lack of exercise is another common cause. Many in-
stances might be quoted where a barren cow, after driving a
hundred miles and then turned in with a bull, bred in a
short time. Part of the effect of this may be owing to change
of climate. For it has often been noticed that cows barren
on the low lands have bred w^hen changed to a hilly, bracing
upland pasture ; or from the interior to the seashore.
Fatty and sweet food, such as oil cake, sugar cane, sorghum,
etc., have a tendency to prevent the proper change of the
ovaries ; indeed, they are asserted to bring about a fatty de-
generation in their substance, and thus lead to permanent
sterility.
Causes of an opposite kind are too great delicacy of con-
stitution, and a lack of vigor either fe'om a w^asting disease,
over-milking or absence of nutritious food. In the first stage
of consumption cows generally heat violently and repeatedly,
but do not conceive.
The general treatment of barrenness will be suggested by
the above remarks. When it appears to be owing to exces-
sive fat, a full dose of sulphate of magnesia, repeated two or
three times at intervals of a week, will aid in bringing the
animal to proper condition. Good breeders should be only
in good flesh, without being forced. Not only do they take
the bull more regularly, but they have healthier calves, and
are less liable to drop them prematurely.
Abortion or Slinking, 315
Of course, the barrenness may be due to the bull. If he
is excessively fat or lean, or old, or diseased, it may interfere
with his procreative powers; so that a cow which seems
well fitted for conception, and yet remains barren, should be
served by different bulls. It has been supposed by some
writers that a perfectly healthy cow may fail with an equally
healthy bull, and yet take with another one. This appears
to occur, for example, where the relationship is very close.
ABOETION— SLINKING— SLIPPIITG— DROPPING THE CALF.
• The premature dropping of the calf usually occurs from
the fourth to the seventh month. It frequently becomes
epidemic in a dairy, and the immense loss it entails on farm-
ers may be judged from a statement made some years ago by
the New York State Agricultural Society, that in that State
alone the money value of the loss had been for several years
over four million dollars annually.
Within the last few years many of the most important
dairy regions of New York, Pennsylvania and other States
have suffered severely from this malady, all the cows some-
times aborting, one after another, without discoverable cause
or cure. Nevertheless it is a complaint which, by judicious
precautions and early and active treatment, can be prevented
and checked.
Causes. — In studying the causes of the disease the stock
owner should first examine into the food of the animals. It
has been abundantly shown that w^et, frosted and mouldy
fodder, smutty or mouldy grain, ergoted corn or rye, and, on
the other hand, too rich food, will strongly predispose to
slinking. Heating condition powders, violent purges, blows
on the belly, over teazing by the bull, are other and common
causes.
Next to these comes the presence of a foul atmosphere in
the cow-house, yard or field. Decaying animal matters, as
316 Diseases of Cattle,
tlie refuse from a slaughter house, glue factory or hatters' es-
tablishment, should be most carefully guarded against.
The third and most important of all causes, as it is the
true secret of the epidemic prevalence of abortion in a dairy,
is the odor of the lochia or uterine discharges of the cow in
abortion. This odor is easily detected the moment one en-
ters the cow yard, and it is peculiarily offensive to other cows.
They cease feeding, sniff the air, become excited and bellow.
Some sympathetic influence is produced on their uterine or-
gans, and in a few days one or more of them abort, and thus
the disease is propagated through the herd until sometimes
every cow in calf has dropped her fetus.
Symptoms. — An aborting cow is a constant source of dan-
ger to a dairy, and whenever such a one is found in the herd,
she should be taken off her milk, fattened and killed. But,
as in buying new cows, the purchaser may obtain one, it is of
great importance that he should closely watch cows in preg-
nancy, and, at the first signs of abortion, separate the cow
from the rest of the herd. These signs are as follows ;
The animal is noticed to be off her feed, to " lose her cud,"
is listless and dull, the milk dries up, she lies down longer
than usual, stands for a longer time on rising, and w^alks with
a slight staggering gait. Or in other cases, she is uneasy,
paws the ground, refuses food and rests her head on the
manger.
If at this time the belly is carefully examined, it will be
found slightly altered in shape, less round and somewhat en-
larged. And if the vagina should be inspected, there will
be observed a slight discharge of whitish, glairy fluid ; or,
if further advanced, the fluid mil be of a yellow or reddish
hue.
These are the signs which should admonish the owner to
isolate the cow at a long distance from her companions.
Abortion or Slinking, 317
Later on, the animal begins to moan, the pangs of labor
come on with more or less violence, and the fruit of the
womb is expelled, sometimes living, but generally dead, and
often putrid and escaping by piecemeal.
Treatment. — This is largely indicated by what we have
said above, so far as the prevention of the epidemic is con-
cerned. But there is one precaution which cannot be too
strongly urged. That is, as soon as the abortion has once
commenced, proceed to deliver the fetus at once, and bury it
deep in the ground, sprinkling it freely with carbolic acid or
chloride of lime. We need here not merely a disinfectant,
but one with a powerful smell of its own to overcome the
odor of the lochia.
The cow should then receive attention. The afterbirth
having also been removed and buried, the vagina should be
syringed with a solution of chloride of lime, one ounce to the
quart of water ; the stall should be cleaned, washed with the
solution, and freshly littered ; and for a month at least, the cow
should not be allowed to associate with others. The whole
herd should at once be put upon doses of chlorate of potash,
J oz. daily, which it is believed has been proven to exert a
beneficial influence.
After recovery, the cow should not be allowed to take the
bull until the third or fourth time she is in heat, as if she
conceives in her first or second heat, it is quite certain that
she will abort again. If on her next pregnancy she again
aborts, there should be no hesitation in at once fattening and
selling her, as she is a standing menace to the welfare of the
whole dairy.
Recent discussions in the Agricultural Societies of New
York, Ohio, and other large dairy districts, have led to the
recognition of two important and avoidable causes of abor-
tion. One of these is a deficiency of mineral matter in th©
318 Diseases of Cattle,
food. This can be remedied by giving each cow during her
jiregnancy one quart of corn meal, with a teaspoonful of
fresh, finely ground bone every morning. It is no unusual
sight to see cows knawing at old bones to satisfy this natural
want of the system.
The second precaution is to have a bull who is not ex-
hausted. He should have served no cow for a week, and
should be put to the female in the evening, and but once.
The cow should be stabled by herself for the night, and
kept away from the bull, or teasing steers, during the whole
of her pregnancy. She should be dried at least six weeks
before her calving date
It should be added that the latest discussions of the sub-
ject endorse the opinion of Mr. Youatt, that the odor of the
vaginal discharges accompanying abortion are highly irri-
tating to the uterine system of other pregnant cows.
CALVING OR PARTTJUITION.
In most of the lower animals the process of child-birth is
one consummated mth little pain, and few complications. In
the cow, however, more frequently than in any other animal,
the assistance of man is called for ; and this appears to be
especially the case in high bred and delicately nurtured ani-
mals.
It should be a rule, however, to avoid giving assistance
until is is really necessary. Frequently by waiting patiently,
nature will succeed in overcoming obstacles to the exit of the
calf, which we might only injure by premature attempts at
interference. So long as the bag of waters has not burst,
there is no occasion for action, providing the passage of the
vagina is clear, and the womb is in a healthy condition. The
latter is subject to two irregularities, both involving what is
called the nech of the womb, which is that portion immedi-
ately above its mouth, or external opening, into the vagina.
Calving, 319
1. Rigid Neck of the Womb.
This is the condition called in old farriery books by the
curious term "the horning of the lye/' because the lye, calf-
bed or womb is found to present a stiff, horn-like end in
the vagina. It may be suspected to be present when the cow-
ls at her full time, when she has labor-pains, and when there
is a delay in the descent of the calf. On oiling the hand and
introducing it into the vagina the neck of the womb will be
felt as a hard body at its furthest extremity, the mouth being
small and unyielding.
Treatment. — If time does not press, and the cow is not
excited, some extract of belladonna should be carried up the
vagina and smeared around the neck. Sometimes this will
cause it to relax in a few hours.
But if the case is pressing, there is no use experimenting
with this means. A narrow-bladed, bkmted-pointed knife
should be carried up the vagina in the hand, the mouth of
the womb felt for and fixed with the fore finger, and then
the blade of the knife slij^ped along the finger until it enters
the neck of the w^omb to the depth of about a quarter of an
inch. A slight cut should then be made on all four sides of
the neck by turning the knife. A mere nick is enough, as
the mouth once loosened in its contraction the neck will soon
give w^ay, and the bag of waters will accomplish the dilata-
tion.
2. Bending of the Neck,
This is a form of accident not occurring in child-birth, ex-
cept in the cow. The neck of the womb is twisted so as to
bring the mouth upward or to one side, and j)revent the ex-
pulsion efforts of the womb acting in the direction of the
canal of the vagina. It may be suspected to exist when
labor pains continue for some time without the appearance of
the bag of waters. On feeling with the hand, no mouth of
the womb will be discernable.
320 Diseases of Cattle,
To relieve it, the cow should be cast with her head up hill;
the surgeon should introduce his hand, and pressing on the
fetus through the walls of the womb, push it firmly in the
opposite direction from which the bending is ; while one or
two men should roll the cow briskly over on the other side
in the direction in which the twist has taken place. This
may have to be repeated several times, but will generally suc-
ceed in releasing the mouth from its unnatural position.
TJKNATURAL POSITIONS OF THE CALF.
The natural position of the calf on its exit from the womb
is with its head and fore feet first, the head between the feet
and the back upwards. Six unnatural positions are enumer-
ated by writers, which demand the assistance of the surgeon.
We give them in the order of their frequency, with the ap-
propriate treatment they require.
1. Position with tail first.
Press the haunches back with the palm of the hand, take
hold of the bend of the hough of one leg, pull at it and reach
the foot. Seize the other foot in the same manner, bring
them forth and deliver the body.
2. Position with fore feet appearing without the head.
Push the feet back until the head can be seized, either by
the jaw or nose, and pull it down between the feet. No
further aid will be required. This needs a long arm, and
prompt action between the pains.
3. Position with belly upward, head over one shoulder, fore
legs first.
Gently push the calf back between the pains, and bring
the head down between the legs.
4. Fore feet first, with head under the brisket.
Push the calf back, find the head, and draw it down be-
tween the fore feet.
FALSE POSITIONS IN CALVING.
Management of Calving. 321
5. Head alone^ or only one forefoot with it.
Push the calf back and search for the fore feet or foot,
under the belly ; when found, bring forward one at a time,
by placing the hand under the knee and using gentle pressure.
6. Belly npicards, the fore legs folded and against the mother^ s
backy the head, side or hind leg appearing.
If the hind leg appear, put it back ; seek for the head,
and if possible turn the calf, to bring the fere feet and head to
the mouth. When this fails, throw the cow, put her on her
back, and with a rope and pulley, or two or three stout assist-
ants, raise her hind quarter considerably higher than her
shoulders. In this position the calf may be easily j)nshcd
back in the uterus so that it can be turned and broue:ht to
the natural position.
Many surgeons make it a rule to fasten the part present-
ing with a cord and slip knot before going in search of the
part they desire to bring to the mouth. The cord is held by
an assistant, and serves as a guide.
The principal obstetric instrument in the cow is the hook.
This is made of '^Tought iron, four inches long, with a loop
for the cord at the straight end. When by no other means
the calf can be delivered, or when removing a dead foetus,
this hook is fastened in the socket of an eye, under the jaw
or in an ear, and by gentle and steady traction the resistance
is overcome.
Finally, the foetus may have to be taken out piecemeal, an
operation which requires considerable skill on the part of the
operator, to avoid wounding the womb and vagina, when he
is dissecting the calf.
In all such operations certain general rules should be ob-
served, as follows : —
1. Thoroughly anoint the hand with lard or oil, before
introducing it into the vagina.
21
322 Diseases of Cattle.
2. Make the examinations while the cow is standing, and
between the pains.
3. In pulling at the feet, enclose the claws in the hollow of
the palm, so that they will not tear the delicate coats of the
womb.
FLOODING.
Sometimes after a natural birth which has been rapid, and
often after an abortion which has been brought on by vio-
lence, there is a severe attack of ^^flooding,'' or bleeding from
the womb. It may escape from the vagina, or it may be in-
dicated by paleness of the mouth and nose, weak pulse, great
weakness and coldness of the surface, and the womb be found
to be filled with clotted blood.
Treatment. — The hand should be introduced into the
womb, the clots and any remaining portion of the afterbirth
seized and extracted, and a sponge dipped in hot vinegar
and "Water, or very hot or very cold water alone, be wrung
out in the uterus. A full dose of fresh ergot of rye, one to
two ounces, should be given without delay.
If these measures fail, a piece of ice the size of a. walnut
should be carried into the womb and left there ; or a tea-
spoonful of powdered alum should be stirred in a teacupful
of milk, and a spongeful of this be squeezed out in the
womb. Internally, Prof. Gamgee, recommends for either the
mare or cow —
No. 363. Compound tincture of cinnamon, 3 oz.
Dilute sulphuric acid, 5 oz.
Mix and give two tablespoonfuls for a dose every one or two Jiours, in
a quart of water.
Management of Calving. 323
EETAIITED AFTERBIRTH.
A variety of causes may lead to the retention of tlie after-
birth. Sometimes it is firmly adherent to the walls of the
womb ; at others it is owing to hurried delivery, poverty of
condition, etc. Should it be left, it is liable to putrefy, caus-
ing a fetid discharge which exhausts and poisons the animal,
and vitiates the air of the whole barn.
A retention for a few days in the 3ow does no harm under
ordinary circumstances. But if it is protracted longer than
that the hand should be introduced, and the afterbirth sepa-
rated carefully from the walls of the uterus, by a process of
peeling it off, and gradual but firm pulling. When it has
been removed, a solution of chloride of lime, an ounce to the
quart of water, should be thoroughly syringed into the
vagina ; a moderate purge of salts should be given ; and if
there is a tendency to bleed a full dose of ergot, two ounces
of the powder may be administered.
ETTERSION OF THE WOMB.
This serious accident occasionally occurs when there is
excessive and persistent straining. The womb, or "calf-
bag," as it is called by the cow-leech, follows the calf, and
hangs forth from the birth-place in the form of a large red
or violet-colored bag. Sometimes the accident is not dis-
covered for an hour or two, when the womb w^ill be found
dirty, thick, purple-colored, and gorged with blood.
The treatment is to clean the bag thoroughly, by free
drenching with warm water ; and if it is swollen and gorged
with blood, it must be punctured in a number of places with
a sharp-pointed knife, just deep enough to bring about a dis-
charge of the overloaded veins. When sufficient blood has
been lost, the bleeding should be stayed by cold water, and
two assistants should place a cloth underneath the bag and
324 Diseases of Cattle.
lift it to the level of the vagina. The operator then oils the
surface of the bag, and places his right hand, also well oiled,
against the point or horn of the bag which is furthest from
the vagina, and by pressing gently but steadily on it returns
it into the vagina, and presses it up as far as possible. With
his left hand he now presses on the most dependent part, in a
similar manner, and forces it up. The assistants follow the
re-entering bag and keep it from again extruding. And
thus, often after considerable labor, the whole is returned.
Such an accident is, however, very apt to recur ; and to
prevent it the vagina should be filled with a ball of tow, and
this retained in place by a band fastened to a collar around
the cow's neck, and kept in place by straps, passing above
and below, to a girth in front of the udder.
If the replacing is interfered with by continued severe
labor pains, the cow should at once have half an ounce of
chloroform and two ouncas of laudanum, in a quart of milk.
After the operation, the cow should be kept very quiet,
and the bowels restrained by doses of laudanum for a day
or two. After twenty-four hours, if the pains have ceased,
the bandage may be removed.
In preventing falling of the womb the great point is to
keep the hind quarters of the cow in a raised position during
parturition and for some hours afterward ; in fact, until the
afterbirth has come away. This may be done to some ex-
tent by making a thicker bed of litter at the tail. In some
high-class German cow houses, where the cow receives, and
comes to require, about as much attention at these periods as
the human female, the floor of the " lying-in stall " slopes
toward the rack, so that the hind quarters are constantly ele-
vated.
Management of Calving, 325
MEDICAL TREATMENT OF CALVING.
Generally speaking, as an aid to birth giving, medical
treatment is not necessary ; the offspring coming naturally, at
the full period, can generally be got hold of by the hand,
and brought away with gentle force, or by waiting, will
emerge without assistance.
Nevertheless, when the labor pains are languid, and occur
at long intervals, and where the animal has been in labor for
a considerable time, and it is found on examination that there
is no obstruction, a natural position, and a dilated mouth of
the womb, full doses of ergot, one to two ounces, should be
given. This drug does not act very efficiently on cows, and
has to be administered in large doses.
Another instance where medicine is needed is where, both
in mares and cows, there is considerable irritability and
straining after the birth has come away. Unless it subsides
promptly the animal should have the following draught : —
No. 364. Chloroform,
Laudanum, each J oz.
Give in a quart of warm milk, and repeat every hour until relief is
obtained.
Sometimes this irritability shows itself in repeated spasms
or convulsions. The above mixture is then very applica-
ble ; but if there is a dry muzzle and a hot horn, showing a
tendency to a feverish condition, the following is preferable :
No. 365. Sweet spirits of nitre,
Laudanum, of each 2 oz.
Solution of acetate of ammonia, 4 oz.
Give in a quart of milk every hour, till relieved.
Some cows, especially those in low condition, for a week
or two before calving lose the power of their hind limbs,
and are unable to stand. Little can be done before they give
birth, besides allowing them laxative and nutritious food and
tonic medicine, while seeing that they are well bedded and
326 Diseases of Cattle.
turned over several times a day. After calving, most cases
gradually regain the use of their limbs ; but when this is not
the case, or they gain too slowly, the following may be used
with every prospect of prompt advantage : —
No. 366. Powdered mix vomica,
Sulphate of iron, each 2 drachms.
Give in a pint or two of gruel, twice a day.
Mustard should be well rubbed in over the loins, and the
animal forced to rise on her feet as soon as she is able — •
which she is often by no means willing to do.
The older veterinarians were accustomed to give to all
cows, after calving, what they called a " cleansing drink,^^ on
the ground that it prevented milk fever and other illnesses.
The modern school does not approve of these, believing that
they are generally needless and sometimes hurtful, by bring-
ing on irritation of the bowels, or by weakening the animal.
We give two of the least objectionable of these drinks, which,
being warm and stimulating, are not out of place in con-
ditions of unusual debility : —
No. 367. Powdered aniseed,
" myrrh,
" allspice,
" cummin seed, each, 1 oz.
To be stirred in a quart of warm gruel, for a drench.
No. 368. Soap,
Sperniaceti,
Powdered ginger, of each, ^ oz.
Aniseed, in powder,
Carraway seed, " of each, 1 oz.
Molasses, 4 oz.
Give in a quart of warm gruel.
It is sufficient, however, to prevent constipation, if present,
and to cleanse the vagina by an antiseptic wash if the dis-
charge is foul. For the first we recommend : —
No. 369. Sulphate of magnesia, -| lb.
Ground aniseed, 1 oz.
Olive oil, 6 oz.
Give in a pint of gruel, and repeat daily, if needed.
Management of Calving, 327
For syringing the vagina, stir a pound of chloride of lime
in two gallons of water, and when it has settled pour off the
clear fluid, for use. Or, pour a gallon of boiling water on a
pint of clean wood tar, stir and let it settle. Either of these
will prove a cheap and excellent cleansing wash. A pint or
two should be thrown up twice a day.
Instead of constipation, some cows after calving are
troubled with a relaxed condition of the bowels, with con-
stant diarrhea, which prevents them from promptly regainin^^
strength. For this condition Mr. Finley Dun recommends
one of the following astringent, anodyne drenches, as among
the best that could be selected : —
No. 370. Powdered catechu, ' 2 drachms,
ginger, 1 oz.
Sulphuric acid, 30 drops.
Laudanum, 1 oz.
Give in a quart of gruel, ale, or weak whisky and water.
No. 371. Powdered ginger,
Bicarbonate of soda,
Laudanum,
Decoction of oak bark^ of each, 1 oz.
Give several times a day, in gruel or ale.
Half this dose suffices for six months' calves, in similar
conditions of the bowels.
MANAGEMEirr OF THE MILK.
The management of the secretion of the milk divides it-
self into the three subjects :— the means of drying it up
when the cow is about to calve, or is to be fattened ; the
means of increasing the supply when it is deficient; and its
improvement when in an unhealthy condition.
1. To dry the mill'.
The average period before calving at which a cow should
bo allowed to go dry is about six weeks. Poor and weak
328 Diseases of Cattle.
cows should have two months, w^hile one month is enough
for vigorous ones.
Usually by lessening the milk taken day by day, so as al-
ways to leave some in tlie udder, a cow will dry without
painful swelling of the gland. When this is too long de-
layed, the customary ''drying drench'' is to boil half an
ounce of powdered alum in a pint of milk, and give it every
morning. Eubbing the udder with ointment of belladonna
is also an efficient and safe means.
2. To bring on or increase the milk.
It occasionally happens that the secretion of milk, espe-
cially in heifers, is too slight in quantity for the calf, or is
backward in making its appearance at the proper time.
Nourishing and abundant food, with a change of diet, will
generally remedy this, along with gentle frictions of the ud-
der and teat, so as to excite the glands to greater activity.
When the secretion is checked, a large poultice of the
leaves of the castor oil plant, chopped fine and applied every
morning, has considerable local celebrity. A prescription,
in such cases, recommended by Prof. Gamgee, is —
No. 872. Black sulphuret of antimony, 2 oz.
Powdered fennel seed,
Common salt, of each 4 oz.
One quarter of this to be mixed with the food every day.
3. To correct bloody and blue milJc.
Bloody milk comes from blows on the udder, certain
poisonous plants, from the sexual heat, and garget.
When it appears, it is a safe rule to give the cow a dose
of salts, and to foment the udder in hot water with a little
vinegar added. The milking should be gentle and thorough,
and the diet altered so as to avoid any unknown irritating
substance she may have been eating.
Blue or sticky milk is due to the presence of a low form
of vegetation in the secretion, easily seen under a microscope
Milk Fever in Cows. 329
of moderate power. It is supposed to be introduced through
impure drinking water, diseased grasses, or by breathing an
air tainted with decomposing animal matter. In addition to
boiling the drinking water, and changing the food or pastur-
age, the animal should take —
Ko. 373. Bisulphite of soda,
Sulphur, each 2 drachms.
Give in milk or mixed with meal, once a day, for a week.
MILZ FEVER — PTJEEPERAL FEVER -PAETTJIIIE2TT FEVER — PAE-
TI7RIENT APOPLEXY— METRITIS— INFLAMMATION OF
THE WOMB.
Definition. — An inflammation of the lining membrane,
substance of, and tissues adjacent to, the womb, occurring
after calving, and often accompanied by sudden and marked
afiections of the brain, congestion of the spinal cord and
apoplexy; and ofteii followed by general blood poisoning
and death.
Causes. — These may be injury to the womb in calving, re-
tained afterbirth, exposure to colds and chills ; or it may be
at times of an epidemic character. A cow Avho has had it
once is pretty certain to have it with her next calf.
There has been considerable discussion as to whether the
disease called "parturient apoplexy" and "milk fever" is
identical with that known as inflammation of the womb or
metritis. Several very eminent authorities do not think so ;
and they explain the congested and inflamed state of the
womb, which is found on examination after death by refer-
ence to the nearness of the time of its outbreak to calving.
But after a careful study of the evidence and the records of
cases and post-mortems, the present writer inclines strongly
to the opinion that the difference is only in respect to the
violence of the disease ; a difierence very noticeable also in
the human species in the difierent forms of puerperal metritis.
330 Diseases of Cattle.
Symptoms. — The symptoms first appear within from twen-
ty-four hours to three days after calving. One of the earliest
warnings is the suspension of the secretion of milk. This
is the more observable as the disease is peculiarly liable to
attack " deep milkers/' large uddered and well nourished
cows.
Frequently the other symptoms appear with promptness
and severity, and run rapidly to a fatal termination^ The
cow hangs her head, ceases to feed, loses her cud, and moves
restlessly her hind feet. By and by the breathing becomes
hard and rapid, the eyes are bloodshot and wild, the eyelids
twitch, and tears run over the face. She falls on her litter
in a stupor, or sways her head violently from side to side.
The head, horns, and forehead are intensely hot to the
touch.
The power of sight and of swallowing is lost early in the
disease, and there is often partial or complete paralysis of the
hind quarters. The pulse, at first full, becomes small, quick
and scarcely perceptible. There may be delirium and death
in convulsions ; or the animal may quietly gasp to death in
a state of stupor.
The bowels may be somewhat relaxed in the early stages,
but as a rule constipation is a marked sign. It is due to
paralysis of the bowels. The urine is generally pale in
color, scanty in quantity, and may be retained in the bladder,
from paralysis of that organ.
If in the course of thirty or forty hours the animal comes
to herself and tries to rise, if the bowels begin to act and the
secretion of milk to return, there is a fair probability that
the case will recover ; although sometimes these favorable
symptoms are deceptive, indicating only a remission of the
disease, which returns with renewed violence. For this
reason it is well not to be too confident in one's predictions
about results.
Milk Fever in Cows, 331
Treatment. — If the symptoms do not indicate very decided
exhaustion, and the case is seen early, from three to five
quarts of blood should be taken from a free opening in the
jugular vein. If as the blood flows, the pulse is felt to grow
fuller and stronger, and there are signs of relief to the head,
it is certain that the loss of the blood is a benefit.
AYhere, however, the pulse is weak and thready, and the
exhaustion is already great, bleeding is not called for. On
the contrary, a stimulant is what is required. This may be
whisky, or —
No. 374. Carbonate of ammonia,
1 oz.
Water,
1 pint.
^lix for a drench.
As there is so often paralysis of the muscles of the gullet,
so that the animal cannot swallow, it is by no means easy to
give a drench. Sometimes a ball does better, as it can be
well oiled and pushed far back in the gullet, and will dis~
solve and descend by its own weight.
In all cases, if an active purge can be administered, it
will be an advantage, as —
No. 375. Sulphate of magnesia, f to 1 lb.
Croton oil, 20 to 30 drops.
Give in a quart of water.
If the difficulty of giving by the mouth is very great, in-
jections of soap and warm water should be repeatedly thrown
into the rectum.
The swelling of the bowels, which is apt to be very pain-
ful, can be lessened by carbonate of ammonia given as a
ball ; or that failing, the rumen should be punctured by a
trocar, and the gas allowed to escape.
When the horns and head are hot, or when the stupor is
marked, pouring cold water on the head from a height of
five or six feet, and continuing several minutes (ten or fif-
332 Diseases of Cattle,
teen) will often prove a very efficient means of restoring
consciousness.
The paralysis is liable to remain after tlie other symptoms
have disappeared, and indeed the cow may fancy she cannot
rise when she is perfectly able to do so. The application of
the firing iron to the loins will be sure to start her in mo-
tion, if she is able, and to benefit her by counter irritation if
she is not.
In cases of inflammation of the womb and surroundings,
where the attack comes on three or four days after calving,
the following is an excellent laxative, alterative and sedative
combined : —
'^o. 376. Calomel, I drachm.
Laudanum, 2 oz.
Castor oil, 1 pound.
Mix with hot water and molasses, and give four doses, at intervals of
two or three hours.
In the apoplectic form of the disease, when there is in-
tense nervous excitement and violent cramp of tlie muscles
of the hind quarters, chloral has been found to be of great
benefit : —
No. 377. Hydrate of chloral,
Powdered sugar, each 2 oz.
Mix in a quart of warm water, and repeat in two hours unless quiet
is produced.
Another useful formula in this phase of the disease, when
the period of excitement is followed by exhaustion and
stupor, is given by Mr. Finlay Dun : —
No. 387. Spirits of turpentine, 1 to 2 oz.
Carbonate of ammonia, J oz.
Give in a quart of cold gruel.
Garget in Cows. 333
GARGET-MAMMITIS— CAKED BAG.
Definition. — An inflammation of the udder or mammary
gland in the cow.
Causes. — Cows in a plethoric condition at the time of calv-
ing, or if at that or other time they be turned into a rich
pasturage, are liable to swelling and inflammation of the ud-
der. Allowing them to go unmilked for long periods also
produces it. Sometimes this occurs through inattention ;
sometimes for the barbarous purpose of making them appear
remarkably well uddered when put on sale.
Symptoms. — The inflammation seldom attacks the whole
of the udder, but is confined to one or two quarters, and is
indicated by swelling, heat, pain and redness of the part in-
flamed, and by the alteration in the milk, which is curdled,
whey-like, and mixed with blood. There is generally con-
siderable constitutional disturbance, such as restlessness, im-
paired appetite, shiverings, succeeded by heat of skin and
disordered bowels, either constipated or unnaturally loose.
The inflamed parts generally pass into suppuration, which
results in breaking down their structure, wasting and trans-
formation into a hard, cartilaginous substance. The capacity
for giving milk is thus impaired, and the market value of the
cow diminished.
Treatment. — The general treatment is to give a moderate
purge, say half a pound of salts, and follow this up with
two ounces of saltpetre in the water, morning and night.
No great amount of water, however, should be given, and
dry food, and such as does not produce milk, should be the
only kind allowed. This is essential to success, as it gives
rest to the inflamed structure.
The milk must be frequently drawn with the hand or with
the syphon. The whole o fthe udder should be rubbed with :
334 Diseases of Cattle.
No. 379. Powdered camphor, ^ oz.
Extract of belladonna,
Lard, each, 2 oz.
Mix well together and apply with gentle friction.
Should the swelling be great, and the Aveight of the udder
painful, it must be supported by a broad bandage, made with
holes for the teats to pass through, and then securely fastened
over the back of the animal. When the case requires it, a
large mush and hop poultice can be placed within the band-
age, over the udder.
If the inflammation cannot be reduced, but passes on to
suppuration, and abscesses form, they must be freely opened,
the pus allowed to escape, and the cavities syringed with
carbolic acid water, after which they can advantageously be
dressed with stimulant and antiseptic ointments, as —
No. 380. Sulphate of copper, powdered, 1 drachm.
Lard, 1 oz.
Or:
No. 381. Chloride of lime, 1 to 2 drachms.
Lard, 1 oz.
For the hard swellings which remain when suppuration
does not occur, repeated gentle frictions with the following
are useful : —
No. 382. Iodide of sulphur, 1 drachm.
Glycerine, 6 oz.
Or with the following, which has recently been very highly
praised as efficient in dispersing all sorts of hardened and
painful swellings in glands and joints : — •
No. 383. Oleate of mercury, 1 oz.
Sulphate of morphia, 8 grs.
Mix well, and rub on with the finger, or apply with a brush, every
one or two days.
This is not liable to cause salivation if used with ordinary
care.
The common poke (Phytolacca) has a local reputation in
Garget in Cows, 335
various parts of the United States, as efficient in acute
garget. Indeed, it is sometimes called the "garget weed."
It is given by mixing a handful of the dried leaves with the
food, and rubbing the udder with, an ointment prepared by
simmering a few ounces of the bruised root with a pound of
lard, and straining.
For hard and slow indurations or "knots," that remain
after the affection, Prof. Gamgee uses —
No. 384. Iodide of mercury, | drachm.
Glycerine,
Alcohol, of each, 4 oz.
Eub gently and thoroughly with this, every two days.
This, or any other form of iodine ointment will answer ;
but after severe attacks the udder is often permanently in-
jured, and the cow's capacity for giving milk incurably di-
minished.
After slight attacks of garget the teats are often obstructed
and narrowed. They may be enlarged by inserting a well
oi^ed quill with a circular leather collar about an inch in di-
ameter. This can be kept in place readily by a piece of
sticking plaster, and removed when milking ; if worn for a
week or two it will relieve the contraction.
In all cases it is of the greatest consequence to keep the
udder empty by repeated milkings. As the teats are tender
and swollen this must be done gently. The calf will often
succeed better than the attendant. In England a "teat
syphon" is manufactured for drawing the milk by exhaustion
of air in a receiver. If the milk is "caked" in the udder^
injections of a saturated solution of bicarbonate of potash in
warm water, with a small syringe with a long nozzle, ia
recommended by English authorities.
336 Diseases of Cattle,
CHAPTER IV.
DISEASES OF CALVES.
First Attentions.
Diarrhea or Scouring.
Epidemic Colic — The Shoote or Shewte of Blood.
Croup.
The Hush or Hoose — Parasitic Bronchitis.
FIRST ATTENTIONS.
Immediately after slie has dropped her calf, the cow should
occupy herself in licking and cleaning it. If she neglects
this maternal duty, the calf should be sprinkled with a little
salt, which will induce her to perform it.
The calf should remain with its mother for a few days at
least, in order to derive the benefit of the first milk, which is
laxative in quality and gives the little animal the purge
which it needs in order to clear its bowels of the black and
glutinous feces which have accumulated there.
Occasionally the mother in severing the naval string with
her teeth leaves it so that it bleeds. It should then be tied
with a strong thread ; and if the navel looks inflamed, it is
well to smear it with petroleum ointment, or oxide of zinc
ointment, or other soothing application. If there is a tumor
which threatens to break, it should be lanced, and dressed as
heretofore directed for abscesses, (page 227).
DIAREHEA OR SCOURING.
This common affection in calves is, through neglect and
mismanagement, a cause of hea\7' mortality among them.
It arises, as a rule, either from too rich or too poor food, and
the dam should be looked to in this respect, as well as the
Diarrhea in Calves, ♦ 337
calf. Heating the cow by driving or worrying her is another
common cause of deterioration of her milk, and renders it
injurious to the delicate bowels of the young calf.
It is often best to begin the treatment with two or three
ounces of castor oil, in which a teaspoonful of powdered gin-
ger is stirred, as the gentle action of this laxative will clear
the bowels of irritating substances. When this is done, the
following will be found an admirable combination : —
No. 385. Lime water,
Infusion of gentian, of each 2 oz.
Give this amount two or three times daily, to a feeble calf.
The infusion of gentian is made by boiling one ounce of
bruised gentian root in a quart of water for ten minutes,
cooling and straining.
Or the following will answer without the oil : —
No. 886. Calcined magnesia, 4 drachms.
Powdered opium, 20 grains.
Powdered rhubarb, 2 drachms.
Give m milk or linseed gruel.
Either of these is better than the giving of astringents, as
some negligent practitioners do. These should be reserved
for cases where the above remedies, together with attention
to the mother and a change of diet, does not succeed. It mU
then be proper to give the following : —
No. 387. Prepared chalk, 2 oz.
Powdered catechu, 1 oz.
Powdered opium, 2 drachms.
Powdered ginger, 2 oz.
Mix in a pint of sweet flag tea or peppermint water, and give a tea*
cupful once or twice a day.
Strong teas of oak bark or willow bark, with the addition
of ginger, or sweet flag (calamus), are popular and useful re-
medies in such cases.
338 Diseases of Caitle.
EPILEKIC COLIC— THE SHOOTE.
Tills is a form of colic very fatal among calves in some
localities, usually attacking them a few days after birth. It
is believed at times to be epidemic, as it is found to attack
rapidly a number of calves in a herd. Its cause has not
been ascertained.
S3niiptoms. — The calf refuses its food, is listless and weak.
Soon it is attacked by severe gripings, of an intermittent
character. These are followed after a time by a violent dis-
charge from the bowels. These attacks of colic and excessive
watery evacuations continue to recur until the animal dies of
exhaustion ; or else, after the first few discharges, the pain
abates and the symptoms disappear.
Treatment. — The usual treatment ^vith breeders is to ad-
minister, as early in the disease as practicable, a mixture of
eggs, wheat flour and linseed oil ; or of milk mulled with
eggs and whiskey.
Should this fail, a dose of a drachm of essence of ginger,
with two drachms of laudanum, in gruel, should be repeated
until the colicky symptoms are overcome by the narcotic.
CSOUP.
Definition. — An inflammation of the upper throat and
windpipe, characterized by a whitish deposit or exudation
upon it, called a false membrane.
Causes. — The occurrence of croup in calves is not frequent,
and is confined to low lying districts on the banks of rivers,
where they are exposed to damp chills and heavy dews. It
is a disease of early life, appearing in calves from a few weeks
to three months old, and rarely occm^s except in the fall of
the year.
The Croup in Calves, 339
S3n5iptoniS. — There are a hoarse coiigh^ discharge of spittle
from the mouth, and running from the nose. The animal
does not thrive, swallows with an effort, and in drawing in
its breath a whistling or crowing noise is heard.
As the disease progresses the breathing becomes more
labored, the cough is more violent and in paroxysms, and
shreds of false membrane are coughed up.
Treatment. — A moderate purge at the outset will be found
of use, and small doses of saltpetre in the drinking water, to
allay the feverish symptoms. To relieve the throat of the
false membrane, it will be of benefit for the calf to in-
hale the vapor from slacking lime (taking care that it is not
too concentrated).
THE HTTSK OR HO OSE— PARASITIC BRONCHITIS.
DefinitioiL — A disease caused by the irritation in the wind-
pipe, bronchial tubes and lungs, of a parasitic worm called the
Strongylus, The disease is very fatal to sheep in many parts
of this country, and will also be considered under their dis-
eases.
Cause. — These worms generally attack calves under one
year old, and especially such as are pastured in low-lying
lands, near rivers, and subject to flood. They are mostly
seen in the months of August and September. Sometimes
they are very numerous, and are found after death congre-
gated together in a ball in the windpipe, thus choking the
animal to death.
Symptoms. — The complaint is marked by a hoarse, bron-
chial cough, called the " husk '' or " hoose," loss of flesh, dif-
ficulty of breathing, and suffocation to a- greater or less de-
gree. Sometimes in the mucus coughed up the parasite may
be detected. It is white in color, the body an inch# or two
long, and slender as a thread. Whenever in the autumn
340 Diseases of Cattle.
months calves are noticed to cough and gasp, they should be
carefully examined for the signs of this worm.
Treatment. — Affected calves should be separated from the
rest of the flock, so that none of the eggs of the worm con-
vey the disease to the remainder. They should be placed in
a dry stable, protected from dampness, and caused to inhale
two or three times a day the fumes of burning sulphur. If
this is done for fifteen or twenty minutes at a time, and con-
tinued for two or three days, the worms will generally be
destroyed.
The vapor of chloride of lime is also said to be destruct-
ive to them.
Or, instead of inhalations, a small dose of turpentine,
about half an ounce, may be given in gruel daily, for a few
days. Or a teaspoonful mixed with double the quantity of
sweet oil may be poured into the nostrils. This is, however,
liable to choke the patient if carelessly done. Two or three
doses, at intervals of two or three days, will effect a cure. Or
the turpentine may be given in the following tonic combina-
tion : —
No. 388. Oil of turpentine, i oz.
Carbonate of iron, 2 drachms.
Gum mixture, 4 oz.
A tablespoonful to be given night and morning.
Or—
No. 389. Linseed oil, 4 oz.
Oil of turpentine, 1 oz.
Oil of carraway seed, 20 drops.
Give half this dose morning and night, to a calf six months old, and
repeat it in ten days.
Half a pint of lime water every morning will destroy the
worms also ; but a teaspoonful or two of turpentine with it
adds to its efficiency.
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General Remarhs. 341
CHAPTER V.
DISEASES OF SHEEP.
General RemarJcs on Diseases of Sheep, and their Treatment,
Braxy — Striking of the Blood — Charbon in Sheep,
Sheep Smallpox — Variola Ovina,
Louping III — Thorter 111 — The Gnaw Disease,
3Ialignant Epizootic Catarrh — The Sheep Distemper,
Colic — Blown — Blast — Wiiid Dropsy,
Red Water — Hcematuria,
Hoof Rot— Foot Rot.
Foul in the Foot.
Stone in the Bladder.
Lambing in the Ftce; Heaving Pains; Milk Fever; Garget,
Rheumatism of Lambs,
Constipation in Lambs,
Diarrhea in Lambs.
Turnsich — Sturdy — Gid — Hydatid of the Brain,
Sheep Bots — Grubs in the Head — Head Maggots,
Lung Worms — The Hoose in Lambs — White Skin — Paper
Shin — Felt Rot — The Pale Disease,
The Rot— The Liver Fluke,
Intestinal Worms,
The Scab — The Mange or Itch in Sheep,
GENEBAL REMARKS ON DISEASES OF SHEEP, AND THEIE TREAT-
MENT.
The two most prominent classes of the diseases of sheep
are : 1. Those arising from exhaustion, debility, and a
low state of the system ; and 2d, Those arising from the
presence of parasitic animals.
It has long been noticed that even in England and Scot-
land, inflammatory affections are rare in these animals, their
342 Diseases of Sheep.
weak structure not resisting a violent attack but sinking be-
neath it. Hence their maladies are what physicians call of
"a low type/^ and hence, also, bleeding, purgatives and de-
pressing medicines, as aconite and tartar emetic, are very
rarely indeed required in their medication. According to
eminent sheep breeders in this country, these characteristics
are yet more marked in our breeds. "The American sheep,^^
says Col. Eandall," which has been kept in the common
way, sinks from the outset or after a mere transient flash of
inflammatory action; and in any stage of its maladies active
depletion is likely to lead to fatal prostration.^^
Parasites are very common both on and in the sheep. Its
thick wool and comparatively thin skin offer a most favor-
able lodging place and feeding ground for the class of
vermin which dwell on the surface of the body. While of
its internal organs, not only the stomach and bowels, but the
liver, brain and nostrils are the chosen habitat of various
lower forms of animal life.
The American sheep has up to the present been wholly or
almost wholly exempt from a number of epidemic diseases and
local affections which have decimated the English and conti-
nental flocks over and over again. The sheep-pox, so far as we
are aware, has never appeared anywhere in the United States;
malignant braxy or charbon, while of occasional occurence,
has rarely developed into an epidemic, and then but locally ;
red water seems unknown ; hydatid in the brain, or turnsick,
although reported from ^N'ew York and other States, is a curi-
osity rather than a scourge ; and the true rot, caused by the
liver fluke, has never assumed the proportions of a destruc-
tive malady, although the parasite that causes it is known in
this country, especially on the Pacific coast.
Indeed, the mortality of sheep is remarkably low in most
sections of the States which are occupied w^ith wool grow-
ing. It has been estimated as low as two per cent, per
TJie Braxy. 343
annum of the adult animal ; but this is undoubtedly a much
too favorable statement; eight or ten per cent., at least, of the
total number of lambs born perish by disease.
Nevertheless, in the active interchange of stock between
different parts of this country, and between this country and
Europe, we are liable any season to have brought to us these
much feared diseases in a malignant form ; therefore we have
taken brief descriptions of them from the most eminent
foreign writers, with the treatment they recommend.
BRAXY— STRIKIITG OF BLOOD— CHARBON IN SHEEP.
Definition. — A disease of the blood, identical with charbon,
or malignant anthrax, in cattle (see page 276) ; occasionally
epidemic, at other times confined to definite localities and
herds. It is also known by the names of '^ St. Anthony's
fire,'' " carbuncular erysipelas,'' " the blood disease," etc.
Causes. — A very careful study of the causes of braxy in
Scotland and the sheep growling districts has led to connect
its apj)earance with over-feeding on too rich or unhealthy
food, and exposure to sudden changes of weather.
Thus it is most common at those seasons when the pasture
is most rank, and among herds on loose, damp bottom lands,
occasionally overflowed, and sending up a succulent, sappy
growth of grass ; also where the vegetation is subject to mil-
dew or blight ; where overfeeding on grain and clover hay,
with deficient exercise, has been carried on for some time ;
where with full feeding the cotes and stables have been kept
quite warm ; and finally, on exposed sheep walks, where the
animal is exposed with little protection to sudden changes
of temperature. The last mentioned is so well known that
in bleak walks in the Scotch Highlands, after an unexpected
snow blast in the autumn, the shejDherd looks to have some
of his flock struck by the braxy, as a quite regular event.
344 Diseases of Sheep,
In the study of its prevention, therefore, owners should
choose pasturages with good drainage, and of moderate
growth, and avoid, in their desire to fatten and strengthen, a
stimulating diet, which may result in developing germs of
poison in the blood.
Symptoms. — The sheep is affected by charbonous fever in
two forms, which by the uneducated are supposed to be dis-
tinct diseases ; in fact, they have been so spoken of in quite
recent works on diseases of these animals. The first and
most rapidly fatal form is
SpleniG Apoplexy. — The attack is very sudden, the animal
ceasing to eat; the body suddenly shivering, as if struck wdth
a chill ; there is staggering or reeling, and an effort to stand
by putting the feet well asunder, w^hich may fail, and the
body falls. The breath is rapid, the eyes are red, the teeth
grate together, and loss of sensibility is common. The lin-
ing membrane of the mouth is injected with blood of a dull
red color ; the dung is passed without effort, and the urine is
colored with blood. A bloody froth issues from the mouth
and nose ; the animal is seized with convulsions, in which he
throws his legs about and bends his head and neck back-
ward ; there is a rattling in his throat, and he expires.
Such a rapid, apoplectic form of the disease is more com-
mon in young sheep and those very richly fed. The other
and slower variety is that seen in older animals, and those of
a less plethoric condition. This is more properly a
Charbonous Fever, — The first symptom in this form is
that the animal walks with a shorter step than usual, caused
by pain in the bowels; soon he begins to lie down and rise up
frequently, or stands apart w^ith head hanging and back
arched. The eyes are dull, or bloodshot, the belly swollen,
and the ears droop. < )ften upon several places on the skin,
especially of those parts which are but lightly covered with
Treatment of Braxy. 345
wool, angry-looking red or purple spots appear, like blotches,
not disappearing on pressure, and rapidly increasing in size
and number. These swell, and upon their surface blisters,
filled with a watery or bloody fluid, appear.
A penetrating and offensive odor exhales from the animal,
bloody serum appears at his mouth, nose, eyes and anus ; and
ere long he is seized with convulsions, or passes into a state
of stupor and perishes. It is seldom that the disease lasts
three days, often but ten or twelve hours.
After death the blood remains quite fluid, the body de-
comj)Oses rapidly, and the odor is distinct from that of or-
dinary decomposition. The flesh and inner surface of the
skin is bluish red, and stained with patches of dark, bloody
accumulations.
The disease, both before and after death, is so strongly
marked that it is easy to recognize it, especially as it is the
:rule that several, or a large percentage of a herd, are attacked
with it when it appears at all.
Treatment. — This is essentially the same as that recom-
mended in the charbon of cattle (page 278). The chlorate
of potash is one of the most reliable of antidotes to the poi-
son, when it can be given with promptness.
Some believe that a brisk purge given at the outset will
relieve the condition of the blood, as —
2oz.
Ipt.
8oz.
12 grains.
3oz.
As a preventive, a seton, no doubt, is advantageous in
plethoric sheep, as a derivative. Mr. H. Clok recommends
No. 390.
Sulphate of magnesia,
Warm water,
For a drench.
Or,
Ko. 391.
Castor oil.
Calomel,
Molasses,
Mix for a
dose.
345 Diseases of Sheep.
the following as a very efficient ^^lick/' to prevent the disease
from spreading through a herd : — ■
No. 392. Nitrate of potash,
Sulphate of magnesia,
Ground calamus,
Laurel leaves.
Juniper berries, of each, 2 lbs.
Golden sulphuret of antimony, 1 lb.
Mix well with the food, clover preferred, and give one-quarter night
and morning, for two days.
This amount is enough for one hundred sheep. The same
author urges that great care be observed in regard to feeding,
so that the change from stable-feeding to pasture-feeding is
only to be allowed by degrees. In the morning the sheep
must not be driven to pasture until the dew and moisture
have entirely disappeared from the meadow, which depends
upon the temperature and weather. At noon a shady and
cool resting-place must be provided.
Another preservative, as well as preventive, consists in
the application of cold shower-baths, which may be applied
to the herd by means of a squirting engine, the nozzle of
which is provided with a sieve, or by means of a garden-
spout ; the cold water to be applied at different times of the
day, and until the animals are perfectly cooled. The herd
may also be driven into cold or refreshing streams ; in case
of rain the herd must be allowed to remain exposed to it
at their pleasure.
There appears to be a hereditary disposition to this dis-
ease ; it may therefore be presumed that in case of an ex-
traordinarily frequent occurrence among certain herds, the
sale of such sheep and the purchase of other stock will prove
the most profitable.
Bmallpox in Sheep, 347
SHEEP SMALLPOX— VARIOLA OVINA.
Definition. — A contagious eruptive fever depending upon
a specific poison, corresponding in character to that which
produces smallpox in the human race.
Causes. — The ravages which smallpox in the sheep has
caused fully equal those which the analogous disease inflicted
on the human race in the last century. It does not ap-
pear to be mutually contagious, however. The sheep pox,
though common on the continent of Europe for one hundred
and fifty years previous to 1847, did not reach England
until that year, and has, we believe, not yet made its appear-
ance in this country, though in the importation of sheep,
hides and wool, we are never secure from its introduction.
The mortality in England has occasionally reached one-
third of the flock in a single outbreak ; and in Austria and
Hungary the losses are said to foot up from four to five
hundred thousand sheep in some years. It is, therefore, a
scourge much to be dreaded.
Symptoms, — Sheep pox shows itself in two forms, one
malignant, the other mild.
The malignant form is not accompanied with an eruption
of pustules on the skin. There are some scarlet or purple
points, but they do not maturate or form pus. The animal
ceases to eat, moves unwillingly, his head is swollen, the eyes
closed and often inflame and ooze out ; the wool falls ofi",
the skin cracks in a zig-zag manner, and the nostrils become
filled With a fetid discharge. The animal suffers extremely
from thirst, but cannot drink, or with difficulty, on account
of the inflammation of the lips. Death generally occurs in
from two to three weeks from the outset of the disease.
In the milder form the eruption first shows itself in a
diffused redness, or in a number of minute red spots like flea
bites, on that portion of the skin least covered with wooL.
348 Diseases of Sheep.
These spots increase in size and run together, becoming ele-
vated in the centre, where in a few days a small blister or
vesicle appears, containing a liquid at first like a drop of
water, later turbid and like pus. This is the smallpox
vesicle, which in the sheep, however, remains flat on the
surface, and does not become hollowed or " umbilicated,'' as
it does in the cow and in man. In the fourth week of the
disease these vesicles dry up, and form scales. When these
fall off a bare spot is left w^hich is never after filled with
wool or hair.
With these local symptoms there are others of constitu-
tional disturbance. The animal wanders away from the
flock, loses appetite, licks the earth, is thirsty and feeble.
The eyes are bloodshot, the breathing labored and the gen-
eral condition one of fever of more or less severity according
to the violence of the attack.
Treatment. — The treatment of the disease has been very
unsuccessful, and consequently the more attention has been
given to its prevention. This has been attempted in two
directions by isolation, and by ovination, as the operation of
vaccination is called when applied to sheep.
Professor Gamgee relies entirely on isolation. He advises
that the diseased be separated to a long distance from the
healthy animals during the earliest stages of the malady;
and that disinfectants be freely and liberally used, both on
the sick and the well. He has no confidence in inoculation
or ovination, believing that it rather disseminates than
checks the malady.
On the other hand, the French and German veterinarians
are nearly unanimous in favor of ovination ; and if we can
rely on the statistics they furnish, we cannot doubt but that
it has succeeded most satisfactorily in staying the progress
of the disease — quite as much so as in the human race. In
many countries of Europe, especially in Austria, growing
Smallpox in Sheep, 349
lambs are regularly vaccinated in the spring, when from
three to four months old, the general result being a very
considerable diminution of deaths from the disease.
The sheep lymph used for inoculation is obtained from
separate (discrete) vesicles, on the sixth or seventh day of the
eruption. It should be perfectly clear and fluid, like water.
The animal from which it is taken should be otherwise
healthy, free from rot and scab, and if possible one who
has been vaccinated previously, or at all events has the dis-
ease in a mild form. The lymph is to be preserved in the
same manner as that used for vaccination in man.
The most suitable place for inserting the lymph in the
sheep is on the inner side of the ear, this spot being both
convenient to the operator to reach and less liable than most
to be injured by the scratching of the animal when the pus-
tule begins to itch. There is no special manner of apj)lying
the lymph ; the general rules adopted for this simple opera-
tion in children, answer as well for the sheep.
It is needless to undertake vaccinating a flock unless the
pox is actually in the neighborhood ; and then it should be
done promptly, and repeated until every sheep has had the
lymph " take ^' on him fairly. Even when the disease has
already attacked an animal, vaccination should be performed,
as it often renders the course of the malady much milder.
LOTTPING ILL— THE GNAW DISEASE— THORTER ILL.
Definition. — The disease called by these uncouth names is
an afiection of the spinal cord, common in lambs and young
sheep, but rare after the thu^d year. It is accompanied by
organic changes in the cord, either of hardening or softening,
or with watery secretion. It corresponds closely to that dis-
ease in man known as "myelitis, with sclerosis or ramollise-
ment of the cord,^' both in symptoms and appearance of the
cord after death.
350 Diseases of Sheep,
Causes. — The disease is undoubtedly hereditary, and it is
attributed to a naturally defective organization in some
herds. Where it prevails, it is prudent, therefore, to change
the breed. \
Symptoms. — One of the first symptoms is a slight weak-
ness in the hind quarters, indicated by the animal taking
broader and shorter steps, " louping," or loping in its run.
It is, moreover, unable to jump, and if it attempts to do so
will fall on its fore feet, or quite on the ground. If it un-
dertakes to run, it will fall frequently and rise with diffi-
culty, staggering and trembling.
Many such patients, apparently sensible of some change in
the sensation of the hind quarters, will gnaw or bite at their
thighs, pulling the wool out, and sometimes biting to the
blood and making a scab. This habit also gives one of the
names to the disease by which it is known in some parts of
the United States.
As the disease advances the animal grows stupid, the ears
loll loosely down, and the palsy, which was at first confined
to the hind quarters, extends and becomes more decided. The
appetite, which at fiist was not affected, is diminished, flesh
is lost, and general debility and emaciation wear out the pa-
tient.
The duration of the disease is from two to three months ;
as a rule it terminates in death ; but cases are not rare where
the symptoms disappear after a few weeks, and the animal
resumes its natural vigor.
Treatment. — This should be directed to active stimula-
tion of the spine and the nervous system.
The wool should be clipped close along the backbone, over
the loins, and the part rubbed with a stimulating ointment
or liniment, such as Nos. 235, 239. A moderate degree
The Sheep Distemper, 351
of imtation should be maintained constantly. Internally
the animal should hav(
No. 393. Powdered nux vomica, 1 oi.
Water, 1 pt.
Rub up together, and give a spoonful daily.
Exposure should be avoided, and the animal should not be
urged to exercise, but allowed to rest.
MALIGNANT EPIZOOTIO CATARRH— THE SHEEP DISTEMPER.
Definition. — An epidemic affection, occurring chiefly in the
late winter and early spring, accompanied by severe conges-
tion and inflammation of the lining membrane of the nasal
cavities, and occasionally of its prolongation into the stomach
and bowels, producing symptoms of catarrh, or, in the second
case, of catarrh and gastro-enteritis. '
Causes. — As in most of the epizootic diseases, the cause is
unknown. It generally prevails at the close of wet, open
winters, with rapid changes of temperature, and in flocks
which have been confined in ill- ventilated stables. But it is
also not uncommon where no such condition prevails.
The periodical recurrences of this disease have proved
very fatal to Ai^erican sheep, and even yet, according to
Col. Randall, it " continues to destroy more American sheep
than all other maladies combined.'' Sometimes forty or fifty
per cent, of the flock succumb to it.
Symptoms. — The disease commences with depression, and
a slight w^atery discharge from the nostrils and from the eyes,
which are partly closed and paler than natural. The ani-
mal is dull and drooping, its movements languid, and more
or less loss of appetite is manifest. The pulse is not altered
in frequency, or but slightly so, but is weaker than usual.
There is no cough, and the breathing is not affected, except
where the disease is associated with bronchitis.
352 Diseases of Sheep,
The symptoms mentioned slowly increase in severity until,
in about a week, there are evident emaciation and great pros-
tration. The nasal discharge is thick and glutinous, some-
times tinged with blood ; the eyes are half closed, and the
lids matted by a yellow secretion. The appetite has almost
gone, and the pulse scarcely perceptible. The respiration is
labored and difficult. In well-fed sheep the bowels continue
natural, as a rule ; but in those on insufficient or poor diet
the bowels may become inflamed and swollen, and dysenteric
symptoms arise. The excrement is voided with pain, and it
is mixed with blood. The attack usually commences with
constipation. The average length of the disease is ten to
fifteen days.
After death, the principal and characteristic lesion is a
highly inflammatory, thickened and congested appearance of
the lining membrane of the nostrils and nasal cavities
throughout, sometimes passing into ulceration. This condi-
tion may extend, with more or less intensity, to the mucous
membrane of the upper throat and gullet ; and more rarely
down the latter, and to the bowels.
Treatment. — It must be acknowledged that no plan of
treatment has been tried with very satisfactory results. Cer-
tain rules are, however, of considerable value. No bleeding,
purging or depressants must be used. Concentrated and
nourishing food and stimulants are demanded from the out-
set. A dry and equable temperature is important.
In regard to medicines. Col. Randall believes that he has
derived advantage from the use of corrosive sublimate, in
small and repeated doses, providing that it is commenced
early in the disease. He combines it as follows : — •
No. 394. Corrosive sublimate, 8 grains.
Khubarb, 1 oz.
Ginger,
Gentian, of each 2 oz.
Simmer the last three articles in a quart of water, for fifteen minutes,
strain, and add the sublimate. The dose is two tablespoonfuls, twice
a day.
CoUg in Sheep. 353
COLIC— BLOWN— BLAST— WIND DSOPSY.
Definition. — By these names is known the swelling of the
third stomach in sheep, hj food and air, or gases. It is the
disease which in cattle is called hoven (page 291).
Causes. — The most frequent cause is feeding on green
clover, or other strong grass, wet with rain or dew. Musty
and ergoted food, such as on stubble fields and blighted corn^
are other provocatives of the disease ; and occasionally it
arises from a constitutional difficulty in digestion.
Symptoms, — The disease, is readily recognized by a swell-
ing of the belly on the left side, w^hich appears while the
animal is feeding, or shortly afterward. The breathing be-
comes oppressed, the bowels are constipated, the eye anxious
and wild ; there is every symptom of intense pain.
Some say that in sheep, so long as the swelling is on th^
left side only, there is no danger; but when the right side
partakes of the distention also, it is a sign that the walls of
the rumen are expanded to the utmost and are in imminent
danger of rupture.
Treatment. — When the distention is great, no time must
be lost in removing the w^ool from the most prominent part
of the swelling, and plunging a trocar into the rumen, to
allow the air to escape. When a trocar is not at hand, a
sharp-pointed penknife should be used, the edges of the
opening being kept apart by inserting a goose quill with a
collar of leather, or some similar hollow tube.
When the case is not so severe as this, stimulants and
aromatics are the medicines demanded, as : —
Ko. 395. Ground mustard, 1 drachm.
Whisky, 1 oz.
Mix and give in a small quantity of water. Eepeat as needed.
354 Diseases of Sheep,
No. 396. Solution of potash, 2 drachms.
Common salt,
Sweet oil, each, 1 oz.
Mix in a wineglass full of water.
Mechanical means are often employed successfully to aid
these remedies, or independent of them. The swollen
stomach is pressed and kneaded with the hands, which urges
the gas up the gullet. Or the sheep is plunged into cold
water, which brings on relaxation of the gullet and the gas
escapes. Or a rubber tube of half-inch calibre, furnished
with a button of wool at the end, to prevent clogging, is
thoroughly oiled, and introduced gently into the gullet and
passed down to the stomach. This will often cause the
escape of air in large quantity and, give immediate relief.
Such a tube has various uses, and one should be about every
large fold.
BED WATER—HJEMATTJEIA.
The name " red water " is sometimes applied to a form
of dropsy, where the water accumulated in the abdomen is
of a reddish color ; but it should be confined to a disease,
not infrequent in various localities, characterized by a red
color of the urine due to the presence of red blood coloring
matter in it. It is probably acute nephritis.
Causes, — These are exposure to cold and wet; lying down
on cold, marshy ground ; and in general, chilling from
change of temperature. Well housed sheep rarely suffer
from it.
S3^ptoms. — The attack commences with diarrhea, of a
dysenteric character, continued scouring, sometimes of
bloody matter, and the passage of pink, red or dark urine.
The animal is weak, and the belly swollen. If it is a ewe,
the secretion of milk is suspended. The head is protruded
or hanging, the breathing labored and panting. As the
Red Water— Foot Bot 355
diseasa advances, palsy of the hind quarters, supervenes and
the sheep rises up with difficulty, or not at all.
Treatment. — The animal should at once be brought in
the house and well protected from wet and cold. Its loins
and belly should be mopped with hot mustard water and
covered with a rubber cloth, to keep the heat in. Internally
it should take —
No. 397. Oil of turpentine, 1 oz.
Linseed oil, Ij oz.
Mix for a dose.
The diet should be nourishing and stimulating; as, for
instance, oat-meal gruel, made with cow's milk, and contain-
ing a spoonful of powdered ginger or essence of ginger.
With this treatment, recovery is pretty sure to take place.
HOOF EOT— FOOT ROT.
This is one of the most common diseases of American
sheep, and with which every sheep owner in all parts of our
land is pretty certain to become familiar at some period of
his experience.
Causes. — As to its cause, there can be no doubt but that it
is generally contagion — always contagion, many observant
breeders say. Others assert that it can be developed spon-
taneously by pasturing in rank, lush grass, on damp
meadows, and in boggy fields. They perhaps confound it
with foul, in the foot, which is a comparatively trifling and
temporary affection.
Symptoms. — The descriptions of this disease as it appears
in various prominent English works, notably those of Mr.
Youatt, are misleading and inappKcable to the American
form of it, especially in its earlier stages. We shall there-
fore rather depend on the descriptions of Col. Randall and
S56 Diseases of Sheep,
Mr. Clok, both of whom have observed it extensively in
various parts of the United States.
The first symptom is the disappearance of the naturally
smooth, dry, pale condition of the skin at the top of the
cleft, .over the heels. It becomes somewhat red, warm and
moist, and slightly rough or chafed. Next, the moisture in-
creases to a discharge, and an ulcer is formed which extends
down to the upper portion of the inner wall of the hoof.
These walls are then attacked, become disorganized, and the
disease penetrates between the fleshy sole and the bottom of
the hoof. The hoof is thickened at the heel, by an unnatural
deposition of horn. The crack between it and the fleshy sole
pours out an offensive and purulent matter. Soon all parts
of the foot are penetrated by the burrowing ulceration, the
horny sole is disorganized, and the fleshy sole becomes a
black and swollen mass of corruption, shapeless, spongy, and
often filled with maggots.
The fore feet are usually first attacked ; lam^eness is early
noticed and soon becomes complete ; general fever comes on
late ; the appetite is lost, and the animal dies from exhaus-
tion.
The offensive odor of the true foot rot is characteristic, and
once made familiar wdll serve as a certain guide in recogniz-
ing the disease. The disease may present itself in a malig-
nant and rapid form, or in a mild one. Its first attack on a
flock is generally of the severer character. When it is kept
under the first year, its appearance the next summer will be
mild ; and the third season still milder.
Treatment. — While it is evident from the above descrip-
tion that foot rot is a dangerous, disgusting and painful
disease, we have the satisfaction of adding that with proper
treatment and sufiicient care, it is always curable. In fact,
no disease of the sheep yields more certainly to remedies
properly used. And if, as often happens, the farmer finds
Treatment of Foot Rot. 357
his sheep still limping and hobbling after he has, as he
thinks, given them proper attention, it is because he has been
ignorant of what the case demands.
The most important, the absolutely indispensable part of
the treatment is, the preparation of the hoof, by cutting aioay
every pa7^tide of the diseased structure. No remedy will
succeed if this is neglected ; almost any one of the dozens
recommended will be satisfactory if this is well done.
The sheep should first have their feet cleaned, by grazing
a day or two in a short, dry pasture ; or by being driven
through a gravelly brook, when this is practicable. As for
the operation itself, Mr. Clok gives the following directions,
w^hich are none too minute : —
The operator provides himself with a strong and sharp, but
narrow-bladed knife. He seats himself, and has an assistant
turn the sheep on its back, and open the-cleft of the hoof. He
then begins at the suture and cuts out all horn which has sepa-
rated from the foot and is suffused with matter. The inner
sides of the horny capsule deserve special attention, as do also
the parts where the horn appears whiter and softer than on
the other parts of the hoof. The knife must be freely used,
and all loose horn removed up to the point whete the con-
nection remains unimpaired. The bleeding which may
occur is wholly without danger.
A knowledge of the anatomy of the sheep's hoof will pre-
vent the abuse of the knife. It is proper, in all cases, to pare
dow^n the sick hoof considerably at the toe and external wall,
because it can then be more easily examined, and it does not
touch the ground so forcibly when the animal is walking as
when it is larger than the healthy one. The knife must be
cleaned from time to time, so that the matter adhering to it
does not infect the healthy parts.
If the disease is further advanced, and the secretion has
collected far down in the hoof, the same operation is per-
358 Diseases of Sheep.
formed ; and it will sometimes be necessary to remove the
whole capsule. Every hidden channel which may be present
should be sounded, oj)ened and laid bare. If the wound
becomes covered with blood during the operation, as is com-
monly the case, it should be frequently dried with tow. If
a single diseased place remain from which the horn is not
removed, a cure cannot be expected. After cutting away
the whole or a part of the horny capsule, it is always neces-
sary to apply a bandage to protect the hoof from dangerous
external irritation.
The foot thus thoroughly prepared, the next step is to
apply a caustic. Of these, very many have been suggested.
Colonel Randall prefers to everything else a hot saturated
solution of sulphate of copper (common blue vitriol). He fills
a large, shallow tank with water, to the depth of four inches,
and has each sheep stand ten minutes in it, or, in bad cases,
longer. The solution is kept as hot as the hand can bear it,
by the addition of boiling water, saturated with the vitriol.
This he extols as the most certain, the easiest and the cheap-
est remedy he has ever tried.
For the same reasons Mr. Clok praises chloride of lime
(common bleaching powder). After paring the foot, he
covers it with the chloride, and fills the cleft with a piece of
tow, whose ends are twisted into a small cord and fastened
around the pastern joint. This forms a soft and tightly
fitting bandage. The hoofs are inspected daily for some time,
and the chloride renewed if necessary. Two or three appli-
cations may be required. In malignant cases, before apply-
ing the chloride, he would bathe the parts with —
No. 398. Creasote, 1 part.
Alcohol, 4 parts.
For a foot wash.
Of the many other applications popular in rot, we give
some examples, premising with the remark that any one of
Treatment of Foot Rot, 359
them is useful if the foot is well prepared, and no one of
them is worth much otherwise.
One quite popular in central New York is —
No. 399. Sulphate of copper (blue vitriol), 1 lb.
Acetate of copper (verdigris), ^ lb.
Linseed oil, 1 pint-
Tar, 1 quart.
Kub the vitriol and verdigris in very fine powder, with the oil, then
add the tar and mix thoroughly.
Mr. Finlay Dun speaks well of the followmg : —
No. 400. Powdered sulphate of copper, 1 part.
Tar, 3 parts.
Mix well over a slow fire.
And—
No. 401. Oil of turpentine, 1 part.
Sweet oil, 3 parts.
Used in tedious cases of foot rot.
Carbolic acid in 6 or 6 per cent, solution, nitrate of silver,
chloride of zinc, and in fact almost any of the caustics answer
well.
Whatever preparation is used, the sheep should be kept
in a dry, well-littered shed, or on a short, dry pasture for a
day or two after the application, as if they are at once turned
into a field covered with wet and high grass, it is obvious
that the caustic wall in great part be washed from the foot.
The foot rot is essentially a local disease ; but in severe
cases it is advised to give internally a tonic, such as —
No. 402. Common salt, 1 to 2 drachms.
Sulphate of iron.
Nitrate of potash, of each ^ drachms.
Make into a powder, to be given daily.
When the rot appears in its most malignant form, and the
case is a very bad one, many veterinarians claim that no
remedy is equal to butter of antimony (solution of terchlor-
ide of antimony). It is an energetic caustic, and must be
employed cautiously. As it cannot be diluted with water
360 Diseases of Sheep.
without undergoing decomposition, it should be mixed with
an equal quantity .of compound tincture of myrrh. Prof.
Williams states that for general use in the disease he has
found it as effectual, and much less painful to the animal
than any other. The sulphate of copper he thinks suitable
for mild cases.
As a preventive of foot rot, nothing is so effective as a
solution of arsenioy used in the following manner : —
Ko. 403. Arsenic,
Washing soda, of each 2 lb.
Water, 10 gaUons.
Boil slowly to eight gallons, and fill up to ten.
With this, the hoofs of the sheep are thoroughly sponged
after cleaning; or the animal is obliged to stand for a
minute or two in a tub or shallow trough containing it. Some
of the largest Scotch breeders use this occasionally during
the summer and fall, and as a consequence foot rot is
unknown in their flocks.
FOITL IN THE FOOT.
Although sheep are much less subject to this disease than
cattle, they will contract it if kept in wet and filthy yards,
or on moist, boggy pastures. They are also prone to it in
wet seasons, from walking in the tall, dripping grass.
The skin in the cleft of the foot has a macerated or water-
soaked appearance, accompanied by slight inflammation,
passing into ulceration, and bringing on lameness. Often at
this stage it is mistaken for hoof rot.
The treatment of the disease is simple, as it will generally
disappear of itself if the flock is turned on dry, short, up-
land pastures, or kept in a clean, well-littered yard. Further
than this, it is well to wash and othermse clean the feet, and
paint them with a mixture of one part powdered blue vitriol
Stone in Sheep, 361
rubbed up with five or six parts of tar ; or other simple
stimulant and cleansing preparation.
STONE IN THE BLADDER.
Male sheep, both rams and wethers, especially when highly
fed, are subject to the formation of stones in the bladder.
These stones are not of carbonate of lime, as those in the
horse and ox (see page 161), but like those occasionally
found in the pig, consist of the ammonio-phosphate of mag-
nesia.
Their presence is attributed to high feeding, or to feeding
on some special article of diet, especially oil cake and
turnips, both these foods being rich in the chemical sub-
stances which make up the stone.
The symptoms are difficulty and pain in passing water,
straining, and sometimes bloody urine.
Treatment. — It is possible to operate successfully for
stone in the bladder in sheep; but unless the animal is
valuable, it is not worth while to undertake treatment.
In costly rams, kept for breeding purposes, after the stone
is removed, ihQ treatment recommended by an English
writer, Mr. Litt, may be undertaken with a fair prospect of
preventing any further return or increase of the trouble. He
begins with a dose as follows : —
Ko. 404. Castor oil, 6 to 8 oz.
Extract of belladonna, 8 to 16 grains.
Mix for one dose.
After this has acted he puts the ram on doses of bi-
carbonate of potash, thirty to sixty grains, repeated thrice
daily, freely diluted with water. The bowels are kept open
by laxative food, and the animal is given plenty of exercise
362 Diseases of Sheep,
LAMBING IN THE EWE.
Northern farmers aim to have their lambs yeaned in April
and the first weeks of May. In the Merina and Saxon
breeds this act generally takes place without impediment ;
but in high-kept English ewes, difficult positions of the lamb
occasionally require the shepherd's assistance.
The natural position of the lamb in leaving the womb is with
the nose first, and the fore feet on each side of it. But the
lamb can be born without much delay which presents with
both hind feet and the rump. .
The general methods of relief are the same in false presen-
tations as have been described in the cow, (page 320). The
broad rules are, when the lamb presents unnaturally, to push
it back into the womb ; when force is applied to withdraw
it, be sure that it is exerted in the line of the vagina, and
simultaneously with the labor pains, the operator resting
when they pass off; and the exercise of traction in a gentle
and steady, not in a jerking manner.
When the pains are deficient, they can be stimulated with
ergot, as —
No. 405. Powdered ergot,
Powdered ginger, of each 30 grains.
For one dose.
When the pains are excessive and exhausting, the follow-
ing is recommended, to render them regular and keep up the
strength : —
No. 406. Spirits of camphor, 1 draclim.
Laudanum, J oz.
Give in some gruel.
As in cows (see page 323), so in ewes, the womb is liable
to become inverted and hang, like a bag, from the vagina.
The treatment is substantially the same. It should be well
washed with alum water, carefully returned, and retained
either by a bandage, or by taking a single strong stitch
Lambing in the Ewe, 363
through the lips of the vagina. If this falls to effect a cure,
and the falling of the womb becomes habitual, it should be
strongly corded close to the vagina and allowed to slough
off.
Milk Fever in Ewes,
Puerperal fever or milh fever is not common among ewes,
at least in the United States. It more generally affects mid-
dle-aged ewes and those carrying twins ; those which are
highly fed and plethoric are special subjects for its attacks.
The early symptoms are, loss of appetite ; twitching of the
hind legs and ears ; dullness and weakness ; staggering ; and
the discharge of a dark-colored and offensively smelling fluid
from the vagina. The time of attack is generally a few days
before the expected yeanmg time, and the fetus is nearly
always discharged dead, and often putrid.
The treatment recommended by an experienced New York
sheep raiser is as follows : —
Separate the sick ewe at once from the flock, and give her
Ko. 407. Sulphate of magnesia, 2 to 3 oz.
Nitrate of potash, 1 drachm.
Molasses, 3 oz.
Give in a pint of warm linseed gruel.
Should this not open the bowels in eight or ten hours, it
should be repeated. After that the nitre and molasses are
continued, without the salts, as long as there is fever. If the
period of yeaning is at hand, as is generally the case, a little
extract of belladonna is to be put on the end of the finger,
and placed on the mouth of the womb. This, repeated
hourly, will soon cause relaxation and discharge of the con-
tents. The womb should then be thoroughly syringed out
with warm water and milk, dilute lime water, or a warm,
weak solution of chloride of lime or carbolic acid (1 or 2 per
cent.). The ewe^s position is made as comfortable as possi-
364 Diseases of Sheep,
ble, and always changed twice a day. Tonics and nutritious
food are called for, to hasten tlie return to health.
As a preventive, a small quantity of grain, say half a pint
per head, for two months before lambing, is generally effi-
cient.
If constipation persists after lambing or abortion, Prof.
Gamgee recommends that the ewe be given —
No. 408. Sulphate of magnesia, J oz.
Laudanum, 1 drachm.
Powdered camphor, ^ drachm.
Mix in gruel, for one dose.
Garget in Ewes,
The symptoms of this are enlargement of the udder,
which is hot and tender to the touch and has a dense, fleshy
feeling. Sometimes it is so sensitive that the ewe refuses the
lamb. In the more severe type, what is termed "black
garget,'Hhere is a dark-colored spot or spots of mortification
on the udder, which break, forming ugly and intractable
ulcers. The ewe is lame, and often suffers from chills and
shivering.
The treatment must be prompt. The udder must be
thoroughly fomented with a sheepskin dipped in hot salt
water, and if tha inflammation is high, the udder hot, and
the swelling extending upward, blood must be drawn, to the
extent 'of half a pint, from the large vein which runs under
the belly. Internally the ewe should have
No. 409. Sulphate of magnesia, 4 oz.
Powdered ginger, 1 oz.
Oil of turpentine, J oz.
Mix for one dose.
If these measures do not reduce the swelling, as soon as
matter forms, and can be detected by a fluctuating feeling
imparted to the finger, the spot must be lanced freely, the
pus turned out, and the cavity thoroughly syringed with
strong salt water.
Rheumatism in Lambs, 365
In mild cases we may omit the turpentine from the above
and giye — •
No. 410. Sulphate of magnesia, 3 oz.
Flowers of sulphur, 1 oz.
Mix in gruel.
The lamb should be put to the teat as often, and as soon,
as practicable.
RHEUMATISM OF LAMBS.
A disease which has occasionally been spoken of as
identical with the one described as Louping 111, and re-
garded as a species of "palsy,'' is simply acute rheumatism
as it manifests itself in young lambs, within the first few
weeks of their lives.
Symptoms. — The symptoms are not always the same. The
first is generally a stiffness of one or more legs. Walking is
obviously difficult, and the motion of the limbs unnatural
and clumsy. This stiffness extends to the other joints,
especially to the neck, which is cramped, and unwillingly
moved. The animal is listless, depressed, and remains in one
position. The bowels become obstinately constipated, and
the belly lean and tucked up.
Usually the joints swell and become painful, the swelling
being hot and tender to the touch. After death these
enlargements are found to be due to inflammation of the
cartilages and lining membranes of the joints, presenting the
usual appearance of acute articular rheumatism.
The disease generally lasts from one to two weeks, but
death may occur sooner ; and when recovery does take place
it is generally slow, requiring three or four ^yeeks, with a
liability to relapses.
Treatment. — It is the opinion among intelligent breeders
that this malady is frequently, perhaps generally brought on
366 Diseases of Sheep,
by injudicious feeding of the ewe during her period of
gestation, thus vitiating the blood of the lamb, and render-
ing it unable to withstand the changes of temperature to
which it is exposed. Thus it is stated by Mr. Clok that if
the diet of the ewe during the last months of pregnancy
consists of much clover, hay, potatoes, grain, and drinks of
groats, the lambs are very prone to palsy soon after birth.
Mouldy food of all kinds, mouldy oil cakes, rotten carrots,
potatoes, etc., as well as putrid water, are very injurious.
The injurious influence of vitiated food in producing this
rheumatic disease in lambs has not only been proved by
numerous accidental observations, but is shown beyond a
doubt by interesting and striking direct experiments. The
fact that the milk of the mother exercises great influence in
the production of the disease is proved by the experiment of
allowing healthy lambs to suck the milk of a ewe whose
young perished in this way. This experiment has been tried
repeatedly, and the lambs were always affected with the dis-
ease. The fact is therefore beyond a doubt.
Not only vitiated or improper food causes the milk of the
mother to become injurious, but also a diseased condition of
the ewe, especially if she be affected with the fluke and rot.
In lambs, catching cold is a source of the disease, which is
the more certainly produced if the above-mentioned predis-
position exists. It cannot, however, be stated with certainty
whether catching cold is necessary, or whether the disease
may be produced without, nor has it been ascertained if it
can arise solely from catching cold without the presence of a
predisposition for the disease or of other circumstances.
Both are probable, however. It is most common during the
wet, cold days of March and April and during bad weather,
especially when the sheep are kept in warm, narrow and close
stables. It appears particularly in weak, thin-wooled lambs
Rheumatism in Lambs, 367
whose development is retarded, probably because they are
most sensitive to cold.
Besides securing a proper diet for the ewes, the lambs,
which are constipated, should have a preventive medical
treatment, by giving them a warm laxative drench, such
as
No. 410. Sulphate of magnesia, ^ 2 oz.
Powdered carraway or ginger, ^ oz.
Mix in a half pint of thin gruel, and give a wineglassful, warm, to a
lamb two weeks old.
In the beginning of the mild forms of the disease Mr.
Clok, says the following is a certain remedy :
No. 411. Sulphuretted antimony, powdered, 5 parts.
Fresh butter, 1 part.
Mix, and give a piece the size of a hazel nut, three times a day.
Or the following ;
No. 412. Sal ammoniac, 1 oz.
Sulphate of soda, 2 oz.
Essence of ginger, 1 drachm.
Mix in a quart of water, and give a teaspoonful several times a day.
The use of a strong decoction of willow bark, sweetened
with molasses, and given in spoonful doses, often repeated,
promises well in such cases.
The local treatment should be by soothing and sedative
liniments, as of oil and laudanum, or soap liniment, with hot
fomentations. The swellings should not be irritated with
stimulating liniments, and still less, opened, as some ignor-
ant persons have occasionally done.
Baths are efficient agents in aiding the cure. Some prefer
cold baths at 50° Fahrenheit, in order to reduce the febrile
symptoms. But better results will be obtained by warm
baths at 95° to 100° Fah., in which some salt and mustard
are dissolved. In this the lamb should be soaked for a half
hour or hour, when it can be dried, wrapped in a woolen
blanket, and placed in a warm corner.
368 Diseases of SJieep,
COITSTIPATION IN LAMBS.
Lambs, especially those which are fed artificially, either on
cow^s milk or the milk of other ewes, are liable to constipa-
tion. The bowels ceasing to act, the animal droops, and
lies down most of the time. Its belly becomes distended,
the urine becomes scanty or almost suspended, the brain is
oppressed, a stupor supervenes, and if not speedily relieved,
the animal dies.
The treatment in such cases may be by medicines which
act on the bowels, or by injections into the rectum, or by
both combined. Two or three spoonfuls of melted lard, or
one spoonful of castor oil are suitable internally. But the
most reliable treatment is to give the lamb an injection of
warm milky about the temperature of the body, colored to a
light brown by molasses stirred in it, two or three ounces
of which are to be administered with a small syringe. To
give this properly, the lamb should be held up perpendicu-
larly by the hind legs, so that the fore feet but just touch the
floor, during and for a moment after the injection. If
hardened dung is not discharged with the fluid, or soon after-
ward, the injection is to be repeated.
If after the medicine has operated the lamb continues in-
active and dull, it requires a tonic, as some spoonfuls of
strong boneset tea {Eupatorium perfoliatum), or this, recom-^
mended by Prof. Gamgee : —
No. 413. Golden sulphur of antimony, f drachm.
Common salt, 1 drachm.
For a dose, once daily.
DIAEEHEA IK LAMSS.
Diarrhea, which frequently attacks whole herds on first
feeding on green grass, is usually of no danger ; and when
in individual cases simple diarrhea calls for attention, it
Diarrhea in Lambs, 369
slioiild be treated on the same principles and with the same
remedies previously recommended for calves (see page 337).
But in sucking lambs diarrhea is often a very fatal disease,
and must receive the closest attention of the shepherd, in
order to rescue the patient.
Causes. — These are chiefly exposure to cold, sudden
changes of temperature, as a hot stable in winter, and the
drafts and bad air it involves, and improper diet. Cold
di'inks and a plethoric condition of the ewe are other causes.
S3n^ptoms. — These are well described by Mr. Clok, as
follows : The disease appears without warning ; the lamb
becomes languid and sad, keeps away from the other lambs,
stands with bent back, or lies down frequently. The ex-
crement, w^hich is repeatedly discharged, is thin, whitish or
greenish, afterward watery and mixed with mucus, and finally
bloody. The animal ceases to suck and eat, but is very
thirsty. It bleats frequently, evinces signs of pain if pres-
sure is applied to its belly, and makes efforts to discharge
excrement. The lamb rapidly loses flesh, its belly sinks in,
and death ensues between the second and fifth days, and
sometimes even on the first day.
If the body is opened, the rennet-bag especially, and a
large portion of the intestines, are found to be inflamed.
The rennet-bag and the intestines, particularly the inflamed
parts, contain a substance looking like cheese or curdled
milk. The best sheep are most liable to the disease, but if
it appears as a plague, all lambs without distinction suffer
from it.
Treatment. — This should, of course, be, in the first place,
to do away with the predisposing causes we have mentioned
above. A general rule is to change the food as soon as the
diarrhea appears in a fold, even though it may not seem to
be at fault. Ventilation, pure air, and a temperature between
24
370 Diseases of Sheep.
50° and 60° are to be obtained, when possible. One of the
best of foods for lambs is —
No. 414. White of egg, 1 part.
AVater, 6 parts.
Beat together, and give milk-warm, as much as the patient wants.
A little laudanum can be added to this, if desired. The
albumen of the egg is soothing and restraining to the deli-
cate intestinal membrane, while it supports the strength.
For a mild medicine, the following : —
Kg. 415. Prepared chalk. 2 oz.
Ginger, in powder, ^ oz.
Opium, in powder, 1 drachm.
Mix in a pint of peppermint or calamus tea, and give a tablespoonful
night and morning.
When more positive astringent action is demanded, one
ounce of powdered catechu should be added to the above.
In serious cases, where, as above mentioned, the stools
become slimy and tinged with blood, and the weakness is
great, we must have recourse to arsenic. Two to three drops
of Fowler's solution of arsenic should be given three or four
times a day, in a teaspoonful of water, to a young lamb.
Sometimes such cases can be benefited by small doses of
quinine, two or three grains given five or six tunes a day.
One variety of diarrhea in lambs is known as the " white
scour," because the excrement is of ;i whitish color. It is
usually watery and very acrid, and irritating to the external
parts. "With it there is much colic, loss of appetite, and
rapidly increasing weakness.
In all cases this arises from the non-digestion of the ewe's
milk. Either the lamb has a weak stomach, or overloads it,
or the milk is not of a healthy character. Highly fed ewes
are specially liable to have this disease in their lambs, their
milk probably being too rich.
The treatment is to prevent the lamb taking so much, or
Diarrhea in Lambs. 371
to put it on dilute cow's milk for a few days. In addition,
it should have an alkaline laxative, to clear the bowels —
No. 416. Bicarbonate of potash,
Calcined magnesia, of each J oz.
Divide into eight powders, and give one four times a day.
This may be given for one or two days, until the character
of the evacuations changes. Should the weakness be threat-
eningly great, the following will be found unsurpassed : —
No. 417. Eggs, 2
AVhiskey, ^ 2 oz.
Essence of ginger, 1 drachm.
Beat up in a pint of oatmeal gruel, made with milk, and give a few
spoonfuls every 3 hours.
TTJRNSICK—STTJUDY—GID— HYDATID OF THE BEAIH".
Definition. — A disease of the brain of the sheep, character-
ized chiefly by vertigo, and owing to the presence in the
brain of a hydatid, or bladder-worm, the Ccenurus cerebralis.
Causes. — ^ye know more about the the species of parasite
which causes this disease than about many other species of
those strange animals. The bladder-worm of the head of
the sheep is nothing else than a form of the tapeworm of
the dog, Tcenia cenurus, at an earlier stage of its existence.
The mature tape worm, lives in the bowels of the dog; its
eggs are passed with the excrement, and they feed on the
grass which the sheep eats, and are swallowed with the food ;
thus introduced to a suitable home, they select as their
quarters the animaPs brain, in the substance of which they
attain their full growth, which may be about the size of a
hen's egg.
Kot more than two can develop in the brain at one time,
and it is rare to find more than one of any considerable size.
The victims are usually lambs and hoggets, sheep over two
years being rarely affected. It prevails most where dogs are
372' Diseases of Sheep,
used to attend the sheep, and where they frequent the pas-
tures.
The bladder consists of a thin membrane, filled with
watery, yellowish fluid, in which a large number of small,
white bodies are floating, each the immature tapeworm,
provided with hooks and a sucking mouth, which it applies to
the inner walls of the bladder, and through them derives its
nourishment from the brain substance.
Symptoms. — These are curious and well marked, ^yhen
the animal is first affected there are staggering, reeling and
stupefaction, little appetite and debility. In walking the
animal describes a circle, always turning in the same
direction, lifting its feet high, and often running against ob-
stacles. Total blindness and deafness may ensue. These
may subside for a while, as the contents of the skull adapt
themselves to the hydatid ; but as it continues to enlarge and
consume the brain, the symptoms return with greater sever-
ity, palsy creeps on, the animal can no longer stand, becomes
insensible and dies.
The location of the hydatid in the brain is indicated by
the motion or turning of the sheep. If it is in the left lobe
or half of the brain the animal turns to the right ; if in the
right lobe, his turning is to the left ; if in the back part of
the brain, the cerebellum, the movements are performed
without control, the head is elevated, the limbs moved with
difficulty, and he starts and falls repeatedly ; finally, if the
hydatid is in the middle of the brain in front, the sheep goes
forward in a straight line, holds its nose in the air, steps very
high, and soon loses the sight of one or both eyes.
The growth of the hydatid is rather rapid, and in three
weeks' time from the first appearance of the symptoms, if
the skull be pressed firmly with the thumb where the above
rules point out the lodging of the hydatid, a noticeable de-
gree of softening will be found, as if the skull were want-
Hydatid of the Brain, 373
ing m that particular spot. In fact, the bone has become
thin, and been absorbed by the suckers of the small tape-
worms above described ; and sometimes the skin is accident-
ally broken, the hydatid emerges and ruptures its cyst, and
the sheep recovers.
Treatment. — The natural cure just described, which, how-
ever, is very rare, suggests the proper course of treatment.
The head must be repeatedly felt, for the soft spot in the
skull, and as soon as it is fixed upon, a trocar and canula are
introduced, the trocar withdrawn, a syringe applied through
the canula, and the contents of the cyst extracted.
This treatment always alleviates for the time, but it is
liable to be followed by inflammation of the brain and
death ; or by the growth of another hydatid, which requires
the repetition of the operation. Hence we would suggest
another means of easy application, which has proved, in some
hands, very successful. This is, not to open the cyst to the
air, which is very liable to produce destructive inflammation,
but to puncture its walls with the needle of a strong hypo-
dermic syringe and inject into it with some of the following
solution : —
No. 418. Iodine,
Iodide of potash.
Water,
1 grain.
5 grains.
loz.
Mix and use a half teaspoonfiil at a time.
Important preventive measures are to keep dogs away
from the sheep folds and walks ; or to giv^e them, if required
for attendance on the sheep, a good tapeworm vermifuge,
now and then ; and to administer the same to the sheej>
themselves.
374 Diseases of Sheep,
SHEEP BOTS— GRUBS IN THE HEAD— HEAD MAGGOTS.
We have described on an earlier page (p. 150), the his-
tory of the gadfly or bot fly in the horse. The species of the
same insect which attacks the sheep, the oestrus ovis, does not
choose the stomach or bowels as the place of its residence
when in the larval condition, but a far more annoying part
of the body of its unwilling host, to wit, the nostrils and
frontal sinuses, or hollow chambers in the front of the skull
communicating with the nostrils.
The sheep greatly dread the fly, and at its approach will run
wildly about, bury their nostrils in the dust, or gather together
in groups, with their heads downward, jostling against each
other, to drive away their enemy. When struck by the fly
they stamp the ground violently, and exhibit other signs
of distress, amounting to agony.
As soon as the larva is deposited at the entrance of the
nostril, it proceeds upw^aj:d, holding on by the firm hooks
which arm its head, and makes its w^ay into the furthest
recesses of the nasal chambers, causing the animal, in its
progress, great pain and irritation, resulting sometimes
in vertigo, inflammation of the brain, madness and death.
When the disease has reached its highest point the animal
loses flesh, falls down frequently, grinds its teeth, rolls its
reddened eyes, and finally dies on the fourth or eighth day.
In mild cases recovery takes place unaided ; the larvae are
thrown out by frequent sneezing, along with mucus ; and
this is the only sure sign of the disease, at least, for the non-
professional. Sometimes vertigo is present at the same
time.
If the head of a dead animal is opened, more or less
larvae are found in the above-mentioned cavities, which re-
semble those found in the stomachs of horses. The mucous
membrane of these cavities is inflamed, red, bluish, dark-
Grubs in the Head, 375
red or ash-colored, and sometimes even gangrenous at dif-
ferent points. Thirty and even forty of these larvse have
been found together, but there is generally a much smaller
number present.
Treatment. — The line of treatment pursued may be in
three directions : —
1st. By violent sneezing the bots can sometimes be expelled
from the nostrils. For this purpose, tobacco snuff can be
shaken into the animal's nostril; or when, owing to the
number, this is impracticable, they may be driven into a close
shed, and irritating substances, such as horn, leather, feathers,
etc., be burned.
2dly. In severe cases, the horns are sawed off close to the
head, the sinuses opened with a trocar, and some sweet oil,
flavored with turpentine, is poured in.
3dly. The sheep are seized, and the nose held up, while a
teaspoonful or two of a mixture of equal parts of sw^eet oil
and turpentine are poured into the nostrils. This requires
some care, that the animal is not choked by the fluid passing
into the lungs. It is, however, very efficacious.
To prevent the flies from depositing their eggs in the nos-
trils, some shepherds smear the noses of the sheep with tar
dm-ing June and July ; others run furrows across the field,
so that the sheep can protect themselves from the flies by
burying their nose in the dirt.
LTTNG WORMS— THE HOOSE IN LAMBS.
Deflnition. — A disease caused by the presence in the
breathing tubes (the windpipe and bronchi), and the bowels,
of a worm, called the lung worm, strongulus filaria. The
complaint is quite common in Ohio, where it is known as
" white skin,'' the " pale disease," " paper skin," " pelt rot,"
etc., from the bloodless appearance which precedes death. It
is often very fatal, though it should not be, as it is a curable
disease.
376 Diseases of Sheep,
Cause. — While in one sense we know the cause of this
disease, as stated in the definition above, in another sense we
are ignorant of it, as the origin and life history of these
curious parasites are still a sealed book to us. The disease
prevails especially in low, damp situations ; on grounds sub-
ject to overflow, and grown with rank grass ; after heavy
rains, and in the autumn months. It has already been to
some extent discussed, in speaking of hoose in calves.
According to the best authorities, the disease is steadily
increasing, both in England and the United States. {See
mghland Agric. Soc, Reports, 1878).
The worm itself is from one to three inches in length,
slender and whitish, like a thread, and while in sheep they
are mostly found in the bronchial tubes, in lambs they are
discovered in the lung tissue itself. When in the lungs of
sheep, they are not active, but folded in cysts. Often they
are matted together in masses or balls, which choke up the
passages they inhabit.
Symptoms. — The presence of these worms does not always
cause inconvenience to the sheep. Occasionally prime, and
to all appearances perfectly healthy animals are killed, whose
lungs are found filled with them. In lambs, however, they
are a frequent cause of death.
When lodged in the bowels, the symptoms are those of
dysentery, with fetid stools. There is much straining, and clots
of blood may be passed. When in the lungs, they cause irrita-
tion and inflammation, indicated by a husky cough, quickened
breathing, rubbing the nose on the ground, loss of appetite
and flesh, and exhaustion. These symptoms are clearly not
positive, and, indeed, the only unquestionable sign of the
presence of the worm is its discovery in the feces, or in the
mucus from the mouth and throat. The combination^ how-
ever, of a cough in a number of lambs, occurring often with
dysenteric symptoms, and under the conditions above men-
PARASITES OF ANIMALS.
Treatment of lAing Wonns, 377
tioned, sliould lead to the careful examination of the lungs and
windpipe of the first victim, for the purpose of discovering the
parasite. The complaint is often mistaken for a sort of
" scours," but if attention is paid to the short, husky, often
almost incessant cough, which is nearly invariably present in
all forms of the disease, such an error will not be committed.
Treatment. — The preventive treatment is to feed the
lambs on fresh pastures ; second and third year crops are to
be specially avoided, if they have been previously grazed by
sheep. In damp seasons, hilly and well-drained fields should
be chosen ; and abundance of nutritive food furnished.
Rock salt should be placed in the fields, or common salt
given frequently.
To cure the disease, the worm should be attacked both in
the lungs and in the bowels. To destroy them in the lungs,
chlorine gas has been recommended for inhaling ; but it is
unsafe, and sulphurous acid gas is equally efficient. The
animals are placed in a roomy, closed shed or stable, and the
gas obtained by burning sulphur, as recommended on page
29. Should the chlorine gas be preferred, it is to be
managed as follows : —
Get a pound of chloride of lime (bleaching powder), and
mix it with water in a shallow dish, to about the thickness
of cream. The sheep should be collected in a closed shed or
stable, and the operator enters, provided with this dish of
chloride and a bottle of common sulphuric acid (oil of vitriol).
He pours the acid very gradually on the chloride, by which
the chlorine gas will be rapidly disengaged. He continues
it as long as he can conveniently breathe the air thus
saturated with the gas, and when he can do this no longer
w^ith comfort, he retires, taking his apparatus with him.
The sheep are left to breathe the gas for half an hour, and
should be subjected to it twice a day for several days.
Both when in the lungs and intestines, turpentine inter-
378 Diseases of Sheep.
nally will dislodge or destroy the worms. This penetrating
oil is probably carried by the blood to the lungs, where its
fumes are so unpleasant to the parasites that they are dis-
lodged. An eminent English authority, Dr. Crisp, in a
recent essay on this disease, furnishes the following as excel-
lent receipts for this purpose : —
Ko. 419. Sulphate of magnesia, 6 oz.
Nitrate of potash, 4 oz.
Pour on these three pints boiling water, and when the solution is
milk warm, add :—
Oil of turpentine, 4 oz.
Bole armeniac, J oz.
Mix well, and give three or four tablespoonfuls every other day.
Or—
No. 420. Common salt, 3 lb.
Powdered ginger,
Nitrate of potash, each J lb.
Dissolve in three gallons warm, water, and when nearly cold, add—
Oil of turpentine, 24 oz.
The dose for lambs from four to six months old is one wineglassful.
The above quantity will suffice for 160 lambs.
Mr. Finlay Dun recommends that when lung worms pre-
vail, throughout the summer and fall months the lambs
should have, about once a fortnight, a dose of the following
tonic and vermifuge ruixture : —
No. 421. Oil of turpentine.
Powdered gentian,
Laudanum, of each 2 oz.
Dissolve in a quart of linseed tea or lime water. This is enough for
ten or twelve doses.
Prof. N. S. Townshend, of Ohio, who has written- ably on
this disease, gives to lambs the following : —
No. 422. Oil of turpentine, | oz.
Whiskey. 1 pint.
Shake together, and give a tablespoonful once a day for a week or two*
The RoL 379
THE ROT— THE LIVER FLTTKE.
Definition. — A disease of the sheep caused by the presence
in the liver of a flat worm, of the order Trematoda, and
known as the liver fluke, Fasciola hepatica.
Cause. — The close attention which has been given of late
years to the study of parasites has resulted in a history
almost complete of the fluke worm. The mature worm
throws off several thousand eggs, which pass with the feces
from the anus. Some of them are carried by rains, or the
feet of passing animals, into water courses. There they de-
veloj) into higher forms, and take up their residence, for a
time, in the bodies of shell fish and water insects. At the
time of an inundation, numbers of them, with and without
their hosts, are left on the meadows. The sheep eat them
with the grass, and the miniature fluke passes down the
bowel until it reaches the liver duct, which it ascends, and
forthwith begins its final development and ovulation.
Hence it is that the rot is especially prevalent during the
spring of the year, when rains are abundant and freshets
frequent ; in wet seasons, when the meadows are damp and
overflowed at times ; and on low grounds, where the transfer
of aquatic worms, etc., to the soil is rendered easy.
The fluke itself is a flat, transparent or whitish worm,
from half an inch to an inch in length, and about a third as
much in breadth. It is usually found in the liver, but
occasionally in other internal organs. Their number is fre-
quently enormous, reaching occasionally to eight hundred or
a thousand individuals in a single liver.
Symptoms. — In wet seasons, and in certain localities, the
loss by the rot in sheep is very heavy. It is quite destructive
in Australia, at times in England, and in some parts of the
United States. Hence it becomes of prime importance id
380 Diseases of Sheep.
recognize the early signs of the disease, in order that efficient
measures for its prevention may be adopted.
The Scotch shepherds tell the presence of the fluke in two
ways : 1, by the feel of the flesh ; 2, by the appear-
ance of the eye. They catch a ewe, and clapping their hand
on the small of the back, they rub the flesh backward and
forward, betwixt their fingers and thumb and the ends of
the short ribs. If the flesh is solid and firm they consider
her as sound ; if they find it soft and flabby, and imparting
a crackling feel to the fingers, as if there was water or
blubber in it, they consider it a sign of unsoundness.
The other plan is to take the sheep's head between the
hands, and press down the eyelids so as to push forward the
winking membrane (membrana nictitans), and bring into
view the white, or conjunctiva. In health, this is thin, pink,
and free from turbid secretion ; and if it appears thickened,
yellowish, or dead white, with a secretion altered to a whitish
or yellowish matter, the sheep is condemned.
The progress of the rot is usually slow. The animal be-
comes inactive and dull ; the lining membrane of the mouth
turns pale, the flesh wastes, the skin loses its ruddy color,
becomes dry, and devoid of the natural oil on the fleece. It
is said that a dry, scaly state of the skin on the inner side of
the thighs, particularly where it is uncovered with wool or
hair, is one of the earliest symptoms apparent.
As the disease progresses, the flanks become hollow, the
back rigid, and there are weakness and tenderness about the
loins. The fleece falls off* in patches, the belly swells, the
eye becomes jaundiced, and there is dropsy in different parts
of the body. The thirst is usually excessive, the appetite
irregular and unnatural ; there are diarrhea, a weak heart and
general stupor.
After death the liver is found to be hard, irregular, of a
dirty chocolate brown, and filled with flukes. The meat is
The Rot or Fluke. 381
flabby, pale or yellow, watery and wasted, very different in
firmness and color from healthy mutton.
Treatment. — As it may be considered certain that the
fluke cannot dev^lope its various stages of life on dry land,
it is important to secure well-drained pastures for sheep.
Should a flock once be attacked, it is better to dispose of
them, and turn the pasturage into cultivation for a few
seasons.
In wet seasons, when there is danger from the rot, even on
sound pastures, the natural food should be supplemented by
cakes, corn, beans, or other nutritious diet. An abundance
of common salt is recognized by all writers to be very effi-
cient in preventing the disease. It may be placed freely in
the pastures, where they can gain access to it, or it may
advantageously be given in a combination as follows : —
No. 423. Common salt, 2 lbs.
Sulphate of iron, 1 lb.
Mix with clover, meal, or grain, for 100 sheep. Give twice or three
times a week.
o
No. 424. Mustard flour, 1 lb.
Juniper berries,
Common salt, of each, 2 lbs.
Mix with suflicient ground food for 100 sheep.
These remedies should be continued regularly, as long as
the wet weather or exposiu-e exists.
When the disease has been recognized, the animal should
be isolated in a high and dry pasture, and should receive a
laxative dose, as follows :
No. 425. Sulphate of magnesia, ^ lb.
Oil of turpentine, 3 drachms.
Mix for a drench, and give every two days, one-third of the quantity
at a dose.
When this has acted, the sheep should have common salt,
sulphate of iron and wormwood, or gentian, mixed into a
382 Diseases of Sheep,
lick. The food should be highly nutritious and abundant.
An English writer, Mr. John Large, says the only remedy
which will destroy the fluke in the liver is the
following : —
No. 426. Yellow resin, If drachms.
Oil of turpentine, If oz.
Calomel, 18 grains.
Tincture of iodine, 80 drops.
For three doses, one every morning, for three days, in gruel.
INTESTINAL WORMS.
Sheep are liable to be infested with a number of varieties
of intestinal worms, such as tapeworms, round worms, thread
worms, etc. It is needless to describe and portray these in
this work, as their specification belongs rather to the realm of
the strictly scientific than of practical w^orks.
The symptoms they produce are in many instances very
obscure, sometimes not at all manifest. It is no unusual
sight to find a sheep apparently in excellent health and con-
dition when slaughtered, to have many of these parasites in
its stomach and intestines.
In general terms, it may be said that the symptoms they
give rise to are connected, first, with the digestive organs,
and secondly, by sympathy, with the brain. Thus a loss of
appetite, or a liking for dirt, old mortar on walls, etc.,
together with constipation and diarrhea alternating, irritation
about the nose or the anus, indicated by the animal rubbing
those parts, and a short, dry, or husky cough, are signs of
irritation in the bowels, which may well come from worms.
The head symptoms are, dizziness, as shown by staggering
or falling, sometimes convulsions, impairment of the sight,
running into obstacles, etc.
The positive sign is to find some of the worms in the ex-
crement ; or to discover them on opening the intestines, in
which case it may very justly be presumed that they prevail
Worms, 383
extensively in the flock, for these species of parasites rarely
appear alone.
Treatment. — The prevention of worms is best secured y
allowing a liberal quantity of salt, and by giving, once a
fortnight, a saline tonic, and bitter lick to the flock, as, for
instance —
No. 427. Common salt, ^ 2 lbs.
Sulphate of magnesia, 1 lb.
Sulphate of iron,
Powdered gentian, each ^ lb.
Mix with ground fodder, for 75 to 100 sheep.
Ordinary wood soot, as it can be collected from the chim-
ney, is a very efficient vermifuge, often used, both in children
and the lower animals. It may be mixed with salt, or
sprinkled on the fodder. Another cheap and useful vermi-
fuge, in the form of a drink, is —
No. 428. Quick lime, ^ 1 lb.
Sulphate of iron, 5 oz.
Mix wf(h five gallons of water, and give a pint twice a week.
As a vermifuge in round and thread-worms, the shepherd
may use —
No. 429. Linseed oil, 2 oz.
Oil of turpentine, 2^ oz.
For a drench.
For the tapeworm, the following: —
No. 430. Powdered areca nut, f to 1 drachm.
Oil of male fern, 10 to 20 drops.
Give in molasses and water, and follow next day with a purge. This
is also very effective in the dog.
THE SCAB-THE MANGE, OR ITCH, IN SHEEP.
Definition. — A highly contagious disease of the skin,
caused by tlie presence of a parasite in or upon the skin.
Causes. — Tliere are three different forms of parasites
which produce the scab, the most common one in this
384 Diseases of Sheep,
country being that known as the Dermatodedes ovis. It
dwells upon the skin, deriving its nouiishment by sucking
the fluids of the animal. Its bites cause severe irritation,
and a discharge of serous fluid, which dries on the surface
into scabs, whence the disease derives its name.
The notion that the scab ever arises from neglect, cold and
wet, starvation, etc., is obsolete, as it would involve the
spontaneous generation of the insect, which is absurd. That
it is worse under such conditions is natural ; and that it oc-
casionally arises without known cause is owing to the in-
tensely contagious nature of the complaint, the astonishing
fecundity of the insect, and its tenacity of life. A pasture
which has been trod by a flock of scabby sheep has been
known to give the disease to another flock three years after-
ward.
It is surprising that Col. Eandall, in his able works on
sheep husbandry, says that the scab is "comparatively little
known'' in the United States. On the contrary, it is a very
common disease in New England, New York, and other
sheep-growing centres.
S3fmptoms. — The first and most prominent symptom is
itchiness, which soon gives the animal a ragged appearance,
tufts of wool being pulled out, leaving bare patches. If the
skin is closely examined at these places, a small, reddish
pimple will be noticed, upon the surface of which a small blis-
ter or vesicle forms. Close examination may discover the
insect in the vicinity.
Under this irritation the sheep becomes exceedingly rest-
less. It rubs itself against trees, fences and rocks, and bites
and scratches itself with feet and teeth. The scabs are torn
off, sores form and extend, the appetite is lost, the fleece is
ruined, and the animal dies, worn out with the increasing
torment.
Treatment of the Scab. 385
Treatment. — This consists either in dijiping the sheep in
a solution of some insecticide preparation ; or in rubbing
such a preparation into its skin. As ointments are both
expensive and troublesome^ watery solutions are at all times
preferable.
The most eifectual of all sheep dips are those containing
arsenic. Mr. Finlay Dun speaks very highly of the follow-
ing:—
No. 431. Arsenic,
Pearlash, or soda ash,
Sulphur,
Soft soap, of each, 3 lbs.
Mix in ten gallons of boiling water, and add cold water to make one
hundred gallons.
The sheep, except his head, of course, is held in this from
half a minute to a minute, while it is well rubbed into his
fleece. He is then lifted on to a slatted drainer, over a tub,
and the wool well squeezed out; he isthen placed in a yard
for a few hours, as it is unsafe to turn them on a pasture
with this poisonous fluid dripping from them on the grass.
Horses, cattle and sheep have been known to be poisoned by
neglect of this precaution.
The sulphur in the above receipt whitens and softens the
fleece, and for a time keeps away the flies. One gallon
of the mixture is the estimated amount used for each sheep.
Mercurial ointment, and dips containing corrosive sublim-
ate, we do not recommend, as they are too dangerous and
difficult to control.
Tobacco is a favorite American remedy, but it is rather
dear. A good formula is the one above given, substituting
for the arsenic a strong decoction of eight or ten pounds of
tobacco.
Carbolic acid, cresylic acid and the commercial oil of tar,
properly diluted, are all effective and cheap, but have the
disadvantage of discoloring the wool ; and if used too strong,
25
386 Diseases of Sheep.
are apt' to become absorbed, and lead to congestion of the
lungs, and other poisonous effects. A New York breeder of
experience recommends —
No. 432. Soda, carbonate of, 6 lbs.
Water, 6 gallons.
Heat to a boiling point, and add —
Oil of tar, 2 gallons.
Add hot water sufficient for one hundred sheep.
His general rule is to dilute the spirit of tar with twelve
times its bulk of water.
The following dip is popular in France. It is efficient,
and does not stain the wool : —
No. 433. Arsenic, 2 lbs.
Sulphate of zinc, 10 lbs.
Boil in sixty gallons of water, down to fifty, then add ten gallons.
The following is said, by Prof. Simonds, to be so effective
that two or three dressings with it will cure the most inveterate
cases ; and as it does not require the troublesome preparation
of a bath, it is very suitable to small flocks : —
No. 434. Arsenic,
Carbonate of potash, of each 2 oz.
Boil in a quart of water till dissolved, and then add water to make
one gallon. Then make the following infusion : —
Digitalis leaves, 4 oz,
Boiling water, 1 gallon.
When cold, add to the previous gallon.
In using this, about half a pint is shaken from a bottle
with a quill in the cork, over the back and sides of the sheep,
the wool being parted, so that the fluid reaches the skin.
For those who j^refer ointments, we add several of the best
preparations of the kind. They should be applied as fol-
lows : Begin at the head of the sheep, and proceeding from
betAveen the ears, along the back, to the end of the tail, divide
the wool in a furrow, till the skin can be touched, and let a
hnger, slightly dipped in the ointment be drawn along the
bottom of the furrow. From this furrow similar ones must
Treatment of the Scab. 387
be drawn along tlie shoulders and thighs, to the legs ; and
others, parallel to these described, in number depending on the
severity of the disease.
No. 435. Mercurial ointment, 1 lb.
Oil of turpentine, ^ pint.
Resin, 1 lb.
Lard, 6 lbs.
Dissolve the resin in the turpentine, mix the mercurial ointment with
the lard by gentle heat, and when cold, rub the two mixtures
together.
No. 436. Oil of turpentine, 4 oz.
Flowers of sulphur, 6 oz.
Lard, 1 lb.
Mix at gentle heat. This is a non-poisonous ointment.
No. 437. Corrosive sublimate, 2 oz.
Fish oil, 2 gallons.
Rub the sublimate with a few ounces of the oil, until perfectly smooth,
then mix thoroughly with the remainder. This is efficient, but, of
course, poisonous.
In all cases rigid isolation of the infected sheep should be
practiced, and a close watch kept on the remainder of the
flock, so that at the first signs of itchiness they shall receive
prompt treatment.
The Australian dip for scab is —
No. 438. Tobacco leaves.
Sulphur, of each, 1 lb.
Water, 5 gallons.-
Boil the tobacco in the water, then add the sulphur.
The sheep is dipped in this solution while quite hot, and re-
tained in it four or five minutes, its head being from time to
time thrust under also.
The following is a non-poisonous, and tolerably efficient
dip : —
No. 439. Soft soap, IJ lb.
Carbonate of potash, ^ lb.
Flowers of sulphur, 2^ lbs.
Boil for half an hour, in 20 gallons of water.
This is enough for twenty sheep. It must be kept hot,
and the animals should remain in it for full five minutes.
388 Diseases of Swine.
CHAPTER YI.
DISEASES OF SWINE.
General Remarks on Diseases of Swine.
Hog Cholera^ so-called^ and its varieties.
Charbon in Swine — Malignant Anthrax — Carhunmlar
Disease — White Bristle.
Contagious Pneumo-enteritis ; Red Soldier ; the Blue Dis-
ease; Purples.
Malignant Epizootic Catarrh.
Apoplexy and Staggers.
Coughs, Colds, Quinsy, and Inflammation of the Langs,
Diarrheal Diseases — Scours.
Ague Cake— Milt Swelling— Splenitis.
Leprosy.
Trichinosis.
Hydatids of the Kidneys— Kidney Worms— Lard Worms.
Measles.
The Mange, Itch, or Scab.
Lice.
' GENERAL REMARKS ON DISEASES OF SWINE.
If the remark is correct, which we quoted on the au-
thority of leading agriculturists (page 342), that the^ sheep
is unusually healthy in the United States, no one will say
the same in reference to the hog. On the contrary, he is
liable to so many and such extremely fatal diseases, that the
loss from them is estimated at many millions of dollars an-
nually, and in some sections of country they render the
business of hog breeding a very precarious one.
Considering the amount of capital involved, it is extra-
ordinary that these diseases have not received closer study at
the hands of experts. Several of them are contagious or
Hog Cholera. 389
infectious to a high degree, and demand stringent quarantine,
isolation or destruction of the herds, in order to confine their
ravages.
Nearly all these epidemics are of a rapidly debilitating,
prostrating character, forbidding bleeding, and the use of
depressing medicines. Their treatment is further compli-
cated by the difficulty in giving a hog medicine. In fact, to
undertake to administer a drench to a full-grown animal is
a dangerous undertaking ; and it is desirable, therefore, to
select such drugs as can be mingled with the food and drink
without rendering the nourishment repulsive to the animal.
And as he is not delicate, this can generally be accomplished.
Like the sheep, the pig is very subject to parasitic diseases,
partly owing to his uncleanly habits (which, however, be it
said to his credit, are the results of his domestication, the
^\dld 2)ig being quite neat and tidy), but chiefly to his gross
habit of body. Of these, the trichina, measles, kidney
worm and mange are the most prominent examples.
HOG CHOLERA, SO CALLED.
Of the diseases which produce the great mortality of swuae,
that called "Hog cholera^' is most notorious. In fact,
however, this name was applied to ihQ disease simply because
it is a malignant epidemic, destroying as the cholera destroyed
in its first and second visits to the United States, not because
the symptoms in any way resemble those of Asiatic cholera.
Three different forms of disease are popularly included
under this name. We have described two of them, as they
appear in the sheep, the ox and the horse, and we shall
recognize their identical traits in the hog. The first of these
is that known as charbon, or malignant anthrax (see page
276). In this country it is little to be dreaded in horses
and sheep, but is quite destructive in oxen, and also in hogs.
The second variety is almost peculiar to swine, and has been
390 Diseases of Swine.
called by Dr. Klein, of London, "contagious pneumo-
enteritis/'
The third is the malignant epizootic catarrh or influenza,
which we have described in the sheep and horse (page 351),
who suffer from it, at times severely, especially the former.
We shall thus divide the maladies grouped popularly under
the name " hog cholera " into —
1 . Charbon, anthrax or splenic fever.
2. Contagious pneumo-enteritis.
3. Epizootic catarrh.
And we shall endeavor to give such distinguishing traits
that they may be recognized one from the other, without
difficulty.
CHARBON IN SWINE —MALIGNANT ANTHRAX— SPLENIC FEVER-
WHITE BRISTLE.
"We are aware that an authority of weight in this country.
Prof. James Law, has denied the existence of charbon in
swine. His essay w^as published by the United States Com-
missioner of Agriculture, and has had an extensive distribution.
Nevertheless, both from considerable personal observation,
and a careful study of the subject in authors, we believe Prof.
Law to be in error. The only reason he gives for denying
the existence of charbon is, that in the cases he witnessed the
poison was not communicable to other animals. From his
descriptions, it is clear that the disease he encountered, and
for which he proposes the name " intestinal fever of swine,^'
was contagious pneumo-enteritis, which we shall shortly
describe.
The hog we believe to be subject to true anthrax, quite as
much as the ox and sheep. The blood in these cases conveys
the anthrax poison, as has been shown to be the case
by M. Roche Lubin, in his admirable description of this
disease, which he calls charbonneuse typhus ; for although liis
Oharbon and Anthrax,
391
inoculation failed in dogs, it was not the same with some
sheep. They died a few days afterward, j^resenting all the
symptoms and pathological lesions of true charbon fever
(quoted by Mr. H. D. Eichardson, Bomestle Figs, p. 123).
We shall draw clearly the distinction between charbon and
contagious pneumo-enteritis, as laid down by the distinguished
recent investigator, Dr. Klein, of London, in the Proceedings
of the Eoyal Society for 1878.
Contagious Pneumo-enteritis.
Period of incubation from
two to five days and more.
True Charbon,
Period of incubation or lat-
ency, from a few hours to
three days.
Easily transmissible to other
species of animals.
Sj^leen always enlarged and
often broken down.
Blood after death, dark and
fluid.
Bacillus anthracis in the
blood.
Lungs and bowels frequent-
ly not implicated. Cough
may be absent.
The discoloration local, and
of a true carbuncular appear-
ance.
Earely and with difficulty
transmitted to other species.
Spleen rarely enlarged, or
otherwise changed.
Blood after death of ordin-
ary appearance.
!No bacillus anthracis in the
blood, but numberless bacilli
and
in the serum of thorax
abdomen.
Lungs and bowels alicays
both ipflamed. Cough always
present.
The red or purple color
diffused over the surface, and
of an erysipelatous appear-
ance.
With the above table before him, it will not be possible
for any ordinarily careful observer to confound the two
diseases. No doubt there is a strong analogy between them,
as, in both, diverse species of the same vegetable organism
are the exciting cause of the contagion.
392 Diseases of Swine,
The most common form of anthrax in pigs is that popu-
larly known as " white bristle." The poison localizes itself
in a carbuncular swelling, usually on the throat, presenting
the features of color already described. The bristles on the
spot turn white and brittle, whence the name just given.
The swelling extends inward, involving the windpipe and
gullet, causing difficulty of breathing and swallowing, and
finally death by suffocation, in convulsions.
In addition to this we occasionally see the true apoplectic
or splenic form of charbon,and the variety which attacks the
tongue and mouth, both of which have already been de-
scribed as they occur in other animals (see pages 278, 344) ;
but as they are of rare occurrence in pigs, and present no
symptoms beyond those already given, except such as are
owing to their localities, we need not describe them at length.
They are both very acute and rapidly fatal, the apoplectic
form often killing "like a shot,'' literally in less than a
minute.
The flesh of all animals dying of any form of this disease
is poisonous, and the blood and discharges capable not only
of spreading the disease among others of the same species,
but also, if inoculated into the human system, of bringing
on that mortal malady, "malignant pustule."
Treatment. — This has been already discussed when
speaking of charbon in cattle and braxy in sheep (see pages
279, 345) and we need not repeat here the instructions
there given. They apply, with such modifications as the size
and habits of the animal render necessary, to swine. And as
both charbon and contagious pneumo-enteritis, which will be
next described, are due to a contagion essentially alike in
character, we shall include the treatment of anthrax under
that of the latter complaint.
Forms of Hog Cholera, 393
C0NTAGIOUS PNETJMO-ENTEEITIS.
Definition. — A specific, contagious inflammation of the
lungs and bowels, accompanied with red or purple blotches
on the skin.
This is the disease known in Ireland as "red soldier/' and
in this country as the "purples'' and "the blue disease." It
is the most common and fatal form of the epidemic diseases
classed under the popular name "hog cholera.''
Causes. — The predisposing causes of the disease are ex-
tremes of temperature ; wet seasons ; damp, low-lying,
swampy feeding grounds ; drinking water impregnated with
decaying animal or vegetable substances ; close, filthy styes ;
and above all, a sudden increase of concentrated, heating,
highly-nutritious food, producing a plethoric state of the
system, and a blood surcharged with incompletely trans-
formed constituents.
Such are the acknowledged predisposing causes ; whether
they can originate the disease is a debatable question. In
our opinion they cannot ; they can only lay the system open
to an easy subjection to the subtle poison of the malady,
which is floating in the atmosphere. This poison is almost
certainly a vegetable germ, of extreme minuteness (see page
276) ; and if it is such, the real cause of the disease can
be contagion only, for the "spontaneous" origin of any form
of animal or vegetable life has never yet been demonstrated.
When the disease once enters a herd, its contagious
character cannot be doubted, and all ages, sexes and condi-
tions fall equally a prey to it.
The precise nature of the contagion may now be said to
have been definitely determined. The researches of Dr,
Klein, in 1878, already alluded to, prove that pneumo-
enteritis, is, like anthrax, due to a Bacillus, a rod-like,
minute vegetable organism, found, however, not in the blood,
Contagious Pneumo-Enteritis, 395
quarters, and if he is driven up, runs reeling, with his hind
legs and his head dropped to the ground. At this stage, a
fetid diarrhea sometimes sets in. The fatal termination is
reached in one to three days.
2. The Form of Malignant Sore Throat,
This occurs when the poison, instead of expending its vio-
lence on the cellular tissues underneath the sldn, attacks that
beneath the lining membrane of the throat.
The general, symptoms at the commencement are the same ;
and the appearance of the throat has that same deep red,
passing into dark purple hue, which we have just noted iu
the erysipelatous variety. But the obstruction to the func-
tions of breathing and swallowing naturally produce a train
of characteristic symptoms not seen in the former case.
There are attempts to vomit, difficulty in swallowing, and
labored breathing from the first, the sensation of choking
being so distressing that the animal will sit on its haunches,
like a dog, gasping for breath, opening its mouth wide, and
protruding a livid and swollen tongue. Sometimes the
swelling about the larynx is so sudden and considerable that
the animal is choked to death in less than an hour, and before
hardly any other symptom has had time to manifest itself
(oedema of the larynx).
Treatment. — When we turn to the important question of
treatment, we find two parties, the one maintaining that no
remedy has been or can he found for the disease ; the other
equally positive that treatment is often successful. The
former are the scientific men, who too often form their idea
of a disease from a theoretical study of it only ; the latter are
practical men of moderate education, who have tried this or
that receipt with satisfaction to themselves, but lack a broad
experience.
AYe fully believe that very many cases which would other-
396 Diseases of Swine.
wise die can be cured by medical attention, and we are certain
tbat the progress of the contagion can very often be checked
in a herd by the same means.
Let us suppose that what we have described as the predis-
posing causes have been carefully removed, and we turn to
look for an agent to check the development of the virus.
There are two such which present themselves with very large
and positive testimony to their value. They are sulphate of
iron (green vitriol, or copperas) and chlorate of potash.
The sulphate of iron is at once the cheapest and the most
effective of the iron salts used in veterinary medicine. It is
antiseptic, and vitally invigorating ; and it has been proven
to have a specific effect in increasing the firmness of the
spleen and hastening the chemical changes of the blood.
Without any knowledge of these properties, it is the chief
and almost only important agent in most of the receipts
which have been found actually efficacious in the disease of
hogs which we are describing. Thus, one " infallible remedy,^'
given by a Kentucky farmer, is —
No. 440. Sulphate of iron, 1 lb.
Warm water, 3 gallons.
Apply milk-warm to the skin of the affected animal, by repeated
sponging or mopping.
A somewhat celebrated recipe of Prof. J. B. Turner, of
Illinois, is —
No. 441. Flowers of sulphur,
Sulphate of iron,
Madder, ^ of each, 2 lbs.
Black antimony,
Nitrate of potash, of each, | lb.
Arsenic, 2 oz.
Mix with 12 gallons of slop, and give a pint to each hog, this quan-
tity being for 100 hogs.
Another, from the same authority, is —
Qontagious Pneumo-Enteritis, 397
No. 442. Common salt, 4 lbs.
Black antimony,
Flowers of sulphur,
Sulphate of iron, of each, 1 lb.
Wood ashes, unleached, 1 peck.
Mix thoroughly together, and put in a trough, where the hogs can eat
it at will.
If either of these is used before the hog- is attacked.
Prof. Turner says it will positively prevent the disease;
and given freely in the early stages, it is curative.
Another receipt, praised by Illinois farmers of large ex-
perience, and differing little practically from the above, is —
No. 443. Sulphate of iron, 2 lbs.
Soft soap, 2 gallons.
Boil with several gallons of water.
This is to be added to slop enough for fifty hogs ; and as
they come to the troughs containing it about two pounds of
soda should be added, to have the slop foaming as they drink
it. This dose should be repeated every three or four days,
for three times.
The second remedy is the chlorate of potash. Prof. Wil-
liams says of the use of this in charbon : "A large ex-
perience has taught me that the chlorate of potash is superior
to all other medicines.^' Unfortunately, it is too dear for
general- use, costing at wholesale twenty-five to thirty cents
per pound. Yet in special cases it may be used.
No. 444. Chlorate of potash, 1 to 2 drachms.
"Water, ^ pint.
Give in milk or slop, 3 or 4 times a day.
The question of local treatment is an important one. It
IG recommended to foment the swollen parts with hot water
saturated with sulphate of iron at the outset. If gangrene
has come on, equal parts of turpentine and sweet oil will
have some chance of stimulating the surrounding tissues. In
the carbuncular variety free incisions, and dressing with car-
bolic acid lotion, and cauterization with the hot iron, are
398 Diseases of Swine,
spoken of. But as the disease is a general one of the blood,
such medicines can have no great effect.
If the pig cannot be persuaded to drink, it is not worth
while to attempt to drench him ; rather, he should be killed
and buried at once, as a hopeless case and sure to spread the
infection.
Much has been said in favor of the smart weed. Polygonum
punctatumj as a preventive remedy. It is given freely, in
strong decoction. This plant has long been familiar to phy-
sicians, as a useful remedy in sore mouth, salivation, old
ulcers, etc., and may well have some value in charbon.
A spoonful of turpentine, every few days, is used in
"Western New York as a preventive ; and the free employ-
ment of alkalies, as common unleached wood ashes, is, no
doubt, of advantage. The ashes can be sprinkled in the slop,
or corn can be boiled in water in which a few handfuls have
been thrown. Clean wood soot, from a chimney, or finely
powdered charcoal are also of considerable efficacy. Any of
these should be given two or three times a week, to hogs,
when this form of " cholera'' is in the neighborhood.
Professor Law advises to separate a hog at once who shows
any sign of sickness ; and if the symptoms of this disease
appear, to kill and bury him forthwith, in order to -prevent
contagion. If, however, it is a valuable animal, and it is
desired to treat him medically. Prof. Law would commence
with a moderate purge, two or three ounces of castor oil, or
a drachm or two of rhubarb. As soon as it operates, give —
No. 445. Nitrate of potash,
Bisulphite of soda, of each 20 grains.
Mix for a dose, twice or three times a day.
Charcoal should be given in the food or drink, and if the
bowels become tender and swollen, twenty drops of turpen-
tine, from time to time.
M. Roche Lubin, an eminent French veterinarian, to
Forms of Hog Cholera, 399
whom we have before referred, attributes the prevalence of
the malady to faulty sanitary arrangements. The scourge
will disappear when pigs are well cared for, placed in proper
situations, with protection from the sun and rain when they
need it, well ventilated styes, and with clean bedding, often
renewed. They should have free access to plenty of clean,
fresh water, and their food should be properly regulated in
quantity, and wholesome in quality. During the summer
they should have from time to time, say once a week, some
salt and nitre in their slop ; and both bitter and acid mixtures
will be advantageous. ^Yhen an animal is attacked, M.
Lubin gives —
No. 446. Powdered camphor, 10 grains.
IS^itrate of potash, 1 drachm.
Calomel, 5 grains.
To be mixed with gruel, or given in a boiled potato, three times a
day. After the first daj the calomel may be omitted.
The red blotches should be rubbed with vinegar, and the
drink soured with it.
Major John S. Mellon, of St. Louis, has written a very
sensible little treatise on this form of hog cholera. He thinks
it arises either from contagion, or else from feeding with a
too exclusive grain diet. His rules for its management are
judicious; they are substantially as follows: When the
disease attacks a herd —
1. Separate the sick from the well.
2. Give both a free range in a woody pasture, if possible.
3. Place within reach of both pulverized stone coal, or
charcoal, and salt.
4. Give them free access to plenty of water and clay, to
wallow in.
5. Feed both, particularly the sick, with plenty of turnips;
or, if these are not to be had, with potatoes, artichokes, or
any other roots they like. Corn should be withheld.
He goes so far as to say that every hog thus treated, and*
400 Diseases of Swine.
not too sick to eat a full feed of turnips, will certainly get
well, and that no well hog, thus treated, and fed on turnips,
will take the disease, even by contagion.
]Mr. IVIellon believes that a too highly stimulating diet is
the chief cause of the presence of both hog cholera and Texas
cattle disease, in the Mississippi valley. Hence, acting on
this principle, he claims to have cured the latter disease also
"very promptly and certainly, by an exclusively watery
diet, the best and most certain remedy being young corn in
the milk. There is no danger of excess. The diseased herd
may be safely turned into a field of young corn, and left to cure
themselves, which they will do in a few days/^ If green
corn cannot be procured, any other succulent food will
answer the purpose.
This opinion of the general causation of these diseases is
largely correct, and deserves the attention of both hog and
cattle breeders in the Mississippi valley and elsewhere.
MALIGNANT EPIZOOTIC CATARRH.
This disease, which, as we have seen (p. 351), is the
most fatal of all among sheep in this country, is also ex-
tremely destructive among hogs. For example, in the years
1875 and 1876 it swept over Missouri, Illinois, and the
neighboring States, killing a very large percentage of swine
in that section, and attracting general attention by its un-
checked devastations.
In regard to its causes, they are to be divided, as in all of
this class of diseases, into those which render the animal
susceptible to the poison, and the poison itself. Of the latter
we have no positive knowledge. It is believed to be a float-
ing germ, which develops and multiplies with extreme
rapidity when it finds a soil which suits. Such a soil is
presented by the mucous lining membrane of hogs which
•have been kept in foul styes, and whose skins are dirty and
EpizootiG Catarrh, 401
unhealthy, and thus incapable of performing the acts of
perspiration. Also in those where the perspiration has been
suddenly checked by exposure to showers, sudden changes of
temperature, the chill night air, etc. By these means an
excessive labor is forced on the inner membranes, and they
are weakened and predisposed to disease.
It has constantly been noticed that clean hogs, well
washed, well housed, and well fed, hardly ever succumb to
this disease, or, indeed, contract it at all.
Symptoms, — As explained under this disease in sheep, the
symptoms vary with the j)art of the mucous membrane most
involved. This is even more noticeable in the hog:.
The first form is where the membrane which, commencino*
at the nostrils, continues to the windpipe and lungs, is the
main seat of disease. Here the earliest symptoms are a
short, hoarse cough, hoarseness in the squeal, and a difficulty
of breathing, indicated by a panting motion of the flanks,
and by holding the head in a peculiar, stretched and some-
what drooping position. There is often some running from
the nose, a slow gait, tottering or stiff, and signs of fever.
Many make efforts to vomit ; generally there is constipation,
but at times diarrhea.
The second form has a short cough, but less marked, and
there is less oppression in breathmg. . There is more decided
weakness or palsy in the hind quarters, and the gait is more
tottering. But as here the power of the poison is spent on
the lining of the stomach and bowels, there is at first cos-
tiveness, followed by a profuse and fetid diarrhea. The pain
and soreness of the intestines are indicated by the animal
arching its back, especially the loin portion, often to a very
hiorh dc2:ree.
Together with these symptoms, there may be affection of
the brain, indicated by partial or entire blindness, a stagger-
ing gait and aimless movements ; or a sympathy of the
26
402 Diseases of Swine.
lymphatic system, shown by enlarged glands and scrofulous
ulcerations in different parts of the body.
The duration of the disease is from fi vq to fifteen days. In
examining the dead body the lining membranes of the nose
and upper throat are always inflamed ; from them, the red-
ness and swelling extend, in the first form, down the wind-
pi23e to the lungs, which are generally found inflamed and
partially solidified. In the second form, the lining mem-
branes of the intestines are generally inflamed and de-
generated ; the spleen or milt is nearly always enlarged, dark
and soft; and the liver is generally diseased. AYatery
exudations in the belly and chest are also very common.
Treatment. — Dr. H. J. Detmers, of Missouri, who has
made a careful study of this disease, expresses the opinion
that a great many sick animals can be saved by proper
medical treatment.
To accomplish this desirable result they must be separated
from the herd, and provided with a clean, dry and well
ventilated resting place, where they can have pure air, clean
water and good food. Each animal should take, as early in
the disease as practicable, the folloAving emetic : —
Ko. 447. Powdered white hellebore, 15 to 20 grams.
Milk, i pint.
Mix for a full-grown hog.
Any hog not desperately sick will readily take this.
When this has acted, and a couple of hours have elapsed/
give two or three grains of tartar emetic, if the disease is
principally in the lungs ; or the same amount of calomel, if
it is in the bowels ; administering the medicine on a piece of
boiled potato. This should be repeated two or three times a
day, for several days, or until a change for the better is wit-
nessed.
Externally, the lungs, in the one form, and the abdomen, in
Epizootic Catarrh, 403
the other, is to be rubbed with the following blistering oint-
ment, as soon as the feverish symptoms abate : —
iNo. 448. Powdered cantharides, 1 oz.
Olive oil, 4 oz.
Heat over a moderate fire, for half an hour.
If the first application fails to produce a good blister,
apply it again the next day.
AYhen convalescence begins, give from ten to twenty grains
of the sulphate of iron every day for a few days ; and if the
lungs have been much affected, add to the dose thirty or
forty grains of carbonate of potash.
Of other modes of treatment than those spoken of above,
that recommended by Prof. N. S. Townshend, of Ohio,
should be mentioned. This careful observer recommends,
when the attack commences with copious and dark dis-
charges from the bowels, to give at once — •
No. 449. Podophvllin, 20 grains.
Bicarbonate of soda, 2 drachms.
In a boiled potato, or in milk.
If constipation is present, he would give — •
No. 450. Castor oil, 1 oz.
Oil of turpentine, 1 drachm.
In milk or gruel.
He believes that in many cases the function of the liver is
suspended, and that thus the blood is poisoned by the reten-
tion of effete matters. These active purges are calculated to
excite the organ into activity.
APOPLEXY AND STAGGERS.
The hog, especially when phlethoric and well fed, is liable
to congestion of the brain, which may pass into actual effusion
or apoplexy.
In congestion only, which is popularly termed "staggers,"
the animal is dull and stupid, the eyes are red, the bowels
• I-
.»?l
..Urtttf
,9 i^
¥j'.
» .-..- ^z- '-..1
»•<.' '.•**>•» r«» . .»-
•,'rAi»r »vwv :^ y
.n, -u. *««e.
404 Diseases of Swine,
constipated and the pulse hard and quick. These symptoms
may pass oif, or may increase, leading to a period of excite-
ment from increased pressure on the brain. The animal runs
to and fro, often in a circle, hitting against objects, as if
blind ; the breathing is laborious, and he may fall down in an
unconscious condition.
In other cases, the effusion on the brain, or the apoplectic
stroke, takes place without these premonitory symptoms.
The hog suddenly drops, as if struck on the head with a
hammer, the limbs stiffen, the breathing is hard and snorting,
and a froth exudes from the mouth.
In either case the treatment is by promptly dashing cold
water over the animal, and especially pouring it from a height
of eight or ten feet on the head. The bowels should be
stimulated by an active purgative injection, as —
S'o. 451. Sulphate of magnesia,
Oil of turpentine,
Soap suds.
4 oz.
2 drachms.
J pint.
\Iix, for an injection.
Bleeding may be performed from the ear, or from the
jugular, if it can be reached. But it is of no great benefit;
and cutting a slit to the skull, and rubbing the wound with
salt, as well as liniments, blisters, etc., are all of no use
whatever. The cold douche and the active injection are the
remedies.
COUGHS, COLLS, QUINSY, AND INFLAMMATION OF THE LUNGS.
These associated diseases of the breathing organs are as
common in the pig as in other domestic animals.
For snuffles, or catarrh in the head, little is needed but
stabling in a clean, dry pen, and cleanliness. There is,
however, a chronic form of nasal gleet, called in some parts
of the country ^' blue nose," which is said to be incurable,
contagious, and very similar to glanders in the horse. "We
SweUing of the Spleen. 407
AGUE CAKE— MILT SWELLING— SPLENITIS.
Like cattle, hogs which live in swampy, malarious dis-
tricts are quite liable to an enlargement of the spleen or
milt, and a failure to fatten, in consequence of it. It is
also believed to be brought on at times by over-feeding, with
little or no exercise, as in the case of "show'' pigs. In
France this disease is called ^Ha ratille/' and has received
considerable attention, as it so often interferes with the fat-
tening of hogs for market. In itself, it is not often, or at
all, productive of fatal consequences.
Symptoms. — There is a perceptible loss of condition; the
pig eats, but his food "does him no good,'' as the breeders
say ; his appetite is rather capricious and irregular ; he is
dull and languid. When further advanced, he is noticed to
lie nearly or quite always on one side, and in walking leans
toward one side, sometimes cringing and bending over, as if
the erect position gave internal pain.
Treatment. — This should begin with a brisk purge.
Twenty grains of podophyllin, or ten of jalap and ten of
calomel, may be enclosed in a boiled potato, and given
fasting. The diet should be lowered, and when possible the
animal put to graze on a dry upland. The French
veterinarians praise highly, especially in cases where this
complaint comes on while fattening, and interferes with that
process, the following : —
Ko. 454. Wormwood leaves,
Liverwort " of each, ^ lb.
Boil slowly in a gallon of soft water, for half an hour.
This may be given in slop, in doses of half a pint to a
pint daily. The liverwort is the Hepatica trilohctj and is
found in most j^arts of this country.
In preparing to fatten after an attack, it must be done
408 Diseases of Swine.
gradually ; and tlie special advice is given to feed at regular
intervals, and always remove whatever food is left from each
meal.
LEPROSY.
Under this name the French and English veterinarians
have described a disease to which hogs are subject, especially
in very hot seasons. Its tendency is fatal, and it is believed
to be contagious. Owing to the absurd habit in this country
of calling all epidemics among hogs by the name of
"cholera," and the very superficial way in which the
maladies of the animal have been studied, we cannot posi-
tively say whether this so-called leprosy has a foothold in the
United States or not, but some descriptions have led us to
think that it has.
Causes. — These are want of cleanliness, absence of fresh
air and clean water, foul feeding, and general neglect of the
animal's health ; a second cause is contagion from those
already suifering.
Symptoms. — According to a learned French veterinarian,
M. Dupray D' Emportes, one of the very earliest symptoms
of this complaint is the formation of a small tumor or
blister, like a stye, on the edge of the eye. Other such l^listers
appear soon, around the mouth, in the throat, under the jaws,
and finally over the whole body. Great prostration ac-
companies the disease ; the head is held down ; the whole
frame inclines toward the ground ; the animal moves un-
willingly, and with pain ; food is refused, and loss of flesh
is rapid. Death follows, from emaciation and exhaustion.
Any reader at all versed in medicine will see that these
are not the symptoms of leprosy, but rather of some form of
malignant pemphigus. But its exact determination we leave
to those who have opportunities to observe it.
PARASITES OF ANIMALS,
Trichina, 409
Treatment. — The treatment recommended is, to place the
animal in a cool, clean, well ventilated stye, with plenty of
fresh Avater for him to drink and bathe in. For a medicine,
No. 454. Flour of sulphur. ^ oz.
•Nitrate of potash, 1 drachm.
Give in a bran mash, twice a day.
His skin should be cleaned with soap and water, and the
sores dressed with tar ointment.
TRICHIirOSIS.
The Trichina spiralis is a minute parasite that infests the
flesh of several animals, especially the hog ; and as it is very
tenacious of life, it is, from eating pork, occasionally trans-
ferred to man, in whom it produces serious and sometimes
fatal illness.
The trichina is said to be not uncommon in American
pork, and in several European markets our exportations of
this staple have met with less favor on this account; but the
facts are that German pork is quite as much infected as our
own.
The trichina is believed to inhabit the body of animals at
all stages of its existence ; and hence swine fed exclusively
on vegetable diet are not liable to them ; while, on the other
hand, those permitted to eat the offal from slaughter houses,
carron, rats, mice and decaying animal matter generally, are
usually more or less infected with trichina, and form a dan-
gerous article of food for the table.
The trichina is exceedingly small, about the twelfth or
fifteenth of an inch in length, and in its miniature state lives
in minute cysts in the muscles. They increase with amazing
rapidity, several hundred thousand congregating in an ounce
of flesh ; and when thus numerous, they give rise in man to
symptoms closely resembling those of typhoid fever. The
mature worm escapes into the intestine, where they pair, tlw»
410 Diseases of Swine,
female bringing forth a numerous brood of larvae, who find
their way to the muscles.
The hog does not appear to suffer from the trichina ; and
its presence in his body can therefore only be ascertained by
a microscopic examination of the flesh.
No remedy has been discovered capable of destroying
trichinse, when once encysted in the muscles. The free
administration of ergot has the most to be said in its favor.
But as the trichinae are effectually killed by thorough cook-
ing, it is a prudent precaution to insist that pork, in all its
forms, when served for food, should be thoroughly well done,
HYDATIDS OF THE KIDNEYS— KIDNEY WOKMS— LAUD WORMS.
The kidneys of hogs, and the fat which surrounds them,
are liable to become the home of various parasites.
One of the most frequent of these is the lard-worm,
Stephanurus dentatus, which is an inch or an inch and a half
in length, and inhabits by preference the fat about the sj)are
ribs, but is found in all parts of the body of swine. It is,
however, more a curiosity than a subject for medical treat-
ment, as it is not known that it causes any serious symptoms
in the animal.
The kidney itself has been known to be inhabited by a
larger worm, of similar appearance, called the Eiistrongylus
gigas. It is not found in the sul)stauce of the kidney
itself, but in the pelvis or hollow curved portion in
which the secretion of urine takes place. Various symptoms
are popularly attributed to "kidney worms," especially a
weakness or partial palsy of the hinder limbs, inclination to
lie down, and awkwardness in the gait. The cure is said to
be to pour a tablespoonful of turpentine across the loins or
small of the back daily, for several days. It is quite uncer-
tain, however, that in such cases there is any worm present,
Kidney Worms, 411
AS we have no positive symptoms of its existence in the
kidney.
Of a much more serious character are hydatids or bladder
worms in the kidneys. These differ from those shortly to be
described as causing " measly '^ pork, being much larger, a?nd
of unknown development. A number of cases are recorded
by Prof. N. S. Townshend, in the Annual Reports of the
Ohio Agricultural Society, for 1875, where the sudden death
of hogs, with few and obscure symptoms, was found to be
owing to the presence of these parasites. They were from
one to one and a half inches in diameter, and the kidney and
bladder contained blood. If it were possible to ascertain
their existence in the kidney, steady, moderate doses of tur-
pentine would be the most promising treatment. Perhaps
the altered character of the urine which Prof. Townshend
notes, would have led a closer observer than the farmer who
owned the pigs to a suspicion of the nature of the complaint.
MEASLES.
The name "measles'' has been given to a parasitic disease
of swine, not that it resembles in the most remote degree the
familiar malady known in the human species by that name,
but because the flesh of hogs so affected bears a fancied
resemblance to the human skin with the eruption of measles
on it.
This aj)pearance of pork is owing to the presence of num-
erous small cysts, about the size of a grain of barley, scattered
through the muscular and other tissues. These cysts, when
closely examined, are found to contain a small worm, called
the bladder worm, folded up in a coil, and composed of
numerous segments, each of which segments is, in fact, an
independent individual. What is more remarkable is that
the minute worm is nothing else than the miniature form of
that redoubtable occasional inhabitant of the human intes-
412 l)iseases of Swine,
tines, the tapeworm. When measly pork is eaten, not
sufficiently cooked to destroy these parasites, one or more of
them develops in the human bowels into a row of creatures,
commonly believed to be one worm, often ten, twenty or
thirty feet in length.
The cysts do not seem materially to injure the hog during
life, though their presence can occasionally be detected by
examining the lining membrane of the eye, or that under the
tongue. In most if not all cases the animal swallow^s the
eggs, w^hich develop into cysts, by feeding on human excre-
ment, or on pastures where this excrement has been used for
manure. As this is the evident means of the propagation
of the parasite, the preventive measures demanded are self-
evident.
The symptoms which are attributed to measles are a
cough, discharge from the nose, running from the eyes,
weakness of the hind legs, and general debility. On the
skin there Avill be found a number of small watery pustules
of a reddish color. The treatment recommended is to give
small doses of sulphur and saltpetre, daily for several weeks
together with a liberal supply of wholesome, nutritious, and
easily-digested food.
THE MANGE, ITCH, OR SCAB.
In spite of their generally filthy habits, this is a less
serious disease in pigs than in sheep (see i^age 383). True
mange in them is caused by the presence of the Sarcoptes
suis. It is transmissible to man, and for that reason, as well
as for the annoyance it gives the hog, it should be removed
without delay.
This can be successfully accomplished by first soaping the
animal well with soft soap, and after this has been on an
hour or so, washing it off with warm water. After he has
dried, one of the following ointments should be rubbed in ;—
Treatment of Ilange. 413
Ko. 455. Flowers of sulphur, 4 oz.
Oil of turpentine, 1 oz.
Lard, 8 oz.
Mix thoroughly.
Or:
No. 456. « Powdered stavesacre, 2 oz,
Olive oil, 1 oz,
Lard, ^ 8 o^
Mix together.
Or the following wash : —
No. 457. Flowers of sulphur, 2 Iba
Quick lime, 1 lb.
Water, 2 gallons.
Boil together, stirring continually, until the ingredient? arti com-
bined.
Mr. H. D. Richardson, in his treatise on Dome^itic Pigs,
says he has never known any case of mange, however
obstinate, that would not yield to the following treatment :
He washes the animal with soft soaj* and warm water, dries
it, and then applies this ointment ;—
No 458. Train oil 1 pint
Oil of tar
Oil of turpentine, of each 2 drachms.
Petroleum 1 drachm.
Mix with sufficient flour of sulphtir to tnake a thick paste.
Eub the animal with this mixture and let it remain on ,
his skin for three days. On the fourth day wash it off with
strong soap suds or soda water, dry him and change his bedding.
Internally, let him have in his food, for a fortnight from
the time the treatment commences, the following powder : —
No 459. Flour of sulphur ^ oz.
Nitrate of potash 1 drachm.
Mix for a powder. *
LICE.
These disgusting parasites abound on ill-fed and half-
sick hogs. Indeed, their presence may almost be said to be
a sign that the animal is out of condition. It is not suffi-
414 Diseases of Svnne,
cient, therefore, to destroy them with an insecticide ; if the
ciu^e is ex2)ected to be permanent, the animal must be kept
clean, well fed, and supported with tonics, such as sulphate
of iron, if occasion demand it.
As a safe and efficient ointment to kill lice we may use
scotch snuff, rubbed up with lard ; or the following :
Ko. 460. Stavesacre seeds ' 4 oz.
White hellebore 1 oz.*
Water 1 gallon.
Boil to two quarts, and apply with a brush where lice are seen.
Kerosene is also very destructive to lice, and may be
freely sponged over the animal.
iki .4
General RemarJcs, 415
CHAPTER yil.
DISEASES OF DOGS.
General Eemarhs on Diseases of Dogs and their Treatment,
Colic.
Costiveness,
Diarrhoea and Dysentery,
Distemper,
Mange,
Canker in the Ear,
Inflammation of the EyeSj,
Fleas and Lice,
GENERAL REMARKS ON DISEASES OF DOGS AND
THEIR TREATMENT.
It is a great mistake to suppose that medicines act on dogs
as they do on men. For example, aloes and rhubarb do not
purge dogs, while castor oil and Epsom salts act on them
violently. Common salt is almost a poison to them, and
they are very easily salivated with mercury. Emetics and
bleeding, which, with purges, were about the whole plan of
treatment of the older writers, such as Youatt and Blaine,
are now almost entirely discarded.
Dogs do not willingly take medicine, and as they are
irritable when sick, one must know how to manage them
without risk. With a moderate-sized animal this is not
difficult. Take a seat on a low stool or a bucket. Set the*
dog down on his haunches, between your legs, holding him
up with your knees. Tie a cloth around his neck; this,
falling over his forepaws, is pressed against his ribs by your
knees, and prevents him using his forelegs. With the finger
and thumb of one hand force open his jaws, lifting his head
416 Diseases of Dogs.
at the same time with the same hand. If you want to give
a pill, take it in the other hand, pass it over the root of the
tongue, and give it a push downward. Close the mouth,
still holding up the head, until you see he has swallowed it.
If it is a draught, give a mouthful, close the mouth, hold up
the head, and stop the nose, till he swallows. Repeat this,
until the whole is taken. If the dog is very large, an
assistant is needed.
A sick dog should not be left with those which are well,
but immediately removed to a quiet, dry, warm spot, by
himself.
Fluids are more easily given to dogs than solids, but the
fineness of their senses makes them strongly object to any
drug which has much taste or smell.
We shall confine our attention to the common and easily
recognized diseases of dogs, and to those for which we can
recommend positive means of cure. There is no cure what-
ever for consumption, rheumatism, rabies or hydrophobia,
and other diseases which take up space in some treatises.
COLIC.
Causes. — Young dogs are particularly liable to attacks
of colic or belly-ache, and suffer acutely from it. Unless
relieved, inflammation of the bowels may ensue, and the
animal be lost. It generally arises from an improper diet,
or exposure to cold and wet. When it comes on during
pupping, the bitch generally perishes.
Symptoms. — The animal is restless, moans in his sleep,
which is broken, yelps without visible cause, has little or no
appetite, and draws up his body. The voice remains natural
until inflammation sets in, when it becomes short, harsh,
high and broken, with a series of brief, disconnected cries.
Costiveness. 417
Treatment, — Colic is of three kinds, either cramp colicy
without costiveness ; icind colic, with, costiveness ; or inflam-
matory colic, which is accompanied by inflammation of the
bowels.
When there is colic with costiveness, the latter should
receive attention first, in the manner described under that
disease. Simple wind colic may be relieved by giving about
twenty drops of laudanum in some warm milk, and rubbing
the belly with a mixture of mustard and spirits of camphor.
This should be followed by a simple purge, as recommended
under Costiveness. Or an injection of the ether and lauda-
num mixture, mentioned under Diarrhoea, will also usually
cut the disease short.
Inflammatory colic is a serious disease. It may be recog-
nized by the dog being weak, by great tenderness of the
bowels on pressure with the hand, which is not the case with
either of the above mentioned varieties, by his desire to lap
cold water, by the constant efforts of vomiting, and the hot
and dry nose. Sometimes purging is present and straining.
The safest treatment here is by placing a large mustard
plaster around the belly, and giving the following pills : —
Take Powdered opium,
Calomel, of each, 4 grains.
Make into eight pills, and give one four times a day.
The injections of ether and laudanum may also be used
when the purging is severe.
COSTIVENESS.
Causes. — Too rich food, lack of exercise, and neglect of
proper care, are the causes usually assigned to this disease.
But it is of common occurrence where no particular reason
can be assigned for it. The pain it produces in the animal
is exceedingly severe, and its source is readily perceived from
his ineffectual efforts at straining at stool.
27
418 Diseases of Dogs,
Treatment. — A copious injection should immediately be
given. One of soft soap and warm water, in wliich half a
teaspoonfiil of spirits of turpentine has been put, will be
most effective. If this does not answer, the finger, well
oiled, must be inserted into the bowel, when a hard mass
will be felt, which must be removed with the finger or the
handle of a spoon, bit by bit. When this obstruction is
overcome, a purgative should be given. This may be the
following : —
Take Castor oil,
Olive oil, equal parts.
Dose, from a teaspoonful to a tablespoonM, according to the size
of the dog.
Or, if it is preferred to use pills, which have the advantage
of being administered with less trouble to most dogs, the
following prescription will be found a good one in all
cases : —
Take Extract of colocynth, 10 grains.
Powder of colchicum, 6 grains.
Blue mass, 5 grains.
For one pill for a dog of average size.
When this has freely acted, which will be at the end of
twelve or fifteen hours, the dog will have recovered from his
attack. His diet should then be changed, and he should be
given plenty of exercise.
DIARRH(EA AND DYSENTERY.
Causes.— Writers generally attribute these closely allied
diseases to improper food and cold. Pups and old dogs,
which are fat and take little exercise, are most subject to
them, the old ones having the chronic form of the disease,
young dogs the more acute varieties.
Symptoms. — The most obvious is the purging. There
are also usually sick stomach and thirst. The dog is weak
and dejected, and seeks to be alone. The breath is offensive
Diarrhoea and Dysentery. 419
and the faeces have a foul, sickly odor, and are fluid in char-
acter, instead of solid, as in health. AVhen they are mixed
with blood and scanty, the case may be considered one of
dysentery.
Treatment. — In either variety, the treatment should
begin with injections, of which, one of the best is as fol-
lows : —
Take Laudanum, 4 tablespoonfuls.
Ether, 1 teaspoonful.
Gruel, 1 pint.
Shake them -well together, and use from one to four tablespoonfuls
as an injection.
This same mixture may be given by the mouth in the same
doses, and will have excellent effect. It is known as ^^ May-
hew's ether and laudanum mixture," and is of great value
in almost all affections of the stomach and bowels in dogs.
As a powder for diarrhoea in dogs, the following is
efficient : —
Take Powdered catechu,
Powdered ginger,
Prepared chalk, of each, 5 grains.
For one dose for a medium- sized dog.
This may be mixed with a little soft food, or made into a
pill. One such dose three or four times a day will gener-
ally check the purging. It is particularly useful in the
chronic diarrhoea of old dogs, when about two pills should
be given daily for a week or two.
When there is a great deal of irritation about the anus,
the following ointment should be used : —
Take Powdered camphor, 2 drachms.
Mercurial ointment, 1 drachm.
Belladonna ointment, 1 oz.
Mix well together, and apply with the finger.
This is also excellent for pfe and all kinds of irritation
of the anus in dogs. It is an improvement on Mr. Mayhew^s
ointment, which he so highly commends for the same purposes.
420 Diseases of Dogs,
DISTEMPER.
Causes. — This is the most common of the dangerous
diseases of the canine species. It is usually believed to be
contagious, and to be induced also by cold and wet, sudden
changes of temperature, and the irritation of the later period
of teething, when the permanent tusks are about half-grown
and the temporary ones are still retained. Confinement,
with too little exercise, and a meat diet, also incline to
produce it, or at least to render cases more severe.
Symptoms. — Dullness and loss of appetite, purging and
vomiting, are early signs. The eyes are red and watery, and
there is a short cough. The eyelids are red, the animal is
languid and shivering, and the pulse quick, 110 to 120 beats
in the minute. Later on, a mattery discharge flows from
the eyes and nose, the cough becomes severe and frequent,
the coat is staring, and the paws and nose are hot.
Should the disease grow worse, the eyelids become glued
together, and the nostrils choked up by an accumulated,
thick discharge, the body rapidly becomes thinner, there is
constant shivering, the breath is very offensive, blood ap-
pears at the mouth and nose, palsy, beginning at the hind
legs, creeps over the body, and finally the animal lies on its
side, unable to rise, uttering short, sharp, yelping cries, until
death relieves it from its sufferings.
Sometimes all the symptoms disappear for two or three
weeks, and the dog is supposed to be well ; when, suddenly,
they return with increased violence, and it dies with violent
dysentery or in a fit. This deceptive appearance of recovery
can be detected by looking at the eyes and weighing the dog.
If he has not gained in weight, and the eyelids are red, he
is still in danger.
Generally speaking, young dogs are most liable to the
disease, and those which have had it once are less apt to take
Distemper: 421
it a second time; but the exceptions to this are rather
numerous.
Treatment. — Many clogs die of distemper; but if the
following treatment is carefully carried out, we venture to
say that the disease will lose nearly all its terrors.
First, put the dog in a clean, warm and dry place, and
have his bed changed every other day. Do not give him
meat, but only boiled rice and bread and milk (cold), or
crackers and milk. A little thin broth may be added. This
is to be his diet, and nothing else. For a drink, piire water.
Next, for medicines, it is well to begin with a mild purge,
particularly if the disease is seen early. Such a purge is
the following, very suitable for dogs : —
Take Castor oil, 4 parts.
Olive oil, 2 parts.
Oil of aniseed, enough to flavor.
Some powdered sugar may be mixed with this to make it palatable.
A teaspoonful of this to a small dog, and two to four teaspoonfuls
to larger ones, are proper doses.
When this has acted moderately, the following pills may
be given : —
Take Extract of belladonna, 6 to 24 grains.
Saltpetre, 1 to 4 scruples.
Extract of gentian, 1 to 4 drachms.
Have the druggist make this into 24 pills, choosing the lowest amount
named for a small animal, and increasing with its size ; then give
one of the pills three times a day.
This will generally break up the disease at once and the
symptoms will disappear. But, as we have said, they have
a tendency to return, and to prevent this, some good tonic
must be used. Of these, the best are either '^ quinine and
iron," or " arsenic." A good receipt for the former is this : —
Take Quinine, 1 to 4 scruples.
Sulphate of iron, 1 to 4 scruples.
Extract of gentian, 2 to 8 drachms.
Make into twenty pills, and give one three times a day.
The most convenient way to give arsenic is in what is sold
422 Diseases of Dogs.
at all drug stores under the name of " Fowler's solution."
The dose for a dog is from one to three drops three times a
day. As it is tasteless, it can easily be added to his water or
milk. One or the other of these tonics, or both of them, or,
what is better, one one week, and the other the next, should
be continued for three or four weeks. During all this time
the dog should have very little or no meat, and he should
only gradually be allowed to resume this sort of food.
Such is the simple and uniform treatment which we re-
commend for distemper; and if it is begun reasonably early,
before the case is too far gone, and patiently carried out, we
claim' that a dog will scarcely ever be lost. Even when they
have been seriously paralyzed, we have had them recover
entirely. The palsy leaves with returning strength, without
special medication. We add that exhausting diarrhoea, which
sometimes sets in, may be treated as stated under that disease.
MANGE.
Causes. — Dirty kennels, improper food, which means
over-feeding as well as under-feeding, and especially con-
tagion from other dogs, are the chief causes of mange. It
has several varieties, and is a very common complaint.
Symptoms. — The dog is generally out of condition and
languid. The hair is thin and ragged, and falls off in
patches. The skin looks dry and scaly, and the animal is
unusually thirsty. He suffers from itching, both in the
parts where the hair has fallen and elsewhere.
Treatment. — It is well to begin with a moderate purge,
as, for instance, one of those recommended under Costiveness,
and then apply an ointment to the whole body, rubbing it
well in, as : —
Take Tar, 1 quart.
Flour of sulpliur, half a pound.
Mix well together, and rub in warm.
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Canker of the Ear, 423
This is to be applied one day, washed oflf the next with
soft soap and warm water, and then the ointment rubbed in
again, and so on until three applications have been made and
w^ashed off. The dog should then be well, but the process
must be repeated if the itching returns. Another useful
mange ointment is —
Take Tanner's oil 1 quart.
Spirits of turpentine, 1 gill.
Flour of sulphur, half pound.
Mix and use as the last.
If the dog is in poor condition, it will add to the certainty
of this treatment if he is given two or three drops of Fow-
ler's solution of arsenic, two or three times a day, for a week
or two. This has a specific effect on the hair and skin of
animals.
CANKER OF THE EAR.
Causes. — Canker generally arises from some local injury
to the ear, by hitting it against an object, or by rubbing it
against the collar, chain, etc. The itching leads the animal
to flap the ear violently, and scratch it with his paw. This
aggravates the sore until it becomes intractable and malig-
nant. An ulcer is formed, with a foul odor, and may extend
into the ear and deeper parts, until the dog has to be killed
as a last resort.
Treatment.— ^As a rule, canker is certainly and easily
cured, even when it has progressed to a considerable extent.
The following directions must be strictly carried out. Have
a light cap made of calico or merino, covering both ears, and
fastened under the chin, so that the dog cannot flap or scratch
his ears. AYash the ulcers on the flaps clean every day, with
soap and warm water, and after the washing, apply this oint-
ment : —
Take Mercurial ointment, 1 drachm.
Powdered camphor, 2 drachms.
Oxide of zinc ointment, 1 oz.
Mix them well.
424 Diseases of Dogs.
This is for the flap of the ear. But the real seat of the
disease is inside the ear, and for that we must use the fol-
lowing canker wash : —
Take Lead water,
Pure soft water, equal parts.
Two persons will be required to apply this properly. The
one must hold the muzzle of the dog with one hand, and
have the root of the ear in the hollow of the other, and be-
tween the first finger and the thumb. The other must then
pour the liquid into the ear; half a teaspoonful will usually
be sufficient. After one ear is done, let it be covered closely
with the flap, and the other side of the head turned upward,
without releasing the dog. This is to be repeated three
times daily, and the result will certainly be a complete cure.
To hasten this, however, it is well to give the dog very little
meat, and to keep him on a vegetable diet.
INFLAMMATION OF THE EYES.
Causes. — Dogs are quite subject to inflamed eyes, from
dust, injury and sympathetic affections.
Treatment. — Search should be made for any foreign
body and this removed if present. We recommend dogs to
be chloroformed for this operation. When the inflammation
is a symptom of some other disease, it is best to let it alone,
as it will disappear as the dog recovers. In other cases, a
square of old linen may be doubled several times and may
be wet with one of the following lotions, with which the eyes
may be freely bathed : —
Eye Washes,
Take Laudanum, 20 drops.
Camphor water, 1 oz.
Or,
Take Sugar of lead, 30 grains.
Rain water, 1 pint.
Fleas and Lice. 425
When the inflammation has subsided by the use of these
cooling washes, but a chronic redness and soreness remains, the
following may be brushed into the eye with a soft feather,
or camel's hair brush, when the lids are separated : —
Take Nitrate of silver, 1 grain.
Rain water, 1 oz.
A few applications of this, once daily, ought to effect a
cure.
FLEAS AND LICE.
For these vermin, almost sure to appear on dogs at some
time, Ave recommend —
SnufF, 1 teaspoonful.
Whisky, 1 pint.
For bathing.
Or the animal may be rubbed with castor oil, or kerosene
oil, and washed the next day. Persian insect powder scat-
tered in the kennel, or flour of sulphur, used in the same
manner, will keep fleas at a distance.
426 Diseases of Fowls,
CHAPTER yill.
DISEASES OF FOWLS.
General Remarks,
Diarrhoea.
Fowl Cholera,
The Gapes.
The Roup.
Leg Weakness and Loss of Feathers.
Chicken Lice and Fleas.
GENERAL REMARKS.
There is a great deal of money to be made in keeping
poultry, if only they can be maintained in a healthy condi-
tion. Indeed, when their eggs, their feathers, and the price
of their flesh for food are all taken into account, they pay
better for outlay and attention than any other domestic
animal. In this we do not refer to the extravagant prices
which fancy breeds and their eggs bring in the market, but
to ordinary varieties.
The drawback to all this is their peculiar liability to dis-
eases, which carry them off in great numbers. But we are
backed by the opinion of the best veterinarians in this and
other countries, when we say that by intelligent attention
these diseases can be pr evented j and this mortality checked.
To attain this result, the chief points are cleanliness, pure
water, the frequent use of disinfectants (especially the sul-
phuric acid one, to be mentioned later), isolation of sick
fowls, proper food, the prompt and appropriate treatment of
those that are sick, comfortable housing, and a judicious
selection of breeds to suit the climate. In what relates to
hygiene and the treatment of the sick, we shall give in this
Diarrhoea, 427
chapter the kind of information which can be depended upon
as the result of practical experience guided by sound science.
DIARRH(EA.
Causes. — Nearly all the diseases in fowls arise either
from cold, or wet, or neglect of cleanliness, or from improper
food, and the first symptom of almost all their diseases is
diavrhcea. Hence, it is especially important to watch for
this and treat it promptly, as thus many serious sicknesses
may be checked. At this stage much evil may be warded off.
Treatment. — Whenever a fowl hangs its wings, and
looks drooping, let it be seen at once whether it appears
purged, and if so, give immediately, in a tablespoonful of
w^arm water, a teaspoonful of strong brandy or whisky satu-
rated with camphor. Eepeat this the next morning, and, in
most cases, the disease will be checked; care being, of'course,
taken, to give the invalid warmth and good shelter. The
best food is warm barley meal, or rice meal mixed with lime
water. If these measures do not promptly check the dis-
charge, give the following powder, mixed up with a little
meal : —
Take , Powdered chalk, 5 grains.
Cayenne pepper, 2 grains.
Powdered rhubarb, 5 grains.
This scarcely ever fails when the case is not desperate.
A great many fowls are lost when young, w^hich could
readily be saved by giving them some simple tonics, and thus
a good deal of money w^oiild be made off of the poultry,
which is missed through the prevailing ignorance on this
subject. "\Ye would, therefore, ask attention to the use of the
above tonic mixture, and also to the following mode of
strengthening the constitutions of young birds — those of
delicate breeds especially : if they show any indications of
428 Diseases of Fowls,
ailment, give sulphur and Cayenne pepper, in the ratio of
six parts of sulphur to one-sixth of pepper, mixed with
barley-meal.
Tonic compounds are, no doubt, in many cases good for
all sorts of poultry. Cayenne pepper is a favorite Ameri-
can preventive of disease in young turkeys. It is mixed
in the proportion of a tablespoonful to a quart of boiling
water ; bread is soaked in this, and given in case of chills,
to which they are so liable.
FOWL CHOLERA.
An enormous loss is caused every year in the United
States by this disease. The Reports of the Commissioner of
Agriculture, at Washington, say that it prevails in half the
counties heard from, and the money lost by it varies from a
few hundred dollars to $200,000 in each county every year !
The Commissioner figures out the total annual loss as cer-
tainly more than ten million dollars !
Cause. — The disease originates from poisonous germs,
and is exceedingly infectious. These germs enter the system
by the digestive organs, and they are generally taken with
the food. The contagion is spread by means of the excre-
ment of sick fowls or the flesh or other parts of dead ones.
Frequently, no doubt, it is carried considerable distances by
small birds which are also subject to it.
Symptoms, — The disease begins with a diarrhoea, soon
becoming bloody; there is great weakness, and the eyes are
dull and watery. The feathers droop, the plumage is rough,
and there is no desire for food.
Treatment. — Mere medicines are of no great value in
this disease, but its ravages can be usually checked by com-
bining them with good care and disinfection. The immedi-
fWJY f;j5
Fowl Cholera, 429
ate treatment should be as laid down for diarrhoea; but
earnest attention must be given to put the surroundings in
healthy condition.
If the feeding places and runs are kept free from the
germs, there is no d?'nger of the fowls ever becoming
affected. Of course this could be accomplished by a daily
sprinkling with a disinfectant, but this would be entirely too
expensive a method to be practical, even in large poultry
establishments. The most that we can expect is that when
cholera is in a section, the poultry owners will watch their
fowls, and, in case of sickness, at ouce remove the affected
birds from the flock. The feeding grounds and houses should
then be sprinkled with the following
Disinfectant Mixture.
Take Sulphuric acid, 8 ounces.
Pure soft water, 8 gallons.
Mix them.
If this is done, the probability is that no more deaths
will occur until the contagion is again introduced from
abroad.
There are many cases, however, in which the runs are
thoroughly infected, and remain so from year to year.
Under such circumstances, the poultry houses must be
carefully cleaned throughout, and the w^oodwork and
floors completely saturated wdth the disinfectant. Runs
must be fenced off for the fowls, and these inclosures thor-
oughly sprinkled. On a small scale, this may be done with
a watering pot, and on a larger one, w^ith a cask or barrel
mounted on wheels, as with street sprinklers. The disin-
fectant costs very little, even when several barrels of it are
made; it is entirely reliable, and, consequently, by pro-
ceeding in this way, poultry can be raised with the greatest
safety, as far as this disease is concerned.
430 Diseases of Fowls. *
THE GAPES.
Causes and Symptoms. — This is one of the most fatal
diseases of chickens, and which we believe infectious ; it is,
at all events, epidemic. Unless, perhaps, thus communi-
cated by others, it never occurs except there has been foul
water, exposure to wet, and want of nourishing food. The
disease consists — at least, so far as actual symptoms extend —
in a number of small worms which infest the windpipe, and
cause the poor chicken to gasp for breath.
Treatment, — If taken early, it will be sufficient to give,
every day, a morsel of camplior, the size of a grain of wheat,
and to put camphor in the drinking water ; or a little tur-
pentine may be given daily, in meal ; taking care, of course,
that the deficiencies in diet and shelter be amended. In
fully-developed cases the worms must be removed by intro-
ducing a loop of horsehair into the windpipe, and turning it
round during withdrawal ; the operation to be repeated sev-
eral times, till all the worms appear to be extracted. A
feather, stripped almost up to the top, may be used instead
of the horsehair. Success depends on doing this little oper-
ation neatly. It requires two persons. An assistant should
take the chicken, holding it in one hand, and placing the
other over its back, so as to hold it firm, and then let the
operator take a small but firm feather, and strip it from the
stem, excepting about an inch and a half from the tip-end,
according to the size of the chicken, wetting it a little, except
at the extreme point. The operator should then take the
head of the chicken, placing his thumb and fore-finger on
each side of the bill, in such a manner as to hold the mouth
open, the neck being gently but firmly drawn out in a straight
line. Then observe the opening back in the tongue, place
the feather as near to it as possible, and when the chicken
breathes, the windpipe will be open, at which moment intro-
The Roup. 481
duce the feather quickly and push it down gently, but not
in a hurry, from two to three inches; then draw it out, and
in doing so turn the feather round, by which means some of
the worms will adhere to the feather, others will be so loos-
ened, that the chicken will sneeze them up and throw them
from its mouth. It is not advisable to do it more than twice
at the same time; but if the patient gapes the day after, you
may be sure there are sonfe still remaining, and the operation
must be repeated.
THE EOITP.
Causes. — The disease known by this name is highly con-
tagious, smd will rapidly spread among poultry unless those
sick of it be at once removed from the yard. It is very
important, therefore, for owners to be able to recognize it at
once, and to separate the sick immediately. Otherwise, a
heavy mortality will surely follow.
Symptoms. — The roup is distinguished in its early
stages by these symptoms: the eyes become swollen, and a
discharge issues from the nostrils, first clear, but afterwards
thick, and offensive in smell. The mouth waters and the
tongue is foul and coated. The fowl droops, and usually
has diarrhoea.
Treatment. — The first step is to separate the sick one
from the rest of the flock, and place it in a clean, loarm
house, well ventilated. The head and eyes should be washed
twice a day with warm water containing a tablespoonful of
vinegar to the quart. Green food should be given, and a
moderate amount of meal, which may be mixed with hot ale
or weak whisky and water. A little Cayenne pepper is
advantageously added to the meal. Garlic beaten up with
butter is a popular remedy in England. One grain of sul-
phate of copper, in a pill of meal, is highly esteemed by some
poultry fanciers in this disease.
432 Diseases of Fowls.
Its course is geoerally rapid, and the bird will usually be
almost well or else dead within one week.
LEG WEAKNESS AND LOSS OF FEATHERS.
Causes. — Both these complaints generally arise from lack
of proper care or sufficient food, or from too high feeding.
They are diseases of debility. Old fowls suffer especially
from bad moulting.
Treatment. — What is needed is a regular diet of good,
healthy food, and thorough cleanliness. To these should be
added a good tonic. There is one which is very celebrated
among chicken fanciers in England, known as ".Douglas'
Mixture.^' It is a most valuable article in the poultry yard
whenever the fowls seem weak andla nguid, or when any of
them are recovering from an attack of sickness. The receipt
for it is as follows : —
Douglas' Tonic Poultry Mixture.
Take Sulphate of iron, half a pound.
Sulphuric acid, 1 oz.
Pure soft water, 2 gallons.
Mix and give to the fowls by adding one teaspoonful to each pint
of their drinking water.
Whilst the fowls are moulting, the above mixture, or a
little sulphate of iron, should always be used ; it will assist
them greatly through this, the most critical period of the
whole year. A little hemp-seed should also be given every
day, at this season, at least to all fowls of value; and with
these aids, and a little pepper on their food, with perhaps a
little extra meat, or even a little ale during the few weeks
the process lasts, there will rarely be any lost.
CHICKEN LICE AND FLEAS.
These are the pest of many a hennery. To prevent them,
the chicken houses should be frequently whitewashed, and
Chicken Lice and Fleas. 433
powdered sulphur (flour of sulphur) be freely sprinkled over
the floor and in the nests.
For the birds themselves, the desire which fowls have of
dusting themselves — taking a dust bath, as it has been
termed — indicates the easy and natural remedy for relieving
them from fleas ; a heap of dry sand, or still better, of sifted
ashes, is the simplest and most effective remedy; fowls know
how to apply it themselves. As to more loathsome enemies
to their comfort, and even to that of chickens, in whose
tender down vermin will sometimes lodge, a good dusting of
pungent snuff, or flour of sulphur, at the roots of the down
or feathers, extending to the bare skin, will destroy them.
CHAPTER IX.
THE PKOFITABLE MANAGEMENT OF LIVE STOCK.
CONTRIBUTED BY WILLIS P. HAZARD, ESQ.,
Author of '\The Guernsey and Jersey Cow," " Farmer's Friend and Planter's Guide.
The Coiv. On the Best Breeds— How to Choose a Good Cow—
How to Keep Her in Permanent Profit.
To properly consider and answer the question, What are the best
breeds of cows for butter and milk dairies ? the farmer will not sim-
ply declare his preference for the Holstein, the Hereford, the Devon,
the Shorthorn or Durham, the Guernsey, the Ayrshire, or, though
last and least, still not the least important, the Jersey breed, nor
even for the native with its imperfectly traced and mingled ances-
try, but will carefully study the merits of each, or at least such as
may be within his reach, for the three leading points oi yield, profit
and food; or, in other words, the early period at which they are
ripe for the butcher, the great amount of food they produce in re-
turn for the food they consume, and the large proportion of prime
meat which they yield. A proper consideration of these three points
will naturally tend to the study of " How to select a good cow,"
and, having obtained such a one, " How to maintain her in the
best condition for profit."
THE DUTCH, FRIESIAN OR HOLSTEINS.
The enthusiastic admirers of the Holstein or Dutch breed— and
their numbers are rapidly being increased— as well as the best au-
thorities upon the subject, all agree that the best strains of milking-
qualities are derived from the Holstein breed. That the Danes im-
ported into England stock from Denmark, Jutland and Holstein is
matter of history. They settled in the county of Durham ; from thence
their cattle spread eventually all over England— became known as
Shorthorns, and as such have been imported into America, where
by great care they have been so much improved as to be exported
again to England at fabulous prices, and have there taken some
of the most important prizes. But while the attention of the Eng-
lish cattle-breeders has been given to improving and perfecting
the beef-producing qualities of their Shorthorns, the Dutch dairy-
farmers have been improving their dairy stock until they have at-
435
436 DUTCH, FRIESIAN OR HOLSTEINS.
tained to a degree of excellence unsurpassed by any other breed.
The reasons for these two lines of management are easily seen : in
England the price of meat has so enormously increased of late
years as to pay farmers better to raise meat and import their butter
and cheese ; while in Holland their attention is devoted especially
to the dairy and the manufacture of butter and cheese, and there-
fore they are especially particular in the breeding, keeping and care
of milch cows.
When selecting a cow to breed from, they choose one of a con-
siderable size, not less than four and a half or five feet girth, with a
length of body corresponding ; legs proportionately short ; a finely-
formed head, with a forehead or face somewhat concave; clear,
large, mild and sparkling eyes, yet with no expression of wildness ;
tolerably large and stout ears, standing out from the head ; fine,
well-curved horns; a rather short than long, thick, broad neck,
well set against the chest and withers ; the front part of the chest
and the shoulders must be broad and fleshy ; the low-hanging dew-
lap must be soft to the touch ; the back and loins must be properly
projected, somewhat broad; the bones not too deep, but well cov-
ered with flesh ; the animal should have long, curved ribs, which
form a large breast-bone ; the body must be round and deep, but
not sunken into a hanging belly ; the rump must not be uneven ;
the hip-bones should not stand out too broad and spreading, but
all the parts be level and well filled up ; a fine tail, set moderately
high up, and tolerably long, but slender, with a thick, bushy tuft of
hair at the end, hanging down below the hocks ; the legs must be
short and low, but strong in the bony structure ; the knees broad,
with flexible joints ; the muscles and sinews must be firm and
sound ; the hoofs broad and flat, and the position of the legs nat-
ural, not too close and crowded ; the hide, covered with fine glossy
hair, must be soft and mellow to the touch, and set loose upon the
body ; a large, rather long, white and loose udder, extending well
back, with four long teats ; large and prominent milk-veins must
extend from the navel back to the udder. The color of the North
Dutch cattle is black and white beautifully contrasted.
The Holsteins are now recognized as a very superior kind of
large Shorthorn cattle, remarkably good for milk, both in quantity
and quality. As working-oxen they have a very high reputation,
being large, strong, well-made, quick, high-spirited, have great endu-
rance of heat, are very muscular, and, having great aptitude to fatten,
drovers and butchers esteem them highly. They are extremely
valuable to cross with other breeds.
Four cows, each five years old, measured six feet four inches in
THE SHORTHORNS'. 437
girth, seven feet six inches in length, four feet six inches in height,
and weighed twelve hundred and fifty pounds, none varying much
firom these dimensions. One of the four produced at four years old,
in the month of June, an average of fifty-six pounds of milk per day
for thirty days, and one year later, in seven days, seventy-three
pounds per day. The milk, too, is of the most fattening and nu-
tritive quality, as is evidenced by a calf born in August weighing at
birth one hundred and ten pounds, increasing in eighty days to
three hundred and fifty pounds, or an average gain of three pounds
per day.
As the Holsteins are pecuHarly adapted to our section of country,
are excellent for cheese-making or production of milk for the family
and market, and for butter, we hope to see the breed more extended,
believing they are pre-eminently adapted to the wants of the general
farmer, combining the three desirable qualities of dairy, beef and
work-cattle. One objection has been made to them — that if proper
attention is not paid to their breeding they are apt to degenerate
into large, coarse stock.
THE SHORTHORNS.
The Shorthorns would naturally next claim our attention, deriving
so much as they did from the Dutch breed, and also on account of
the importance to which they have attained in the United States.
In 1815 and 18 16 a few Shorthorns were imported into this country,
and for the next four years more were imported into Kentucky, were
carefully bred, and from thence spread through the Western coun-
try. In 1834 an association in Ohio brought over nineteen head,
and in the following year two additional lots, and since then several
hundred with well-established pedigrees have been imported into
the United States. From the fact that the first prominent breeders
of the Shorthorns resided in Durham county, they took the name of
Durhams, and have so retained it with many of our farmers ever
since.
During the fifty years the Shorthorns have been domesticated in
this country they have been imported in greater numbers than any
other breed, they are more widely known, and have acquired greater
popularity ; surely this must have been from some good qualities
which have so strongly tended to recommend them. They have
become acchmated, and are healthy, thriving on common food
equally well with our native cattle. They are of large size, fine,
tender meat, grow rapidly, and take on meat and fat fast in propor-
tion to the amount of food they consume ; make powerful and docile
oxen, are excellent in the dairy, giving large quantities of milk and
438 THE SHORTHORNS.
butter and rich cheese. With all these qualities we might readily
suppose pure Shorthorns were just the breed for farmers. Our own
choice is the Durham, the Jersey, and the Durham and Jersey mixed.
Wherever there is good pasturage and plenty of winter fodder the
Durhams will thrive well, but they are not the breed for stony land
with scant herbage, where they have their living to earn ; the Devon
or the Kerry cow is the one for that.
With many of our farmers the Shorthorns have the reputation of
being better beef-producers than milk-raisers ; but where proper at-
tention is paid to having the bull of stock showing a strong milking
tendency, and the cow the same, excellent stock can be raised for
quantity and quality of milk. They are naturally good milkers,
and where raised for that object no milch cows exceed them. It has
been from the undue attention to their beef-producing qualities that
many have been led to suppose they were not as good milkers as
some other breeds ; we have always found their milk to be very
rich.
We will now give the points by which to select a pure-bred Short-
horn bull, merely repeating that for milk-cow breeding a bull de-
scended from milk cows must be selected. The bull's head should
be fine, yet masculine ; the muzzle small ; the nostril wide and open ;
the nose cream-color, orange or drab, even a nut-brown, but never
smoky or black; the face and jaws lean of flesh; the forehead
broad, the face slightly dishing or concave; the eyes prominent,
bright and mild ; the ears small and lively in action ; the horn well
set, flattish in shape, and waxy, not white, in color, with no black,
except at the very tips, inclining outward, and not much upward.
The neck should be somewhat arching, as showing masculine
strength and power, and setting well back on the shoulders, with
a clean throat and no dewlap, except a slight pendulous thread of
skin at the brisket.
The shoulders should be set wide, straight and open at the top,
smooth at the points, with a bull-neck vein, ending below with a
full, thick brisket, projecting forward. The knees should stand
wide, and below them a firm, compact leg, ending in a clean, well-
shaped hoof The chine and back should be on a level from the
shoulders to the tail ; the ribs round, springing roundly in an arch
from the back, and running down to give full room for the heart
and lungs to play in a broad, deep chest. The hips should be wide
and on a level with the back ; the flank full and low ; the loin full,
long, level and broad ; the rump level and well-shaped ; the tail set
symmetrically and level, small and round in shape; the thighs
broad; the gambrel-joints straight, and the leg below fine and
THE DEVONS AND AYRSHIRES. 439
sinewy. Fineness of bone and a soft, elastic touch, or "good
handling," are also two indispensable points. The temper should
be mild and gentle.
The same points apply to the cow, though modified by the gentler
and more refined qualities of her sex. If the milking-qualities are
no object to the breeder, he will select only for symmetry, good
constitution and general excellence. If milk be the object, the parts
indicating that quality are to be considered, and selections made
accordingly.
As to the color, tastes differ. Red, red and white and the red
roans are mostly preferred, but any color from red to clear white is
a good Shorthorn color. White is usually least preferred, simply as
a matter of taste, and therefore as a color for thorough-breds is not
so saleable ; but for beef-breeding the color is of Httle consequence,
so that the animal itself is good. Specimens of this breed have
brought the highest prices ever given for cattle.
THE DEVONS.
The Devons may fairly next claim our attention, as perhaps, next
to the Shorthorns, more of this breed have been imported into this
country than of any other. Of this breed whilst on a visit to Dev-
onshire we noticed two kinds, the North and the South Devons,
evidently originally from the same stock, but by a long course of
breeding in special localities of quite different appearance — the
North Devons of smaller size and a deep rich red color, the South
Devons more of a tawny red, rather larger and more chunky ; the
cows of the former weighing about one thousand pounds, and those
of the latter about twelve hundred pounds. The South Devons are
very beautiful, of small bone, but of very fleshy appearance, as they
rapidly take on flesh at two and a half years old.
The Devons, while giving moderate quantities of milk, give that
of very rich quality ; therefore for those who have milk dairies we
should not recommend them, but a few to help the butter-yield and
improve the color is desirable. As oxen they have no superiors,
being of moderate size, weighing about fifteen hundred pounds,
though often fattened to two thousand pounds ; active of foot,
though their short limbs would hardly indicate it ; easily fattened,
as they "take on" very quickly, affording the choicest meat for the
butcher; and withal they are docile, amiable and easily taught;
they will thrive where larger or more delicate animals would hardly
live, being hardy and vigorous.
THE AYRSHIRES.
Among the milk-breeds prominent in the British Isles the Ayr-
440 THE AYRSHIRES.
shires hold a leading place. They derive the name from the county
of Ayr in Scotland, where they are principally kept. Their superior
qualities as milkers and for hardiness of constitution have induced
various writers to attribute part of their origin to their favorite breeds.
Nearly equal testimony is offered in favor of the Holsteins, the
Shorthorn and the Jersey, though the weight of the testimony is in
favor of the Jersey. They have always borne the character of being
prolific milkers, with butyraceous quality particularly in proportion
to their size, which is small. The Ayrshire farmers, finding more
profit in their dairies, have paid great attention to improving this
breed, so well suited to them ; and perhaps no breed affords a better
illustration of what care and design will do to develop peculiar
properties in an animal at the expense of other qualities. The result
is dairy animals of high quality, and they have been introduced
largely into England, the north of Ireland and this country.
Instances are cited of large yields, but we beheve the usual aver-
age to be six hundred gallons per year, or one hundred and seven-
ty-five pounds of butter, or four hundred and thirty pounds of
cheese, where they are well fed and cared for. The oxen work
kindly, and steers can be turned off at three years old weighing
seven or eight hundred pounds. The beef is excellent, the fat
being much mixed with the flesh, though not a favorite with the
butcher, as he cannot sell so much tallow as from other breeds.
The following are the principal points : The head must be small,
high and bony ; the eye bright ; the horn white, with a dark tip,
widely set on, inchning upward, and curving slightly 'inward ; neck
very thin and light, as the whole fore end must be ; shoulder thin
at the top ; the posterior ribs must spring well from the backbone ;
the loin must be broad and form well with the wide hips and the
capacious pelvis ; the whole frame thus forms a true wedge, with the
point at the shoulder. The rumps are wide and tolerably high, the
tail long and slender, the legs straight, the thigh rather thin, and
the udder must be large and broad, extending well forward, with
thin, flexible skin, and teats wide apart, hanging perpendicularly,
and from two to two and a half inches long. The colors must be
red and white, splashed and Hotched, and becoming roan, as in
the Shorthorn, but with cloudy-defined edges ; the white portion is
often flecked with the darker color. Black and white, brown and
white, are not uncommon now ; the darker the red, even becoming
deep brown, the more fashionable.
Popular as this breed has become in New England, we believe it
will never become very much so in rich sections. Rich pastures
will support larger breeds, which when turned off and fattened will
THE JERSEYS. 441
bring in more money. As a breed to cross with larger stock, or
even with the Jersey to increase the richness of its great flow of
milk, we would recommend it highly.
THE JERSEYS.
The Jerseys — formerly called Alderneys, from the fact that they
were imported into England from the Channel Isles, of which Jer-
sey and Alderney are well known — have of late years so occupied
public attention that we must devote some space to their well-
defined merits.
The Jerseys are noted for their extraordinary richness of milk and
their beautiful form, thus making them the most desirable breed for
small country places, for crossing with other breeds to improve the
strain of milking qualities, and for giving character to the butter of
the dairyman.
Brought up in a mild climate which hardly knows any winter,
they have been imported into this country, and stand the change
and the rigors of our winter nearly if not quite as well as our natives,
and in fact improve so much that many good breeders claim that
we have fine cows born here of the Jersey breed that are superior to
the majority of those in the Channel Islands.
In their native country great care is taken of them ; they are
housed from the wet, are carefully fed, and form almost as much
one of the family as the pig in Ireland. When pasturing, as the
farms are very small, they are tethered by a rope attached to their
horns, allowing them a circle of sixteen feet diameter, and changed
to new spots three times a day. With the constant contact they
have with the farmers, or mostly their wives, who have the princi-
pal care of them, the cows become very docile and affectionate. In
this country, where the same care is not taken of them, they some-
times become wild, and even very cross.
The peculiar colors and beautiful shape of the Jerseys at once
excite attention, and enable them to be recognized at a glance, their
deer-like heads and large prominent eyes being very noticeable.
Their chief characteristics are : in the cpw the head is small, thin
and rather long ; her horn is short, delicate and curved forward,
white with a dark tip ; her muzzle is black, and encircled with a
band of light color, as is the eye, which is bright, large and prom-
inent ; her ear is small and flexible, the inside skin being bright
yellow : her neck is thin and delicate, and of medium length ; her
shoulders thin and sloping, and forming with the fore ribs a gradual
slope outward to the hips ; the back tolerably straight from withers
to setting on of tail, though generally with some sway from the size
442 THE JERSEYS.
and weight of the stomach, which is large ; her loin is wide and the
hind quarters well spread, and pelvis roomy ; her tail is long and
delicate, with a full brush at the end; the thighs are thin; chest
deep, though narrow ; legs very fine below the knee ; hocks slightly
turned inward ; udder large, reaching well forward, with teats of
moderate size placed wide apart ; skin thin, and not too loose ; hair
smooth and fine. The color varies: yellow, yellow and white,
mouse-color or dun, brown, and almost black, are the chief tints.
The bulls are usually darker than the females, and the depth of
color increases with age. The head of the calf is strikingly like
that of a fawn, and at all ages the peculiar coloring, large dark eye
and flexible ear give the head a deer-like look.
The milk of the Jersey cow is particularly rich, and is of a deep
yellow color, yielding a butter of a rich golden color and of pecu-
liarly firm grain and fine flavor. The amount of cream is proved
to be from 19 to 25 per cent. While the quantity given is not large,
but in proportion to her small size good, its peculiar richness and
color make it of great importance in giving character to the milk of
a dairy. Twelve quarts per day is perhaps a fair average, though
it is proved by analysis to be far richer in butyraceous qualities than
that of any other breed.
The Jersey is not a large consumer, even in vroportion to her
size, and when dry thrives fast and makes excellent beef; the calves
are, however, not a favorite with the butcher. As a breed to cross
with the native the Jersey has no superior, refining those of a coarse
tendency, and giving her peculiarly rich color of milk, cream and
butter. The principal drawback in their breeding qualities is that
they are not sure getters.
As a dairy cow for the farmer the Jersey will never be very pop-
ular, the first cost being too great for profit compared with other
stock ; for a milk dairy the yield is not large enough ; for a butter
dairy, while the yield is very great and of the best quality of but-
ter, it will not pay the general farmer, but only those who attend
market personally and have particular customers who will pay
fancy prices. But we would strongly advise every farmer to keep
at least one Jersey to every ten, if not to every six, cows, of what-
ever breed. And we think no better cows can be raised than by
the use of a Jersey bull with cows of native or other stock which
have proved themselves prolific milkers. And here we should like
to say a few words against the practice now so common amongst
us of raising few cows, and buying our supplies for the dairy from
herds that we can know but little of. One good cow that proves
herself valuable as a milk or butter cow should have her progeny
THE GUERNSEYS. 443
well got and carefully reared. Any farmer can better afford to
raise such than to purchase from chance opportunities ; and the
cost of two or three good calves raised upon a farm each year will
never be felt, and in a short time they will come into profit. It
stands to reason that the stock that is raised by a farmer at a dis-
tance and sent here to be sold cannot be the raiser's best, those he
is sure to keep, and it can hardly pay us to buy the poorest to
milk a few years and turn over to the butcher.
In improving our stock we must breed intelligently, bearing in
mind that the cow needed for the dairy cannot, under any circum-
stances, be selected for those qualities which will produce fat — the
two natures are incompatible : to have the best meat we must get
rid of every tendency to milk, and to have the best butter we must
obviate every disposition to fat. We cannot have both qualities in
the same animal, and the attempt will end only in disappointment.
And this is one of the proofs of the great value of the Jersey for
the dairy : the unusual secretion of the fat in the milk may reason-
ably be attributed to the slight waste of the fat-forming portions of
the food that moderate respiration and limited exercise make pos-
sible, and to the fact that the fat in this form, rather than in flesh,
has long been the prime object of the farmer's attention.
*
THE GUERNSEYS.
The Guernsey breed is one that is now rapidly coming into favor
as the farmer's cow. It has all the merits of the Jersey for rich
milk and high-class butter, and, although it has not the beauty of
the Jersey, still it is a larger animal and gives a much larger quan-
tity of milk. To those who are acquainted with her excellent qual-
ities the Guernsey cow has a beauty that is highly valued. The
quietness and docihty of both cows and bulls is very strong recom-
mendation of them as one of the best points of a milking stock.
As large as a small Durham, they are usually of a lemon-fawn
or a reddish-yellow color, largely blotched with white. The white,
besides being on the sides, across the back and shoulders, and
often on the neck, on the belly and at the tip of the tail, is almost
always on all four legs, more or less. Around the eye should be
circles of buff or yellow ; on the muzzle bufT, though black is now
being admitted on account of its frequency. The head is long ;
the eye mild and placid in its expression ; the horns waxy, thin
and crumpled ; the skin usually of a rich golden color ; the hair,
even when a little long, soft and fine. Altogether, the animal
speaks for itself as a rich butyraceous milk-giver, and in large
quantities. No finer butter is made than the firm, waxy-grained,
444 THE HEREFORDS, GALLOWAYS AND KERRYS.
self-colored butter of the Guernsey. The cream is of the most
golden hue.
The Guernsey when crossed upon other breeds makes its mark
strongly, enriching the qualities of the breed crossed ; and where
this has occurred we have seen the traces of the Guernsey inter-
mixture many years after the original stock was gone. At the
present time, owing to their scarcity, the Guernseys bring the high-
est prices, but when they shall become more plentiful they will
continue to grow rapidly in favor and become the popular cow for
the farmer.
We have devoted so much time to the value of a few of the leading
and most popular breeds that we shall have to hurriedly allude to
the Herefords, the Galloways, the Kerry cow or the Swiss catde.
THE HEREFORDS.
The Herefords, supposed to have sprung from the same stock
as the Devons, have the same rich color, but always with a white
face, and should be white on the throat and the under portion of
the body. In size the Hereford ranks next to the Shorthorn, at-
taining very nearly as great weight at not quite so early an age ;
but the graziers prefer Shorthorn heifers and Hereford steers;
they make excellent oxen and steers, but the cows are not prime
milkers : this reason makes them popular in England, where beef
is the principal object, but they will probably never attain so much
popularity here, though when better known they will be more
sought for in the West, particularly as they are lower-priced
than the Shorthorns.
THE GALLOWAYS.
The Galloways, more introduced into Canada than into our coun-
try, are natives of the Lowlands of Scotlana ; they are usually
black, and without horns, and as they are best fitted for colder
and rougher sections than here, are not likely ever to be much in-
troduced, as, though their milk is rich, it is deficient in quantity.
They fatten on scanty fare, have a hardy constitution, yield a su-
perior quality of beef, but are slow in coming to maturity.
THE KERRYS.
The Kerry cows we saw in perfection in the vicinity of the Lakes
of Killarney, and tasted their rich milk. They have been im-
ported in small numbers, particularly into Massachusetts. As we
saw them, they were mostly black, some brown or brindled ; they
are small and very hardy, but neat and trim-looking ; almost wild,
living in the roughest country on the slimmest sort of pasture,
SWISS CATTLE — WHAT OUR FARMERS WANT. 445
which they crop with the goat. They are emphatically the poor
man's cows, yielding for their size abundance of milk of a good
quality, and fattening rapidly when required. That the poor man
appreciates them is proved by the price asked for them, about
fourteen pounds ; and we saw poor fellows who tasted meat but
once a year who lived on the buttermilk of their product, with po-
tatoes and our corn meal, who did not care to sell them for that,
the butter being nearly the only article that brought them in any
money, save their labor, as the pig went to pay the rent. Good
yielders as they are, we think their size and price will prevent them
from making much progress in this country.
SWISS CATTLE.
The Swiss cattle have not been largely imported into this coun-
try, but they bear a high reputation at home and in France. They
are hardy and robust, usually of a dun color, or dun and white, with
medium heads, hanging dewlaps, rather coarse shoulders, and
broad hips and quarters, with well-developed udders, reminding
the observer very much of the Jerseys, though of a coarser build.
They bear removal to other cHmates readily, fatten well and are
excellent milkers. The best cows yield an average of from ten to
twenty quarts daily, and about two hundred and twenty-five pounds
of cheese in a season of four months. We should be glad to see
them imported, feeling sure they would much improve with richer
pasture and be a valuable acquisition.
WHAT OUR FARMERS WANT.
We have thus given a short sketch of the most prominent breeds,
and as each has some distinctive merit, it is nearly impossible, in
deciding which breed will be of the most profit, to satisfy all tastes
and judgments ; but as each farmer is apt to have his own favorites
or dislikes, as his own experience has caused him to think, perhaps
the truest way to arrive at a correct conclusion will be to ascertain
what the general farmer needs.
First. He wants a good-sized animal, which will bring most of its
cost when fed off for beef after failing as a milker.
Second. He wants a cow that will come into profit early.
Third. He wants a cow that will give plenty of milk, and rich,
whether for milk, butter or cheese.
Fourth. He wants a cow that will consume the least food for
the product gained.
Fifth. If raised for oxen, he wants those that will be tractable,
active and docile, and will feed up quickly for the butcher after
service.
446 HOW TO CHOOSE A GOOD COW.
Is there any one breed that will combine all these qualities ? We
believe the Durhams will come the nearest to it, or the Durhams
and Jerseys mixed. And we repeat what we have said before, that
the farmers should raise their own stock more, by selecting the best
cows they have or can get, whether native or imported — the latter
we presume not often, as being too high-priced — and breeding them
with the best bull of pure stock of known milking-qualities they can
get. And by paying attention to the business of improving their
herds, and by judicious crossing, they will soon reap the profit and
satisfaction they deserve. So much good stock has of late years
been imported that it is better and cheaper to get cattle that have
been Americanized than to risk the cost and danger of importation.
There is, however, a class of farmers, whether amateur or practical,
whose duty it is to introduce new and valuable stock as they can
afford it ; but it is also the duty of another class, who can't afford it,
to encourage such undertakings by paying a little larger price than
usual for the services of an imported bull, and not, by sneering or
depreciating the value of all such animals, to make the importer feel
he has undertaken a thankless task, and an unremunerative one,
for the extra price even will not pay him.
HOW TO CHOOSE A GOOD COW.
Having decided what breed to raise, the first important step is to
know how to choose a good cow. There are a few general rules.
See that the cow is as much wedge-shaped as may be ; that is, view-
ing her from the side, that she increases in height and depth the
farther you go from the head ; and from the front, that from a small
head and narrow neck and shoulders she gradually and regularly
enlarges to a broad hip and back. 2d. See that her " mirror" or
"escutcheon " is good and free from depreciating marks. 3d. See
that her milk-veins are large and prominent, and where it enters
the stomach that the hole — or better if two — is large and deep ; that
the udder is full in the forward part, and that the teats are of good
size, well separated, and not too projecting toward the sides. 4th.
The hair and hide must be soft, mellow and rich.
A general examination should show the head small, slender and
lengthy from the eye to the nose ; the horns thin and open, not
crumped nor too curly ; the eye full, but not too prominent, the lat-
ter quality indicating an excitability, and consequent restlessness
of disposition, that is not favorable to the production of milk ; the
ear lengthy and broad, and well fringed with hair, which protects it
from the annoyance of flies and indicates a strong constitution ; a
broad muzzle should be avoided, as showing a tendency to fat ; the
HOW TO CHOOSE A GOOD COW. 447
neck should be long, flat and narrow, with a tendency to rise at the
withers, and breadth behind the arm to allow of a full expansion of
the lungs, the chest being rather deep than broad ; the flat-sided
cow is more especially to be chosen if she has depth to the barrel,
with the ribs bending fairly outward, somewhat the shape of a horse-
collar ; the hips should be wide, rugged and high, and the pelvis or
haunches wide and large, drooping toward the tail ; the thigh long
and lean from hip to hock, the veins being prominent and easily
felt ; the legs slender, with flat bone ; and small flat feet, the hinder
ones having a good width between, to afford room for the udder.
A long and thin tail is a great point in breeding.
The udder, the reservoir of the milk, to which all former points
are secondary, should be free from hair, flexible and soft, with no
tendency to flesh ; the bag extending well forward, as level as pos-
sible with the belly, and high up between the thighs. The feeding-
veins should be particularly observed. In the heifer with her first
calf they must be felt for with the hand ; in this case two holes will
be discovered by feeling under the belly nearly in a line with the
navel on each side in good milking heifers — about the size of a
dime. As age increases the holes extend, and the veins become
large and easily perceived by the eye ; the larger these feeding-
veins appear, the greater is the quantity of milk. The teats should
be well separated, not fat or fleshy, and not too long, but sufficient-
ly tight to retain the milk, having a tendency downward — that is,
to use the technical term, not strutting, or pointing away from the
quarters, as this causes waste of milk and difficulty in milking. The
hide also will be found useful in determining the fitness of particular
cows for particular localities, but has little to do with the milking
properties. If possible, it is better to accustom a cow to cold and
exposure by degrees, in which case the hide will adapt itself to the
altered condition by thickening and producing more hair.
A good cow not only yields much good milk, but almost in pro-
portion to the quantity given daily is there a long continuance of
the secretion between the periods of calving. But no cow should be
allowed to give milk beyond eight months before calving ; the system
requires at least one month's rest ; the calf will be larger and health-
ier, and the mother will yield better and richer milk after calving.
The fact that the system is more capable of undergoing natural,
though very marked, changes in early life without danger renders
a young animal indispensable for the dairy, either to breed from or
to prove profitable to the keeper. To detenmne the age of a cow is
therefore a matter of importance, and this can be done with great
precision by examining the teeth and horns.
448 guenon's method.
To determine the milking-qualities of a cow many important
points have to be considered. In addition to those we have men-
tioned, the skin should be free, thin, and may be covered with hair
of any color, according to the breed. The tail is by some much
looked to, and it is believed that when fine and reaching down to
the hocks, with a fine tuft of hair, it is associated with other good
milking-points. If in addition to large milk-veins the network of
veins seen beneath the skin over the fore quarters of the udder, and
the udder itself, and those which pass upward behind toward the
tail — in fact over the perineum — are large, they are sure tests of a
competent milker. They should be highly developed, large and
varicose ; they are irregular, in zigzag lines, knotted, and more or
less oblique. To estimate them it is necessary to take into account
the state of the cows in respect to flesh, the thickness of the skin,
food, general activity, fatigue, journeys, heat. It is necessary also
to recollect that in both sexes all the veins are larger in the old than
in the young — that the veins which encircle the udder are those
which, if the cows are in milk, vary most according to the different
periods of life ; though scarcely apparent in youth, they are of con-
siderable size when, after several calvings, the operation of calving
has given the gland its full development. Finally, there is the most
valuable of all methods — Guenon's system.
guenon's method.
Guenon, rising from the humbler classes, and from his boyhood
being among milch cows in the vicinity of Bordeaux, narrowly ob-
served the relation between the amount of milk secreted and the
development of the patch of skin covered with upturned hair ex-
tending from the udder upward and laterally over the thighs. He
could tell almost infallibly about the exact quantity any cow would
give, and the quality. And so may the thorough student of his sys-
tem, as it is based upon facts and long observation. It is not very-
easy to give intelligibly the whole system, in order to adopt it with-
out further guide, in a condensed article like this ; a practical de-
monstration will prove more instructive. But the farmer should not
fail to become thoroughly acquainted with it, as simplified and made
easy and plain in the book with one hundred engravings published
by J. M. Stoddart & Co.. Philadelphia, entitled How tG Select
Cows, by Willis P. Hazard ; they send it by mail on recdpt of fifty-
cents.
Ten forms of scutcheons or mirrors have been described, and
constitute the basis of Guenon's classification. The surface of the
scutcheon is distinguished by the hair turned upward and opposite
MAINTAINING THE COW IN PROFIT — FEEDING. 449
in direction to that covering other parts of the animal's skin. This
hair differs from all the rest in color, and is fine, soft and close.
The scutcheon springs from the middle of the four teats, whence a
portion of its hair springs and extends toward the navel ; whereas
the other part rises toward the inner and upper part of the hocks to
the middle of the posterior surface of the thighs, then, rising over
the udder on the perineum, it extends in some classes to the upper
angle of the vulva.
The surface or extent of the scutcheon denotes the milking
capacity ; its form and outline indicate the class ; the fineness of the
hair and the color of the epidermis the quality of the milk. For the
most part, it is very easy to distinguish the scutcheons by the up-
ward direction of the hair which forms them. They are even some-
times surrounded by a line of bristly hair, turned backward, and
formed by the meeting of the upward and downward hair. In some
cases animals thus marked are to be avoided as being bastards.
It is just as important that the bull should have as good a scutch-
eon as the cow, as the qualities of the mother inherited by her son
will be transmitted to her daughters ; and for this reason also is it
very necessaiy that the bull shall have a good parentage.
HOW TO MAINTAIN THE COW IN PROFIT.
With a good selection made there will necessarily follow the ques-
tion, How to maintain her in good condition for profit ? It must be
apparent to every thinking person that good qualities, even in the
highest perfection, will not ensure an abundant and rich supply of
milk unless proper care is taken to furnish the cow with the kind
of food best calculated for the required purpose.
THE ART OF FEEDING.
The first requisite is, that the animal should have abundance of
food, so as to be able to consume all that she requires in as short
time as possible, as then she will lie down and have the more time
to secrete her milk, and that milk acquire richness. In short, she
must not have to work too hard for her living. The pasture should
be often changed, and if not in pasture the food should be succu-
lent, otherwise fat instead of milk will be produced ; but cows fed
with food of too watery a nature, which is the case with roots early
in the season, require an addition of more solid food, such as meal
or good clover chaff, otherwise the milk, although considerable in
quantity, will be poor and wheyey, yielding no cream. Such roots
should be carefully selected as have no symptoms of decay, and
should be mild in flavor, or the butter will be tainted. In very cold
weather, and as a change of food, use oil-cake and ground oats,
450 THE MANAGEMENT OF COWS.
Steamed or boiled. The best roots are carrots, yellow turnips and
mangold-wurzel, succeeding each other.
The cow and the horse can well pasture together, but no other
animal should be allowed in the same field, pigs and poultry spoil-
ing and tainting the feed. The pasture must be kept clean from
weeds and all refuse matter. It must be supplied with an abundance
of pure water and be free from all standing water. Cows should
be taken in about sunset, or before they are preparing to rest for the
the night, 'and should not be hurried to or from pasture, especially
when full of milk. Experiments have proved it is better cows
should not remain out all night, after August at least, but be stabled
in an open, airy shed.
Cows should always in winter be well fed, regularly fed, and with
sufficient food of the right kind. Regular curr>ang is of the great-
est utility, as it keeps the pores open and promotes the circulation.
Feed twice a day as much as they will eat of timothy and clover
hay mixed, with two quarts of Indian meal unbolted, four quarts of
wheat bran, and half a peck or a peck of carrots or sugar-beets, to
each. Turnips may be fed to dry cows, but for milking cows they give
a taste to the milk and butter. Corn-fodder is excellent as an addi-
tion, but if fed by itself will give an unpleasant taste to both milk
and butter. Steamed or cooked food is now much used, and to
great advantage, but we doubt if it pays where but few are kept ;
cows will eagerly drink the hay-tea that is left after steaming the
hay. Potatoes," raw or cooked, are excellent food, and thus the
small ones come into play. In summer-time or early fall, if the
pasture is short, fresh corn-fodder helps the milking-qualities won-
derfully, and we are glad to see it is much more raised than for-
merly. The earlier it is grown and the earlier it is fed, the more it
will help the milking-qualities. A piece of rock-salt should always
be where the cows can find it
THE MANAGEMENT OF THE COW.
The proper management of milking cows is no less important
than proper food.
It should always be borne in mind that the animal whose capa-
bilities are for milking becomes lean on the same quantity of food
as will make the feeding cattle fat. The consequence of this is that
the milking (and therefore lean) cow is more affected by changes
of temperature than the feeding or fat one. Therefore, for success-
fully maintaining her in profit care should be taken to avoid rapid
and considerable changes of temperature, as well as damp or clay
land. There should always be a clean, dry shed in which the cattle
THE ART OF MILKING. , 451
may take shelter whenever they feel uncomfortable either from heat
and flies or cold and damp. This shed should be well drained and
opening to a warm aspect.
An animal always cold is always uncomfortable, and a large pro-
portion of the food she takes is consumed in keeping up the heat
of the body instead of making milk ; warmth is therefore food to
the cow, and may be obtained with little cost and less trouble than
some other food. Cold and sudden chills are a great detriment to
the appearance of the cow, and are frequently the cause of her
falling off in her milk so early in the season. So it is in turning
cows out too early in the season ; much injury is done by exchang-
ing them from a warm yard or shed to pass the night in the open
air before the season is sufficiently advanced.
In proportion as the breed of cattle has improved, so has the ne-
cessity of care increased. It is a question of economy whether
it is not best to bring cows in at night all through the year, for they
spoil much grass, and are not benefited by being in the dewy grass
too early in the morning ; and the manure would be in the yard,
where it is valuable, instead of under the fences, where the cattle
would naturally lie for protection.
Perfect cleanliness in every part of the cow-house is of essential
importance ; the stalls should be kept clean, the walls free from
cobwebs and dust, and the mangers clean also. Much of the ben-
efit of good food is lost by giving it badly prepared or in uncleanly
boxes. The importance of ventilation is very great, but its benefits
will be in a measure lost if the interior of the house is not kept
clean,- Another point to be attended to is the bedding and littering
of cows ; in many cases this is grossly neglected, the animals being
kept in a very uncomfortable condition. The long straw as gene-
rally used is not economical ; it is most efficient if cut with the
straw-cutter. Less straw is required in this form than if used long,
and it not only admits of the droppings being hfted easily away
without disturbing the rest of the bedding, but it is in the best con-
dition for the manure-heap. Sawdust also forms an excellent bed-
ding, as do chaff, leaves, etc.
THE ART OF MILKING.
Another matter to be attended to, to keep the cow in profit, is to
see that she is milked properly. As a general principle, cows
should be milked twice a day, and the time should be regular, say
at six in the morning and six in the evening all the year round. If
after calving, in the early state of milk, it should be found that the
bag becomes too full from extreme heat or other cause, it will be
452 POINTS IN cows.
advisable to reduce the bag in the middle of the day ; but some
judgment is necessary in putting this into practice, as too great
eagerness in relieving the bag may have an injurious effect by
weakening the power of retention. Before and during the time of
milking the cow should have some good hay or meal. It is bene-
ficial in two ways : it is a wholesome stay to the stomach ; it en-
grosses the attention of the animal and keeps it quiet during the
operation ; it helps to sustain the stomach of a large yieider,
drained by the flow of milk, and needing extra sustenance for the
growth of the unborn calf. This should be done even during pas-
ture-time, say a quart of good bran at each milking ; and if fed to
them under a shed in the field, where they could be fastened in
stanchions, it saves all necessity for driving the cows, it keeps them
quiet, and saves the time and temper of the milkers in fly-time, and
surely increases the yield and easy flow.
The hands should be dry and clean ; wet hands chap the teats
in cold weather, and want of cleanliness produces warts. The last
milk withdrawn is richer for the production of butter — one pint
than two quarts of milk first drawn off. Imperfect milking will
also dry the cow much earlier than if properly milked, and tend to
decrease the quantity. A few days prior to calving, should the
bag be much distended, it should be thoroughly relieved.
Whatever may be the cause of the restlessness of the cow during
milking, gentleness is the only treatment that should be allowed. A
young animal never forgets ill-treatment, and will withhold her milk.
We have thus endeavored to gather the experience of those who
have made the nature and management of cows a lifelong study ;
and if we have presented nothing new to experienced farmers,
our object will be gained if they will only put into practice what
they know already, and not treat cows with indifferent care, and
expect the same rich returns from their investment as if they were
properly cared for. - Remember that all nature is alike, subject to
the same natural laws, and none of these can be violated without
paying a penalty. Get a good cow of the best breed for your pur-
pose ; not only select it with care, but keep it in good condition for
profit, and in the long run it will pay you better than if neglected.
We have a subject not only of great interest to all of us, but as
much might be properly said upon each one of the topics treated
as has been said upon them all combined.
POINTS IN cows.
Points in stock are the badges of purity. What are known as
•'points" are certain conformations, outlines of shapes and marks
POINTS IN COWS. 453
of color which specify that the animal possessing them is truly and
distinctly a member of the class demanding the specifications pos-
sessed. The average farmer gives but little attention to the finer
points, but with his experience and habit of association judges very
critically at times. While farmers are seemingly anxious to improve,
they endeavor to do so without knowing in which direction to ben-
efit themselves. Nearly every farmer claims to be an expert at se-
lecting milch cows, yet in breeding his stock he does not consider
first what he is to breed for. Does he stop to consider whether he
wishes the offspring of his favorite cow to be a superior milker or
a great butter-producer ? The influence of the sire is to be consid-
ered above all others in such a matter. Jersey bulls are scattered
far and wide now, and are within the reach of all, and yet the
dairyman who sends his milk to market, and cares not to make
butter, is foolish in patronizing Jersey bulls. The Jerseys are for
butter-producing only, and are not heavy milkers. The milk such
cows give is very rich ; it is almost pure cream ; but it does not
come up in quantity. The farmer who desires large yields of milk
from cows should seek to have transmitted to his young stock the
blood of the Holstein or Ayrshire ; for, although the milk from
cows of these breeds is not as rich in quantity as that from the
Jerseys or Guernseys, it greatly excels them in quality. Thus,
those farmers living within reach of cheese-factories can best pro-
mote their interests by selecting Holsteins or Ayrshires for improv-
ing their stock, while those who send butter to market should have
nothing but the butter-producers.
A great milker shows her qualities in her looks and make-up.
The eyes and hair also give good indications. The first point
for a farmer's observation, and the principal one, is to observe that
she does not show a tendency to become "beefy" or rounding, with
points that denote good fattening qualities. A first-class cow does
not get fat as a rule, but is rather bony and ugly-looking. The
shape of the Jersey should be deer-like, with a large, mild-looking
eye and soft feeling of hide to the touch. The udder should be
full, reaching far up at the rear. One of the most prominent points
is the large milk-ducts (sometimes as large as a person's arm) run-
ning from the udder to the middle of the stomach. They are sure
indications of good milking-qualities. Jerseys have black nozzles
and tongues, the udder being usually smoother than in other breeds,
and velvet-like when examined by touch. The Holsteins are a
very large breed of cows, equalling the Shorthorns in size, but
largely excelling them in milking-qualities. The young male
calves from such cows can be kept with profit, as the Holsteins,
454 STALL-FEEDING CATTLE.
when fed for the purpose, make not only go®d beef, but equal to
the best. Oxen from this stock are nearly equal to the Devons.
Their color is usually black and white.
But in endeavoring to breed for milk it should not be forgotten
that all the excellent characteristics are rarely found in a single
breed. Thus we must not expect to find good milkers among the
Shorthorns, nor have choice beef from the milch cows. A cow
cannot make milk and beef at the same time. If her tendencies
are toward milk, she will be hard to fatten ; if she keeps extra fat,
it means that she is a better flesh-former than milk-producer. A
great deal depends on the feed, as a matter of course, but the
breed must first be taken into consideration if an increase in the
herd is contemplated.
Now, no matter in how many points the farmer's experience and
judgment may serve him, there are some animals that will fail in
their milk when pregnant, and it is exceedingly difficult to distin-
guish them. They are generally the plumpest, roundest and most
attractive-looking cows, and should be avoided, because they are
not profitable. By the marks on them which Guenon has pointed
out they may be avoided. It is rather difficult to describe these
points without the engravings, but they will be found delineated
and described in How to Select Cows, sent by mail by the pub-
lisher of this volume upon receipt of fifty cents.
STALL-FEEDING CATTLE.
Breeders differ on this important subject. A good way is to
give turnips in the morning, followed by hay, chopped stuff, at
noon ; then some hay again ; turnips in the evening, followed by
hay to last through the night. Exercise a litde daily, affording the
animals an opportunity to drink when out for exercise. In the
Ontario Agricultural College at Guelph, Canada, the following is
the time-table adopted for feeding stalled catde in order to fatten as
rapidly as possible : 7 A. ]\L, turnips and hay ; 8.30 A. M., meal and
bran; 11.30 A.M., turnips and hay; 1.30 p. M., meal and bran;
4 P. M., turnips and hay ; 8 p. M., meal and bran. Exercise for
about twenty minutes daily, and water, though they rarely drink
when fed turnips three times daily. The average quantity of food
given is as follows : sixty pounds turnips, twelve pounds hay, twelve
pounds grain, and three of bran.
HORSE POINTS. 455
HORSE POINTS.
It is action in the hor^e that sells. This is obtained when we
have the complemental power in the muscle, the greatest leverage
from the bones and quality in the tendons, health in the ligaments,
and truth in the disposition of the limbs. We adjudicate on the
horse's hind quarters as a whole. All horses with any pretensions
to quality or family possess length and straightness from the hip to
the tail. This is especially graceful and horizontal in the thorough-
bred.
1. Length from hip to hock is the criterion both of speed and
power. All horses of value are "well let down " in their quarters,
affording increase of length and volume in the muscles, power and
speed accruing. The haunch-bone and thigh-bone — the first strong
and long, the second strong, of average length. This naturally
varies with breed, but in all classes it is most important that the
thigh "be well let down into the hock." Muscular development
here cannot be too "immense." Good gaskins afford material help
for getting through the dirt.
2. At the articulation of the haunch and thigh-bone we find the
stifle in situ. A good one, without exception, is high up, abutting
the flank. This is the concentration of power in all classes ; it is a
certain sign that the haunch-bone is well sloped forward, and that
the thigh-bone is well carried back.
3. The hock we have previously determined on, but as to the
fore legs I counsel young beginners to avoid weak, ill-defined
knees. So also have as little to do with horses whose os calcis, or
point of the hock, is ill defined. Remember puff and gum are
weakness. The os calcis contributes leverage ; it is evidence both
of power and speed.
The hind cannons, or metatarsal bones, must individually be
straight, with just a soupgon of inclination forward. They should
be flat and short. Breadth under the hock here is strength, the
sign of quality. Feel tendons along their course, that the legs, as
in the fore, are clean in the tendons (broad and flat) ; the sesa-
moid bones, at the upper portion of the fetlock-joints, well pro-
nounced.
How should I feed oats to my horses ?
Boiled oats are best for very young or very old horses, on ac-
count of their immature or defective teeth ; but for mature horses
at hard work feed dry oats. Soft feed induces perspiration.
456
HORSE POINTS.
BLANKETING.
Should I cover my horse at once when I bring him into the stable in
a heated condition, or let him cool down before I put on the blanket ?
Do neither. A half hour before your arrival at the stable work
him slowly, and let him cool down on the road. But if he does
arrive in a heated condition, throw an old blanket over him and
walk him till he cools down. Then rub him down till very dr}%
and when quite cool put on his blanket, and water and feed him.
WORMS.
A horse troubled with worms will become very thin, no matter
how well fed — will have a desire to rub his tail on ever^'thing pos-
sible, and dung after, a little at a time. So get rid of them, and
improve the condition of the animal. Prepare by giving a drachm
dose of tartar emetic morning and night in bran mash. Give
neither hay nor oats for three days ; at the end of that time ad-
minister one quart of raw hnseed oil and two ounces of spirits of
turpentine, mixed. Give the dose on an empt}^ stomach, and ex-
ercise that day and the following morning ; after which purgation
will ensue ; after which feed as usual.
INTERFERING.
This is best treated by getting the animal into a healthy condi-
tion, as the trouble in very many cases is due to weakness of the
system ; at the same time proper shoeing should be attended to.
HEAVES.
What is the best treatment for heaves ?
It is rarely cured, but with care may be greatly relieved. The
food should be carefully regulated, so that the horse is not allowed
to engorge himself either with hay or straw. The hay should be
clean and free from dust. At the same time procure half a dozen
powders from your druggist, each composed of powdered opium
one drachm, and acetate of lead half a drachm ; one powder to
be given daily in his feed, or, if he refuse to eat the powders, ad-
minister in a httle water.
Proper Ages of Reproduction (1), Length of Power of Reproduction (2), and Periods of
Gestation (3) in Domestic Animals.
1.
2.
'•
1.
2.
3.
Short-
est.
Mean.
Long-
est.
Short-
est.
Mean.
Long-
est.
Horse....
Mare
Cow
BnU
Sow
Boar
Ewe-
Earn
Trs.
4
3
1
2
Tears.
12 to 15
10 to 12
10
5
6
6
6
7
Days.
287
240
109
146
Days.
847
283
115
154;
Days.
419
sa
143
161
Jac&asB..
lAss
Goat
Isiut
Dog
Cat
" female
Years.
4
2
2
1
Years.
12tol5
10 to 12
5to 6
8 to 9
8to 9
9 to 10
5to 6
Days.
365
150
55
48
Days.
880
156
60
50
Days.
391
163
63
56
THE FOLLOWING SUGGESTIONS WILL BE FOUND
OF VALUE IN
THE SANITARY MAMMEUT OF LIVE STOCI
Horses. — Give horses daily exercise, either by turning them loose
in a yard for a few hours or by driving them in the harness. Mares
with foal should be handled with great care, and if there is much
snow and ice they should be sharp-shod to prevent their slipping'
down, which would be very liable to cause slinking. Feed breed-
ing mares a pint of unbolted wheat flour daily in connection with
their other food, as a small quantity of wheat flour is more highly
esteemed than any other meal by experienced horse-breeders for
developing the growing foetus.
— Keep brood mares in loose boxes ten feet square, and when
possible give each one a sunny yard to go to at pleasure in all
weathers, when it is not too slippery.
— A few carrots with their grain will aid digestion and appetite,
and improve their coats. Train colts so that no breaking will be
needed, either of spirit or of harness. Keep working and carriage
horses sharp-shod, well groomed, and blanketed when standing
out or in cold stables after exercise. Ventilate stables, and abolish
high feeding-racks.
— While they are shedding their coats the skin makes heavy de-
mands on the organs of nutrition ; it is peculiarly sensitive to cold,
to wet and drafts, and horses are liable to take cold. They should,
therefore, be well fed and groomed, and blanketed when exposed,
quite as well as in midwinter. Be careful about letting horses that
are shod get loose in the lots together. They are playful, and in
their play often kick one another severely. Horses intended for the
market should never be used before the plow nor for hard labor.
Neither should those used for fast work on the road, nor showy car-
riage horses ; it makes them stiff and awkward, and will seriously
affect their value.
— Look to having well-fitting harness ; sponge the shoulders,
legs and feet of hard-working horses nights and mornings.
Cows. — Dry off six to four weeks before calving. Give generous
feed of hay and oats, but not much grain. Cut hay or straw
steamed, and a little bran or meal added, is profitable. Keep the
skin healthy by frequent carding and brushing. Those about to
calve should be turned loose into separate, roomy stalls. Watch
their time to give assistance if needed, but do not interfere unless
absolutely necessary, and then use gentle means. Allow the calf
to have the milk for a day or two. Its effect is medicinal and ne-
457
458 LIVE-STOCK.
cessary to the new-born animal. After calving give the cow a
warm bran mash made with scalding water, and afterward her or-
dinary feed, increasing the amount of roots and grain to promote
the flow of milk and prevent the exhaustion of the animal.
Cows which are giving milk must have an increase of feed.
Mangolds or sugar beets are best. Cut them in shces and sprinkle
them with bran, and feed half a bushel more or less at a time, after
the cows have filled themselves with hay or corn, fodder or grass.
Soft turnips may be fed to some cows at milking-time and not
flavor the milk. Keep up the flow of milk if possible, especially
with young cows, by feeding meal, bran and roots.
Cattle. — Cows that have not yet calved should be allowed to
stand several hours daily in large sunny yards. If the calves be
removed from milch cows as soon as dropped, the cow is less wor-
ried than if they are taken away after she has become attached to
them. New milch cows ought to have roots or some green succu-
lent feed: in winter and early spring what is called "slops" sup-
pHes the place of more natural and better things. April is one of
the worst months for caked bag, garget, milk fever, etc. ; watch for
the first symptoms, and check the disease if possible.
— See that all cattle have access to pure water. Where they
drink at a pond, large poles or sticks of timber should keep them
from going into the water to stand, as they usually dung immedi-
ately after drinking. Do not feed too many animals on the same
ground. One good cow, well fed, will yield more milk than two
cows on short pasture.
Calves dropped in February will bring large prices in March.
If to be raised, wean early, and feed well with skimmed milk, clover
tea and gruel.
— Give calves a comfortable yard or pen, whether raised by hand
or the cow. Confined in close quarters, the floor beneath should
be cleaned often and littered abundantly. It is as cruel as unprof-
itable to keep them tied in cold, filthy places. Two calves may
often be profitably raised on one cow. Always scald or cook meal
for young calves before mingling it with any kind of milk or feed,
as raw meal is very liable to produce scours. Wheat flour boiled
in milk checks scours.
— Keep the yards or pens dry and clean, and mow a little grass
for them daily. Where calves are allowed to suck, put a little
wheat flour in one end of a small trough and salt in the other end,
where calves can reach it. They soon eat meal.
— See that they have a good supply of clean, fresh water during
the hot weather. Let them have access also to a tub containing salt.
LIVE-STOCK. 459
Wean them gradually. It is very injurious to withhold a full supply
of milk abruptly, and confine them to grass and water. It often
stunts them, so that they never recover from it.
Beeves. — Bullocks or dry cows should be confined a large pro-
portion of the time in close yards or spacious stalls well littered.
Feed with hay, corn meal and some pumpkins or roots. Better
feed bountifully and fatten rapidly than to give a small allowance
and fatten slowly.
— It is bad policy to sell good cows for beef because they com-
mand a high price. Better hold on to good cows for breeding,
— If the weather be pleasant, allow fattening bullocks or dry
cows to exercise in a small yard several hours daily. As the warm
weather comes on, their thrift will be promoted by carding as often
as once a day. As soon as grass is large enough, let them graze
about an hour daily ; then return them to the yard, but do not di-
minish the quantity of meal. Beeves will fatten very fast if man-
aged rightly. If meal be discontinued, they will not fatten much
till their bowels become accommodated to green feed.
— During April, bullocks three years old should receive from
ten to fifteen pounds of fine corn meal, mingled with wet straw
during the day. Meal fed at this season of the year will prepare
them to lay on fat and flesh when they are turned to grass. This is
equally true of fattening sheep designed for early mutton.
— Sheep should not be confined in close stables, but, except
during storms, should have the range of a large stockyard or lot.
Feed in well-constructed racks and feeding-troughs. Turnips and
beets, fed freely, are very fattening, and more economical generally
than corn. Whatever grain is fed should be given regularly ; even
a very small quantity is well, if it can be fed so that each sheep
shall get its share. Salt ought to be kept constantly where the
sheep can get at it. If, however, it has not been, they must be
gradually accustomed to it. Sheep need water in winter. It is
much better for them to have access to water which does not freeze.
— Exercise and fresh air are essential to their health. Shelters
must be well ventilated, not crowded, and the sheep turned out
daily, except in severe storms. Roots, fed with grain, will be re-
turned in wool and mutton. Pregnant ewes should have little, if
any, grain, but roots with hay. Those yeaning early will need sep-
arate, clean, not over-littered apartments, and careful attention, that
the lambs be not fatally chilled.
— There is no better feed for young swine, horses, neat cattle of
all kinds and sheep than peas and oats. Seed may be obtained
by the barrel or sack of seed-dealers in most cities and large towns.
460 LIVE-STOCK.
Keep their yard dry and well littered, and protect them from
cold and wet storms. Sheep dislike wet yards and leaky roofs as
much as a cat does a wet floor.
Sheep bear more exposure than any other of our domestic
animals (not even excepting horses not worked)— that is, exposure
to the weather, but not without shelter from storms.
— Sheep frequendy suffer greatly in August for want of water. If
there is no water in their pasture lot, let them be put at night in a
lot where there is water, or else be driven to water night and morn-
ing ; allow them plenty of time to drink. If the weather is wet and
the grass long and succulent, it is a good plan to mow a portion of
it occasionally. The sheep will eat and thrive on the dried grass.
It is a true saying that "sheep like roast meat better than boiled."
Lambs should be weaned in August. Let them have the best of
pasture after weaning, and place the ewes on poor pastures until
dry. Examine the bags for a few days, and, if necessary, draw out
the milk. When dry, and if early lambs are desired next spring,
the ewes toward the latter end of the month should begin to have
abundance of good food. Strong, healthy lambs can only be ex-
pected from ewes in good condition. Sheep intended to be fattened
next winter should be purchased in August and placed in good pas-
ture. In the case of Merinoes select strong, thrifty wethers three or
four years old. There is no money to be made in fattening poor
sheep in winter.
— Separate all feeble ones from the main flock, so that every one
may receive a little grain and roots daily in connection with other
food.
— Sheep, if fed liberally and managed carefully, are most profit-
able stock. The better we do for them, the better they will do for
us; badly managed, they are likely to prove a failure.
— Feeding sheep for market is a profitable business for those who
have judgment to buy well, to feed well and to sell well. Two
profits can easily be made : a big manure heap and good pay for
feed and care will be returned to the skillful feeder.
— Apply a litde pine tar to their noses to repel the fly. Separate
bucks from ewes, or fetter their fore legs about five or six inches
apart, that they may be impotent to harm. Designate the age and
character of each sheep by significant marks on the rumps or
shoulders. A figure (i, 2 or 3, etc.) on the shoulder may signify a
ewe and her age, and one on the rump a wether and his age.
— Make timely and suitable preparations for protecting all kinds
of sheep from the cold storms of rain and snow, which are usually
called " May Iamb-killers." If sheep have been turned to grass,
LIVE-STOCK. 461
they ought to be allowed access to a good shed during most of the
time while such storms prevail. Also, to prevent scours, caused by-
changing from dry feed to grass, let them have only a small quan-
tity of grass daily for several days at the close of the foddering sea-
son. Shear early, and without washing.
— A run in a field from which early roots have been gathered
will be beneficial to the flock. It will help to accustom them to
the change of food which will soon be required. Small or imper-
fect roots may be left ungathered for them, which they will pick
up for themselves. Where early lambs are not desired, the rams
should be kept separate from the ewes, or, if it is not convenient,
the ram may be aproned or " bratted."
— December is the most important month in the year, in this lati-
tude, to effect anything in improving sheep. Good protection from
storms and regular feeding are most important. It is better to com-
mence feeding lambs and all kinds of sheep a little grain daily in
December than to wait until they begin to lose flesh.
Lai7ibs. — The ewes should be coupled in October for March
Iambs. The best ewe is a common-grade Merino or native sheep.
For the earliest, those which come from Ohio or Western Pennsyl-
vania, weighing about ninety to one hundred pounds, are excellent
for this purpose. A pure South-Down ram, and next a Hampshire-
Down, and next a Cotswold, is the best animal to cross upon these.
A plump, fat lamb of moderate size will bring more than a "scraw-
ney "one half as big again. The black face and legs of the "Down"
breeds are desirable in market lambs.
Oxen. — Feed workers a few quarts of meal every day, whether
they labor or not, as it will give them strength, make them endure
the heat better, and increase their market value more than the worth
of the meal. Provide teamsters with a soft leather lash and lipiber
Stock, with which they cannot strike a hard blow.
— Feed in accordance with the labor demanded of them, but on
no account let them fall off in flesh. Oxen low in flesh are more
liable to meet with accidents than others, and if a poor lousy steer
breaks a leg, nobody wants the beef, and it is not fit to eat ; not so
with one in good condition. Young cattle ought not to be pamper-
ed, but well fed and kept in growing order.
Working Oxe7i. — See that the yokes are right, and bows are not
so short as to choke them. Feed working cattle well and handle
them carefully, and they will grow fat every day, and be worth more
for beef next summer than they may be bought for now. Oxen
will endure the heat nearly as well as horses if fed as well and not
abused and worried by bad driving. Always allow them at least
462 LIVE-STOCK.
two hours during the middle of the day for rest and chewing the
cud — time for which is quite as necessary as time to feed.
— Keep them in sheltered sheds, or better in good warm stables,
well fed and carded frequently. Poor oxen or young cattle are a
disgrace to any farmer. Do not neglect shoeing in freezing weather.
Swine. — The quantity of manure which a few hogs will make,
if plenty of muck and litter be thrown from time to time into their
pen and the whole be kept under cover, is very great.
— Separate sows that will farrow from other swine. Allow
breeding sows, before and after farrowing, potatoes or other succu-
lent food, with bran or linseed meal. At least two weeks before
their time for farrowing give them clean, well-littered sties, but not
straw enough to endanger the young by overlaying of the mother.
A projecting shelf, eight inches high, on the sides of the pen, will
allow the pigs to escape much danger from this source.
— Do not feed too high before the young pigs are ten days old.
— Pigs designed for pork next fall should be separated from the
sows as soon as they will eat readily. Keep them in moderately
close quarters, as, when running about in large enclosures, they
will expend a great deal of material without adding proportionately
to their growth. There is nothing better than milk, oat and barley
meal and wheat flour unbolted to make a pig grow. It is some-
times more economical to feed wheat flour than oat meal to pigs.
— As soon as green peas are fit to feed, let the swine have a
good supply. Keep shoats in a thriving condition. When they
are confined in close quarters, mow an armful of red clover for
them once or twice a day. Where whey is fed, it will make much
better swill to mingle meal or shorts with it, and allow fermenta-
tion to commence before feeding. Swine of all kinds Hke clean
and pure water, as well as any other animals ; and if they could al-
ways have access to it, they would not probably " wallow in the mire."
— Keep no pig over a year old for fattening if the most profit is
looked for.
— Low prices causes farmer to neglect their pigs. It is poor
policy. If kept at all, they should be kept well. Let them search
for their food, run on the stubbles, pick up wormy fruit in the or-
chard, and eat weeds and grass. At night they have a feed of
soaked corn, and go to sleep contentedly with a full stomach. They
should have constant access to fresh water, and an external appU-
cation will be gratefully received.
Dogs. — Unite with your neighbors in urging your representatives
in the Legislature to protect sheep-raising from the ravages of de-
structive curs by strong laws.
DAIRY. POULTRY. 463
Dairy. — Look out for improvements in selecting cows for the
dairy as well as making butter and cheese. Read How to Select
Cows. Make a horse, dog or sheep do the churning.
Butter. — Give cows an abundance of sweet grass and clean water,
and access to salt ; see that boys and dogs do not worry them ; milk
regularly with clean hands ; keep milk in clean and sweet vessels,
and in a cool, pure apartment ; churn often ; work the butter well
with anything but the bare hands ; use only the purest and best salt ;
pack in clean jars or tubs ; keep cool, and cover with salt cloths,
and the butter will be equal to prime " Orange County."
Poultry. — To gratify the secretiveness of hens make nests where
they cannot be seen by other fowls when they are laying or setting.
If nests be too deep, eggs will rest on each other, which should never
occur.
— Confine as soon as the garden is sown, or keep them out of
it. Put hens (in coops) and young chickens in the garden. Tur-
keys' eggs ought not to be set before the first of May; when
hatched, put the brood in a dry, warm shed, where no other poul-
try have been in the habit of frequenting, and keep them out of
dewy grass for six weeks.
— Keep a good dust-bath for the fowls, and add unleached wood-
ashes to it occasionally ; watch any appearance of vermin, and clear
them out with an application of kerosene, which may be rubbed un-
der the wings and on the backs and breasts of the birds. White-
wash occasionally and thoroughly houses, perches, nests and all.
— Collect eggs of all kinds before evening, lest they be injured
during cold nights. Place those designed for setting in a pan of
bran or oats, little end] down, to keep the yolk from the side and
adhering to the shell. Hens and other female birds turn over their
eggs frequently, both before and during the period of their incu-
bation. Mark choice eggs with red chalk or pencil.
— Why do so many eggs sold in the markets taste so strongly of
straw.? Because the farmers permit their fowls to work most of
their hving out of the manure-heap. This not only gives the ^^g a
peculiar taste, but the flesh also. Just feed a hen on onions or
turnips for a few days ; kill it, and you will be convinced of the
effect of the food on the ^g-g and meat, if you have any doubt on
the subject. Give your fowls plenty of sound grain and clean food,
and keep the manure for the soil.
— Feed well ; let them out of the yard before sunset daily ; sup-
ply them with a box of sharp gravel where there is none in the
soil. Whole grain should be soaked at least twenty hours for them ;
and if ground it will go much farther.
464 POULTRY.
If eggs are expected during the winter, they must be provided
for in October. Dispose of the old hens ; select as many of the best
young pullets, and feed them well. Give wheat soaked in hot water
once a day. Barley, buckwheat and corn, in equal proportions,
may make the rest of the food ; chopped cabbages will help. Pro-
vide clean quarters, plenty of water, gravel, old mortar and char-
coal. Make the house warm ; do not crowd too many into it, and
a good supply of eggs will result.
— Insist on having eggs. Warm, clean quarters, cooked grain
and potatoes, scraps of meat, powdered bones or lime, gravel,
ashes and warm water, are the convincing arguments.
Feed scraps of meat or pounded bones frequently in winter.
Give warm, light quarters, and dry ashes to dust themselves with,
fresh water (but warm) daily, and keep the water and feed vessels
scrupulously clean. Thus avoid diseases among poultry, and get
plenty of eggs.
— Fill a box before the snow covers the ground with a bushel or
two of clean gravel ; but if this cannot be found, pound up some
large stones — best sandstones.
Care of Poultry. — Roup.—\i hens seem to have cold in the
head, what is the matter, and how can I cure them ?
It is roup. Remove the dry discharge from the eyes and nose,
and wash them morning and evening with water and vinegar, about
half and half.
Pip. — What will cure pip in hens ?
Pip is caused by exposure to damp or wet weather. The symp-
toms are a short, quick, spasmodic cough resembling a chirp, with
a stoppage of the nostrils, compelling the fowl to respire through
the mouth. It is not considered a disease in itself, but is a symp-
tom, and if not attended to and checked will result in catarrh, and
oftentimes end in roup. Remove the bird to a dry, warm place,
wash out the mouth and nostrils with a weak solution of chlorinated
soda, and mix cayenne pepper with the food.
A Cure for Chicken Cholera.— On^ of the greatest afflictions
in the poultr>^-yard is chicken cholera, and when once the disease
gets a foothold, unless some prompt measures are taken to prevent
its spread, the consequences are often disastrous. The following is
a specific for this disease :
Cayenne pepper, 2 parts, 1 Pulverized gentian, i part,
Prepared chalk, 2 parts, I Pulverized charcoal, i part.
Take the parts by measurement, not by weight. Mix all with lard
or mutton suet to a consistency suitable to be made into pills, and
MISCELLANEOUS. 465
make them about the size of a common marble. To fowls afflicted
with cholera or roup give each one pill twice a day, and keep them
in a warm, dry place. In forty-eight hours a cure will be effected.
As a preventive when cholera prevails in the neighborhood, one
pill once a week may be given to each fowl. With this recipe six-
teen out of seventeen chickens attacked with cholera can be cured.
PART IV.
Hygiene and Medicines.
CHAPTER I.
THE HYGIENE OF DOMESTIC ANIMALS.
S^ygin^j of the Horse. Food — Drink — Cleaning — Ventila-'
tion — " Condition Powders J'
Disinfection — Receipts for Disinfectants.
Hygienic Rules in the Fattening of Animals.
" Cattle Fowder-s/^ and " Condimental Foods.'^
Diets for Fattening.
The purposes for which domestic animals are kept differ
widely when we consider the horse on the one hand, and on
the other the steer, cow, sheep and hog. The former is
prized for its capacities for speed and transportation only ;
the latter chiefly as they furnish food to man. Hence, the
hygienic treatment of the two classes materially differ. It is
alike, however, in this respect, that is, that it is designed in
both cases to obtain, at the least outlay of care and money,
467
468 Hygiene and Iledicines,
the utmost fitness for the purpose for which the animal is
kept.
HYGIEXE OF THE HOESE.
Food. — The liygiene of the horse has reference first to his
food. As we have previously mentioned, the horse has but
one stomach, and that not at all a large one for his size.
Hence he requires food in moderate quantity, but frequently,
at least every four or five hours. In regard to quality, he is
best suited by a mixed diet of grain and hay. In propor-
tion as the work demanded of him is arduous the proportion
of the grain (whether corn, oats, peas or beans) should be
increased ; whereas, when the work is not severe, and wdien,
as in private carriage horses, it is desirable that they should
present a roundness and plumpness of form, it is necessary
to diminish the amount of grain, or otherwise the animal
becomes plethoric, and "out of condition."
Attention must also be given, in this respect, to the indi-
vidual constitution of the horse. Some animals are said to
be more "easily kept" than others. This usually depends on
the greater perfection of their digestive organs. They as-
similate all the nutriment there is in their food; while a horse
which is "hard to keep" will generally be found to pass with
his evacuations a considerable percentage of undigested ali-
ment. A- remedy for the latter condition will often be
found in selecting food of a rather constipating character,
giving it well ground, so that the digestive fluids will act on
it easily, keeping the teeth in good repair, allowing but a
moderate quantity of water, and if called for, by administer-
ing a light tonic. A very important point in such cases is to
keep the skin active, by brushing, washing and clipping.
Those who would raise a fine breed of horses should pay
especial attention to the food of mares during pregnancy.
Messrs. Seller & Stephens, in their excellent treatise on
Hygiene of the Horse. 469
TJie Physiology of the Farm, lay it clown as a well estab-
lished fact that any, even a temporary, failure in the Quantity
or quality of the food of the dam at this period will surely
jirove the source of some one or another defect of the foal,
and perhaps lay the foundation for some serious vice of the
constitution, which may affect its value throughout life.
The food should not be rich, nor fattening, as a condition of
plethora or obesity is always injurious to the fetus -, yet the
nourishment should be somewha-t more abundant than in the
ordinary condition. Moderately rich pastures, fairly set in
any of the better class of grasses in summer, and clean,
well cured hay, with medium quantities of grain in winter,
should be the diet of the pregnant mare.
Brink. — The average horse varies in the amount of water he
will consume daily, from two buckets to five or six. It should
be given at regular intervals and those not far apart. Three
times a day is not frequently enough. Double that fre-
quency would be more correct. When the horse is in active
use he should not be allowed to drink to repletion at any
time, except in the evening, after the day's work is done,
and when the hide has cooled to the ordinary temperature.
The water selected should be pure, soft, and cool. Hard
water, however, agrees well with horses which are accus-
tomed to it, and their bowels are as apt to be disturbed on
changing to soft water as are those of animals accustomed to
the latter w^hen first placed upon that which is hard. Es-
pecial care should be taken that the water does not contain
decaying animal or vegetable matter. Various instances
have been reported where whole stables have been sickened
by water containing these organic impurities.-
Cleaning. — All horses are better for cleanliness, both as res-
pects their stables and their coats. When well groomed, the
secretion of the skin is more active, and the internal organs are
not nearly so liable to congestion. An exception to this is
470 Hygiene and Medicines.
made by some horsemen, when a horse has been driven
through muddy roads. It appears that it is better to allow
the mud to dry on his coat before removing it, and then not
comb or wash it off, but remove it by brushing only ; other-
wise the skin is liable to crack. (See page 211).
Ventilation. — In many stables, especially in cities, there is
great neglect of proper v^entilation. The air in the stalls in the
morning is close, hot and foul. Consequently, the animals easily
take colds and sore throats, and recover slowly. Fresh and
pure air is one of the greatest safeguards to the health of the
lower animals, as of man, and often attention to this alone
will do away with the need of tonics and condition powders.
It is unnecessary to enter into the various details of ventila-
tion, as their excellence often depends upon the structure
and position of the particular building.
"CONDITION POWDERS."
Under this name large quantities of secret preparations are
sold throughout the country, the avowed object of which is
to restore to vigor horses which are '^ out of condition,^' and
to increase the appetite and fattening capacities of stall-fed
steers, sheep, etc. The great majority of these powders do
more harm than good. They are composed of stimulating
and heating substances, and indiscreetly administered, by
persons ignorant of their composition, they often give for a
time a fallacious appearance of health and vigor to the animal,
followed by prostration and disease. We warn against their
use, and will here give simple and efficient substitutes for
them, which can be bought at much less cost.
But, first, let us inquire what we mean by saying that an
animal is "out of condition?'' The term is apj)lied to two
very different states of the system.
One, and the more common, is where the animal has been
Well fed and cared for, and is sleek and seemingly robust.
Condition Powders, 471
But lie becomes capricious about his food, the appetite is
variable and generally lessened, the eye is dull, and sometimes
yellowish and bloodshot, the motions languid, there is an
absence of " fire," the bowels are bound, the dung dry, the
temper is irritable, and there is a general want of " tone."
Now, this is nothing else than what medical men call a state
of " plethora ; " there is a formation of superfluous blood and
fat, owing to a too rich and abundant diet, and an insuffi-
ciency of exercise and pure air. Usually medicine of any
kind is superfluous. If the diet is changed to a poorer one,
and diminished in quantity, and if abundance of exercise is
given, these symptoms will soon pass away. If they do not,
small doses of aloes (2 to 4 drs.) should be given twice a
week ; and an ounce of saltpetre placed in the water about
as often. These agents act on the bowels and kidneys, and
will soon relieve the overloaded system.
The second form of loss of condition is seen in hard- worked
and often underfed horses. The coat is rough and staring,
the skin dry and harsh, often hide-bound, the bowels are
irregular, and the strength diminished. Even good care and
food may fail to bring back the vigor and spirit of the animal.
What now is to be done? The treatment is suggested
by the cause of this impairment of the health. Nearly
always it is a form of indigestion. The secretory organs
must first be restored to activity. The coat should be brushed,
clipped and washed ; an ounce of saltpetre should be given
every other day, in a mash, to excite the kidneys ; the bowels
cleaned out with a moderate dose of aloes ; and soft, easily
digested food given. If this does not bring the animal to
condition in a fortnight, then we should have recourse to
that wonderful tonic for the equine race, arsenic.
This powerful drug has been greatly abused in veterinary
medAcine ; but it is of the utmost value in many cases, and
this is one of them. It may be given in one-ounce doses of
472 Hygiene and Medicines,
Fowler's solution of arsenic, every other day ; or, in many
instances, it works still more efficaciously if combined with
iodide of potash —
No. 461. Fowler's solution of arsenic, J oz.
Iodide of potash, | oz.
Water, 1 pint.
IMix into a draught, with water or gruel.
Of the various condition powders which have been recom-
mended, many are hurtful, on account of the warm and bitter
tonics they contain. Scientific practitioners do not approve
of these additions, and they should be avoided with especial
care when the animal is changing its coat. At times, as
stimulants to the general functions, we may use one of the
following ; but none of them should be continued for a length
of time, nor repeated very frequently : —
No. 462. Flowers of sulphur.
Cream of tartar,
Saltpetre, of each
ioz.
Mix, and give in the food.
No. 463. Black antimony,
Ub.
Flowers of sulphur,
2 lbs.
Common salt.
lib.
Powdered liquorice,
Jib.
Fenugreek,
ilb.
Mix. Give a tablespoonful every day or two. This is an old formula,
and an example of a kind which has been much overpraised.
Black antimony is an uncertain, coarse drug, not at all deserving of
its reputation in veterinary medicine.
No. 464. Sulphurated antimony, 1 oz.
Nitrate of potash, 8 oz.
Flowers of sulphur, 12 oz.
Mix, and give a tablespoonful every 2 or 3 days. This antimonial
preparation is superior to the one above given.
Other materials of local popularity in the stable are nu-
merous. In Eastern Pennsylvania, one of the most prized
is the Virginia snakeroot [Aristolocliia serpentaria), a tonic
and stimulant indigenous vegetable, often used as a house-
hold remedy. A cold infusion is prepared by steeping a
Condition Powders, 473
handful in a quart of water, and a tumblerful is poured over
the grain or hay once a day.
Another favorite is willow bark. The inner bark of the
young shoots is boiled in the proportion of a handful to the
quart of water, and a tumblerful of this administered daily.
As the willow bark contains the bitter principle known as
salicin, which is an excellent tonic and appetizer, no doubt
this is an efficient plan to correct dull and drooping horses.
In the army gunpowder had the reputation of being a
powerful stimulant for horse flesh, and occasionally we have
heard of a spoonful being mixed with the forage, to instill
life into broken-down nags. As all the materials of which
it is composed, the nitre, the charcoal and the sulphur, are
well known and often-used stimulants and correctives in
veterinary medicine, their combination may, very likely,
have a happy effect. It is recommended to mix the gun-
powder mth the whites of several eggs, and give it as a
drench.
Whichever of these tonics is used, it sliould not be often
repeated, as such a course will surely bring about obstinate
dyspeptic troubles, and general deterioration of the health.
DISINFECTION.
For the prevention of diseases, especially for checking the
spread of epidemic diseases, no measure is more important
than thorough disinfection. Every stable, every farm, should
have in storp, and freely use, some disinfecting mixture. It
should be constantly employed as a preventive of disease, as
a purifier of the air and of the discharges, and often as a means
of keeping away flies and insects. We give below the formulas
of a number of the most efficient and cheap disinfectants, so
that the reader can buy the materials and make i\\(i mixtures
himself, and thus save the increased cost he would have to
pay by buying them ready made.
474 Hygiene and Medicines.
It has been found by experience that no one substance acts
so effectually by itself as it does in combination or solution.
The following are in the solid form of powders : —
No 465. Copperas (sulphate of iron), 300 parts.
Plaster-of-Paris, ground, 100 parts.
Carbolic acid, 2 parts.
Mix well together.
No. 466. Copperas, 20 parts.
White vitriol, 1 pa^t.
Plaster-of-Paris, 36 parts.
Mix.
No. 467. Copperas, 6 lbs.
Common salt, 4 lbs.
Flowers of sulphur, 2 lbs.
Mix. This costs about 14 cents per pound. It has been sold as the
Excelsior disinfectant.
No. 468. Air-slacked lime, 1 bushel.
Copperas, 1 lb.
Carbolic acid, J Ih.
Mix. This has been sold as " carbolate of lime." It costs about 50
cents a bushel.
The following are in the liquid form : —
No. 469. Chloride of aluminum, IJ lbs.
Water, 1 gallon.
Dissolve. This is known as " chloralum," and was introduced by
Prof. Gamgee. It is not poisonous, and has no smell. The cost is
about 50 cents.
No. 470. White vitriol (zinc sulphate) 1 oz.
Carbolic acid, I oz.
Water. 1 gallon.
Mix. A cheap and efficient disinfecting wash.
No. 471. Sulphate of iron, 16 oz.
Chloride of zinc, 8 oz.
Water, 1 gallon:
Dissolve. This is a powerful disinfectant. Cost about $1.00 per
gallon. A pint of it, mixed with a gallon of water, is abundantly
strong enough. It is poisonous.
Hygiene of Fattening, 475
HYGIENIC RULES FOR THE FATTENING OF ANIMALS.
The farmer and stock raiser will economize his food
supply, and have his stock ready for market sooner, by pay-
ing attention to the physiology of the fattening process and
the chemistry of food. It is not a jDart of our present task
to enter into a discussion of these questions, but there are
certain points relating to the preservation of the health of
animals at such times which we shall touch upon, and which
it is of essential importance for stock owners to consider.
Regularity in the hours of giving food is one of the secrets of
success in economically fattening animals. The digestive
organs become accustomed to doing their work at recurrent
intervals, and they enjoy a period of repose between these
periods, which fits them the better to perform their function
w^hen called upon. The English rule in fattening oxen is to
feed four times a day, usually at 7, 10, 2 and 6 o'clock.
Regularity in the quantity of food is another secret.
About the same amount of labor should be demanded of the
stomach at each daily period of feeding. To fatten an ox,
the English estimate is, that he requires, at first, five, and
later four per cent, of his weight of cured hay or mixed food
per day. This amount should be divided equally in four
meals.
Abundance of fresh air and moderate exercise should not
be neglected. AVe are aware that many of the farmers of
the Eastern States, celebrated for their stall-fed cattle, chain
them in dark stalls for months at a time, without paying any
attention to the precepts we speak of. It is also true that,
thus shut up, the animals lay on fat faster than they would
if allowed the range of the barn yard. But it is also a fact
that experience has over and over proven that such animals
are peculiarly liable to fatal contagious disorders, and the
extra loss so entailed will more tlian counterbalance, in the
long run, the food economized by this plan.
476 Hygiene and Medicines,
The wisest of all systems of fattening is by keeping the
animals in what the English call hammds, that is, small
pens to accommodate two oxen, one-half of which is roofed
and walled, so as to afford entire protection from inclement
weather, while the other half is open. The animals are
tlius in a measure isolated from contagion ; they have abun-
dance of fresh and pm-e air; and while they have just enough
room to obtain this, they are sufficiently confined to prevent
them wasting their fat in running.
When, through stall feeding, an animal becomes plethoric?
loses his appetite, and the food taken does not increase the
weight as it should, it is well to change the character of the
food to a plainer kind, for two or three days, and give an
alterative powder, as —
No. 472. Nitrate of potash,
Sulphur, in powder,
Gintrer, of each, 2 oz.
Mix. Give in molasses and water. For a steer.
When the appetite improves, small quantities of food, at
regular intervals, should be offered, and if any is left in the
manger, it should at once be removed.
CATTLE POWDERS AND CONDIMEKTAL FOOD.
Various "cattle powders" and "fattening powders" are
sold throughout the country, claiming to increase the deposit
of fat in animals, and thus economize the food supply.
They are always composed of much the same materials,
variously disguised, to wit : of some of the stomachic and car-
minative seeds — aniseed, carraway seed, fennel seed, coriander
seed, ginger or mustard seed ; of some vegetable tonic — as
gentian, Virginia snake root, willow bark, cascarilla, etc.; of
one or more of the alteratives — sulphur, nitrate of potash, com-
mon salt, etc. ; and perhaps of a mineral tonic, as copperas ; the
whole colored with turmeric and mixed with meal. As the fla-
Condimental Food. 477
vor is agreeable to cattle, they eat their food with more eager-
ness when thus spiced, and the compound seems to restore their
appetite when it has been failing. The tonics and alteratives
may also act, occasionally, favorably on the system ; but, as
we have previously urged, the habitual use of any such mix-
tures will entail unfortunate results on the health of the stock.
In England fortunes have been made by selling what are
called "condimental foods.'' These are ground feeds of
various kinds, to which palatable and stimulating sub-
stances have been added. Horses, cattle and sheep con-
sume them greedily; and added to their ordinary provender
from time to time, their use is no doubt often productive of
benefit ; but by no means to the extent that the exaggerations
of their advertisers would have us believe. The general
composition of these foods may be seen from the following
receipt, which is given by Dr. Charles A. Cameron, in his
Stock Feeder'' s Manual, as making a mixture equal, if not
superior, to any secret combination for the purpose there is in
the market. The quantities given make one ton : —
No. 473.
Linseed meal,
800 lbs.
Ground beans,
925 "
Indian corn meal,
433 "
Powdered turmeric,
30 "
" ginger,
3 "
" fenugreek,
2 "
" gentian,
10 "
" coriander seed,
2 "
Cream of tartar,
20 "
Flowers of sulphur.
10 "
Common salt,
5 "
2240 "
DIETS FOR FATTENING.
The direct use of fats and oils has been found, in England,
to be a great aid to the speedy and economical fattening of
animals. An ounce of fish oil, daily, to a sheep or pig, or a
half pint to a. steer, will increase the accumulation of fat so
478 Hygiene and Medicines.
rapidly that the cost of the substance is much more than re-
turned to the owner. Probably any of the mild fixed oils,
as linseed, lard, or cotton seed oil, will answer as well, and as
in some sections they are very cheap, the use of them should
be encouraged. Oil cake is an excellent fattening material.
As a healthful and typical fattening mixture for the ox,
Messrs. Lawes and Gilbert recommend the following : —
No. 474.
Crushed oil cake,
8 lbs.
Chopped clover hay,
13 lbs.
Turnips,
47 lbs.
This amount is given daily, in four divided portions, to an
ox weighing about fourteen hundred pounds, and will in-
crease him in weight at the rate of twenty pounds per week.
In feeding Indian corn or peas it is important to give
pigs a supply of some mineral substance, the grain not con-
taining sufficient for keeping them in a healthy condition.
Their breathing becomes labored, and they become
'^bloated," with occasionally local swellings of the glands at
the sides of the neck. For this, Mr. Harris recommends
that a trough containing the following mixture be placed in
the pen, and the pigs be allowed to take it as they wish : —
No. 475. Finely-sifted coal ashes, 20 lbs.
Common salt, 4 lbs.
Superphosphate of lime, 1 lb.
In all cases they should have an abundance of pure water
to drink, be kept clean by washing and change of litter,
weekly, and have a stye with a tight roof, to protect them
from the sun and storms. Instead of a mud hole to w^allow
in, there should be a heap of dry coal ashes, charcoal, or
clean, dry earth, in one corner of the pen. This will keep
them free from lice and fleas.
A frequent mistake is in giving too much food at once.
Double the quantity of food is often required to fatten an
animal, when it is given irregularly, and in large quantities.
Small amounts at regular intervals are far more economical.
Treatment of Poisoning, 479
CHAPTER II.
POISONS AND THE TKEATMENT OF POISONING.
General Rules for the Treatment of Poisoning,
Vegetable Poisons : — Aloes — Castor and Croton Seeds — Dis-
eased and Spoiled Foods — Eupatorium — Hellebore — Laurel
— Poisonous Ilushroooms — Opium — Ranunculus — Savin
— St John\ Wort — Tobacco — Turpentine — Stramonium,
Jjfinerai and Chemical Poisons: — Acids — Alkalies — Alco-
hoi — Arsenic — Brine — Corrosive Sublimate — Creasote —
Lead — Mercury — Strychnine — Tartar Emetic,
Cases of poisoning in the lower animals are usually owing
to accident, in forcing down excessive doses of dangerous
drugs as medicine ; or design, when an enemy seeks to re-
venge himself on the owner by poisoning his stock ; or to
animals consuming with their food some noxious plant or
other injurious agent.
Often, especially in the second and third of these cases, it
IS not known really what poison has been taken. In these,
and, in fact, in nearly all cases of poisoning, it is safe prac-
tice to act at once, in accordance with the following rules : —
1. Administer at once a full dose (one to three pints) of
some bland oil, as sweet, cottonseed, lard, or linseed oil.
2. Follow the oil with repeated doses of lime water, or
powdered chalk, whiting, or powdered charcoal, mixed wdth
water or mucilage to the consistency of thin syrup.
3. If great exhaustion and sinking follow, and signs of
drowsiness, without inflammation of the stomach, give
whisky or other spirits freely.
4. Move the bowels by active injections (as No. 91.)
For purposes of treatment, poisons may be most con-
veniently divided into Vegetable Poisons and Mineral and
Chemical Poisons.
480 Treatment of Poisoning,
VEGETABLE POISONS.
Al06S>- — The extensive use of this strong purgative in veterinary
practice lias led to many cases where animals have died from its effects.
The symptoms are those of excessive purging. The feces become scanty,
bloody, and expelled with violent straining. The pulse is rapid, the
legs and ears cold, the mouth hot and dry, and the belly bloated and
painful.
The treatment consists in giving a full dose of opium, say two ounces
of laudanum in a quart of linseed tea, repeating it in two hours if neces-
sary ; and throwing a like quantity up the rectum.
Castor Seeds; Croton Seeds.— Both these seeds act as
purgatives on the horse and ox, and swallowed in large quantities
bring about violent and dangerous action of the bowels. The treatment
is the same as directed under Aloes.
Diseased and Injured Foods.— Foods whichhave been
^'spoiled," or have undergone fermentation and partial decay, are liable
to bring on attacks of diarrhea, inflammation of the stomach and
bowels, obstinate constipation, and other symptoms. Among these
musty and sunburnt hay is a common cause of colic, dyspepsia and
stomach staggers. The animal loses flesh and strength, the eye is
yellow, the urine dark, and violent attacks of giddiness, and even frenzy
may supervene. To relieve these symptoms, full doses of purgatives
should be given by the mouth and rectum, the diet changed, and the
strength supported by tonics and stimulants.
Mouldy oats are liable to produce diabetes or profuse staleing. The
symptoms and treatment of this complaint are given on page 164.
Straw which is rusty has an injurious effect on animals, rendering
them thin and sickly, subject to epidemic diseases, and lessening their
vigor.
The fungus growth called ergot is found chiefly in rye and Indian
corn. The consumption of such grain in quantities, for a long time, is
very sure to bring on injurious results. The animals have ragged coats,
their teeth loosen, they lose flesh, and are peculiarly liable to fatal
impaction of the third stomach, as we have mentioned on a previous
page (296), where we referred to a very severe epidemic that pre-
vailed in the Mississippi Valley some years ago, and which was
distinctly traced to this cause. The usual symptoms of the condition
known as ergotism are a dull, stupid expression, staring look, dilated
pupils of the eyes, staggers and stupidity ; with these are twitchings and
spasms, especially of the muscles of the hind limbs, passing into palsy.
The temperature, as felt on the horns, ears and legs, is below the normal,
Treatment of Poisoning, 481
the pulse is slow and weak ; sores are slow in liealing ; and there may
be a discharge from the nose.
Half rotten turnips and cabbages, and potatoes which have the blight
or rot, should not be fed to stock. Their nutritive power is lost, and not
unfrequently they bring on colic and diarrhea.
EupStOrium. — The white snakeroot has been alleged to be the
cause of milk sickness or trembles. But, as ve have said in discussing
that disease (page 304), the evidence to this efiect is insufficient.
Hellebore. — White Hellebore, or Indian Voke {Veratrum alburn)^
grows over large sections of the United States. It is an active, narcotic,
irritant poison, especially the root, and instances of poisoning from i^
have been reported. The treatment is by full doses of whiskey, by
which means the symptoms will be promptly dispersed.
Laurel. — The sheep's laurel {Kalmia angustifolia) is believed to
be poisonous to sheep when they eat its leaves, berries or branches.
The plant grows abundantly in the Middle States. The poisonous prin-
ciple which it contains is allied to prussic acid. The proper treatment
of poisoning by this means is to administer stimulants, as whisky or
gin, freely, and promote the action of the bowels, by purges and
injections.
Mushrooms. — The poisonous species of mushrooms seem to
be avoided by the lower animals. Yet some instances of fatal results
from their consumption have been known. The antidotes used are
oil, stimulants and solution of ammonia.
Opi Uin. — The extensive use of this vegetable product in medicine
has led to frequent cases of poisoning from it. It requires, indeed,
considerable quantities. From one to two ounces prove poisonous to
the horse, but cattle can sustain several times this amount. The symp-
toms from opium poisoning are, in the first stage — restless twitching of
the ears and tail, hot extremities, quick and full pulse, rapid breathing ;
in the second stage, which comes on after one or two hours, there are
• — giddiness and sleepiness, an unsteady gait, red eyes, partial palsy,
cold sweats, and gradual sinking into stupor or convulsions. For the
treatment of such cases, very strong coffee should be given, for a drench,
a pint at a time, with a gill of whisky, and repeated at short intervals.
The animal should be kept in active motion, and if these measures
promise to fail, atropia, the natural antidote of opium, should be injected
beneath the skin. Cold water, poured on the head from a height of
ten or twelve feet, for ten or fifteen minutes at a time, is an effectual
means of dispelling the sleepiness which comes from opiunj.
482 Treatment of Poisoning.
Ranunculus.— ^^1 tte varieties of Ranunculus are acrid and irri-
tating. The celery-leaved crowfoot, Ranunculus sceleratus, has a bad
reputation in this country, as poisonous to sheep and other stock, when
eaten by them. The eyes of the animals roll, the breathing becomes
laborious, they are giddy, turn round and round, and may drop suddenly
dead. At other times, loss of appetite, quick pulse, staring coat, and
the other symptoms of acute inflammation of the bowels follow its use.
In the latter class of cases a full purge of linseed and castor oil is
required ; in the former, an ounce of ether, in milk, will often dissipate
the nervous symptoms, and give time for an active purge to carry off the
offending substance. •
Savin. — The oil and powder of savin are largely and sometimes
indiscreetly, used in domestic veterinary pharmacy. When given in
excessive doses, they give rise to severe colic, loss of appetite, fever, and
constipation, followed by a bloody and exhausting diarrhea. The treat-
ment is to administer full doses of sweet or linseed oil, with one to three
ounces of laudanum, and support the strength by doses of an ounce of
ether in a pint of milk.
St. John's Wort. — This common weed, the Hj/pericumperf or-
atuvi, is charged, and probably justly, with irritating and producing
sores on horses, cattle and sheep, especially such as have white feet and
noses — the skin of such being more tender and irritable. Dr. William
Darlington, the late eminent botanist of Pennsylvania, says: "The
dew which collects on the plant seems to become acrid. I have seen
the backs of white cows covered with sores, wherever the bushy ends
of their tails had been applied, after draggling through the St. John's
wort." The noses of sheep are often found to be sore, from this cause.
The treatment is to wash the sores clean, and cover them with wood tar
or petroleum, which heals and counteracts the acridity of the plant.
Stramonium. — The Jlmson or Jamestown weed is a common
plant in the Atlantic states, and, in fact, in all quarters of the world —
along roadsides, on dung heaps, etc. It is a narcotic and irritant
poisoD, although the herbivora can take considerable quantities of it
without serious results. Two pounds and a half of the seeds have been
known to kill a horse. The symptoms are giddiness, faintness and
delirium, followed by convulsions, palsy and stupor. The stomach and
intestines are inflamed, the bowels constipated or passing bloody feces,
and the colic is severe. The treatment is by full doses of sweet or lin-
seed oil, containing two to four ounces of laudanum, injections, and
supporting the strength by ether or whisky.
^eafment of Poisonhiff. 433
in JiV,m^,*'*?°;~^'"'"'?"'l''-^'" "'" '"' Sreen tobacco without suffer-
mg t,om n- but s.x pounds of cured tobacco have been known to kill a
cow. Goats, on he other hand, have been seen to eat cigars and dried
manifested in herbivorous animals by violent purgation, with very offen
sive feces pain in the belly and wind colic. The pulse is weak tie coat
Storing, the ctreniit es cold. There is great prostration, foam i'ng at tl
mouth, and convulsions or stupor. The treatment is, to administer
ac ive purgatives, followed by full doses of whisky, in slippery e"k
mucilage, or linseed tea. • 1 1 ^ c m uariv
tl.Ju"i'''^®"*'"®;"~'^^''^^'^^°«''^"^"' ^^^^* «^ turpentine is upon
the i^Klneys, in producing strangury. The proper treatment has been
considered on page 162.
MINERAL AKD CHEMICAL POISONS.
AcidS.-The so-called mineral acids-sulphuric, nitric and muri-
atic a^ds, and the concentrated vegetable acids, are all caustic and
irritant poisons. They would never be taken willingly by an anim"
bu may be forced down, through ignorance, error ^r' design. Thir
antidotes are foil doses of alkalies, such as powdered chalk, whitin. or
lime water. These should be promptly administered, and followed* by
sweet or hnseed oil. ^
AlkalieS.-Quicklime, caustic potash, concentrated lye, washing
soda, etc. , are destructive agents to the tissues. When taken internally
they must be counteracted by acids, the handiest of which is usual y
vinegar and water. This should be freely taken, and followed by a
purge of oil. ^u «jy d
AIcohoI.-Half a pint of pure alcohol will kill a horse, asexperi-
ments have demonstrated ; but of the commercial article much larger
doses can be tolerated. A form of chronic alcoholic poisoning has been
noticed in horses which have frequently been dosed with whisky to
keep up their strength. The only treatment needed is to suspend the
use of the agent. ^
Arsenic -From the extensive use made of this drug in veterinary
pharmacy, instances of poisoning by it are not uncommon. Forty
grains of it m solution is a fatal dose for a horse. Both horse.., sheep
and cattle have been killed in numbers, from pasturing in a field over
which sheep had been allowed to run just after being dipped in an
arsemcal solution. The symptoms are: violent pain in the bowels
purging and straining; intense thirst, quick, feeble pulse, irregular
484 Treatment of Poisoning,
breathing ; reddish urine, low temperature, faintness, palsy, convulsions,
and death. Sometimes a frothy mucus comes from the mouth and nose,
the eyes are jaundiced and the skin discolored. The treatment for
herbivorous animals is to give full doses of oily purgatives. With
these may be joined several spoonfuls of iron rust, which forms with the
arsenic a harmless salt. The carbonate of iron is a more active form.
BrinO. — it is not generally known that a formidable poison is
developed in the brine in which flesh and fish are steeped, after standing
a few months. About two quarts of such brine will kill a horse, and a
pint and a half will destroy a pig or goat. The symptoms are sick
stomach, giddiness and apoplexy ; the jaws twitch and the animal
foams at the mouth. Death may take place in eight hours. The
treatment is by active purges and stimulants.
Corrosive Sublimate. — The corrosive chloride of mercury,
commonly known as corrosive sublimate, is one of the most active and
fatal poisons in veterinary pharmacy. It should always be used with the
utmost caution. A quarter of an ounce of it will kill a horse or an ox,
and half that amount will destroy a sheep or pig. The symptoms are :
violent pain in the belly ; intense thirst ; total loss of appetite ;
diarrhea, with oflPensive and bloody discharges ; cough ; trembling,
salivation, stupor and death. The treatment is to pour down the
whites of a dozen eggs, stirred up with a little warm water; followed
by linseed tea, mucilage of slippery elm bark, and a slop diet for some
days.
CreaSOte. — This medicinal agent is actively corrosive and
caustic. In cases of poisoning by it the general treatment advised on
page 427 should be resorted to.
Lead . — Sugar of lead and litharge are both poisonous forms of
this mineral. Lead poisoning is also common among horses and cattle
in the vicinity of smelting works, where minute particles of lead, car-
ried up the flues of the furnaces, are blown by the wind over the
pastures^ and taken up by the animals in eating the grass. The refuse
of cities, when used as a fertilizer, generally contains pieces of sheet
lead and painted articles which contaminate the pasturages, and
produce chronic and fatal lead poisoning in the stock. The supply of
water may also be charged with soluble salts of lead in passing through
conducting pipes of that material, and lead to the same result.
The symptoms of lead poisoning are loss of appetite, staring coat,
arched back, an anxious expression, with sometimes foaming at the
mouth, and a protruding tongue. This is followed by staggers, which
Treatment of Poisoning, 485
may be dull and sleepy, but are more often of the mad variety, the ani-
mal running violently and blindly, dashing his head right and left, and
wearing himself out in desperate and aimless courses. As a rule there
are entire loss of appetite, and obstinate constipation. According to
some the gums are of a gray or blue color, owing to a deposit of lead
under the membrane.
The treatment should be a large dose of a purgative, in cattle and
sheep either Epsom or Glauber salts, aided by a large, stimulating injec-
tion in the rectum. When this has well acted, an ounce or two of
iodide of potash, every day, for a week, will counteract the effect of the
lead yet in the system.
Mercury. — '^e have already spoken of the corrosive chloride of
mercury under Corrosive Sublimate. Calomel may also be given with
poisonous effects, especially if it is frequently repeated. The animal is
salivated, and a diarrhea sets in which cannot be checked, and the
creature dies, from prostration and low fever. Blue ointment, un-
guentum, or mercurial ointment, is in some sections very much used for
scab, and to destroy lice and ticks. Many thousands of sheep have
been destroyed, or seriously injured by this dangerous and needless
remedy. Death often occurs about the eighth or ninth day after the
ointment has been applied. The symptoms are of suffocation and con-
gestion of the lungs, sometimes with salivation, loosening of the teeth,
loss of appetite, and diarrhea. The treatment of such a condition is
the preventive one of using some innocent insecticide, a number of
which we have given in the appropriate place.
Strychnine. — This potent and rapid poison is also a valuable
medicine, but must be administered cautiously. Ten grains are more
than enough to kill a horse. The symjDtoms produced are : violent agi-
tation and trembling ; stiffness and jerking of the limbs ; violent general
spasms, the limbs rigid, the back bent, the respiration checked; inter-
vals of rest occur, but a slight noise, or touching the animal, will excite
the fits again. Paroxysm follows paroxysm until the animal dies
exhausted. In the treatment, little can be done besides following out
the general rules given on p. 427 and keeping the animal in a darkened
and roomy box stall, and perfectly quiet.
Tartar Emetic. — Few remedies have been more recklessly ad-
ministered in veterinary pharmacy than this one, and, doubtless, vastly
more harm than good has come of it. It is actually poisonous. Two to
four ounces will kill a horse, though cattle can sustain twice as much.
The symptoms of poisoning are, vomiting, diarrhea, staggers, thirst,
486 Treatmeno of Poisoning,
salivation, faintness, cold skin, colic, convulsions, palsy and death.
The stomach and bowels are inflamed, and the lungs congested. The
treatment should commence with full doses of tannin, powdered oak
bark, gallic acid, or strong tea, which are the antidotes. If vomiting
and purging continue, these should be followed by draughts containing
opium or laudanum.
Drugs and Medicines, 487
CHAPTER III.
THE MOEE IMPORTANT DRUGS AND MEDICINES USED FOR
ANIMALS.
Alpliahetical List of the Most Use/ id Drugs, with their Doses,
Forms of Administration and Formulas.
Classified List of Drugs, according to their Action on the
System, with Explanations,
Drugs are the physician's tools, and whoever would qualify
himself for the physician's business must obtain a certain
degree of familiarity with them. For the present purpose
this will not demand much study. The actual number of
drugs which are of real and approved value in the treatment
of diseases of stock are but few. Many remedies used in
man must be omitted, because they do not act similarly on
the lower animals ; many others must be passed by, as they
are altogether too costly to administer in the large doses
required in brutes.
We shall describe briefly what we consider the most desir-
able remedies ; and to make their presentation as clear and
as convenient as possible, we shall arrange them, first, in
alphabetical order, for ready reference ; secondly, classified in
groups, according to their action on the system. The dose
given will, when not otherwise stated, be that suitable for a
horse; cattle require about half as much again; while sheep
and pigs should have about one-third as much as a horse.
A table of weights and measures has been given on page 67.
As many common drugs are known under several names, all
these have been inserted, with references to the proper one
used by apothecaries.
488 Drugs and Ifedicines,
ALPHABETICAL LIST OF THE MOST USEFUL DRUGS EMPLOYED IN
VETEEINAEY MEDICINE, WITH DOSES, FORMS
OF ADMINISTRATION, ETC.
(The numbers refer to the receipts which have been giren on previous pages.)
Acetate of Ammonia Solution {Spirits of Min-
dererus). — Dose 2 to 4 ounces, in water. An excellent cooling
and strengthening remedy in feverish and weak conditions. For fevers
of almost any kind the following are useful : —
No. 476. Solution of acetate of ammonia,
Epsom salts, of each, 2 oz.
Chlorate of potash, 1 oz.
Water, 1 qt.
Give at a draught.
No. 477. Solution of acetate of ammonia.
Chlorate of potash.
Tincture of gentian, of each, 1 oz.
Water. 1 pint.
For an anti-febrile mixture, in influenza and other low forms of
fever in horses and cattle.
Nos. 135, 163, 365.
Acetate of Lead (Sugar of had). — See Lead, acetate of.
Acetate of Zinc— see Zinc.
Acetic Acid— see Vinegar.
Aconite, Tincture of root of .—Dose lo to 20 drops ; for
sheep and pigs, 5 to 10 drops. An active poison in large doses. In
moderate ones, an excellent sedative in the early stages of all acute
inflammations and fevers, such as pleurisy, inflammation of the lungs,
etc. When hard-worked horses are brought in with "chill and sore
throat," two doses of aconite and a mustard plaster to the throat will
generally check the disease promptly. In sharp attacks of colic, and in
rheumatic fever, if combined with a brisk purgative (No. 94), it will
often cure promptly. The same prescription is often of great service in
beginning lockjaw. Applied as a lotion, it relieves painful swellings,
itching, and hastens the cure of grease, mange, and other skin erup-
tions. A very good lotion for such skin diseases is —
No. 478. Tincture of arnica,
" aconite, each, 1 oz.
Water, 1 qt.
The tincture maybe used hypodermically, often with great advantage,
ihe dose being about one-third of that given by the mouth.
Nos. 29, 94, 128, 156.
Drugs and Medicines, 48^
Alcohol ■ — This, either pure, or as whisky, brandy, gin, etc., is
extensively used against colic, poisoning by tobacco, exhaustion from
disease and over exertion, great weakness, etc. In colds and sore
throats of hard-worked horses, with fever and weakness, half a tumbler
of whisky every few hours will often restore them. Cows with
puerperal fever, with weak heart and cold surface, are often benefited
by a tumbler of whisky every two or three hours. Alcohol is much
valued externally as a lotion to bruises, cuts and sores. Whisky beaten
up with white of eggs is popular as a preventive of chafing in parts ex-
posed to rubbing, as under the saddle, etc.
Aloes. — Dose 5 to 6 drachms ; cattle double as much. Hogs can
bear but 20 or 30 grains. One of the most popular medicines for
stock. In constipation and colic it is best given in solution, as a
drench. Small doses are useful in indigestion and diarrhoea. In
inflammation of all kinds, whether from wounds or diseases, a dose of
aloes generally proves sedative and soothing. For dropsy and watery
swellings small and repeated doses are called for. It is a medicine
more effective in horses than in cattle, etc. It should not be given
when females are pregnant, nor when there are piles ; and in colds,
influenza and inflammations of the bowels, it must be employed with
caution. Given as a ball, the following is a good receipt : —
No. 479. Powdered aloes, 5 drachms.
Powdered ginger, 1 "
Soft soap, as much as needed to make a ball.
Aloin is now much used instead of aloes. The dose is a quarter as
much. Nos. 20, 90, 98, 99, 100, 142, 153.
Alum. — Dose 2 to 4 drachms. Astringent and sedative. Used
in diarrhoea [scouring), dysentery. For irritable sore throat it is used
with an atomizer or a syringe. Externally, in solution, 5 grains to the
ounce, it is a healing application in inflammation of the eye and in the
sores of foot and mouth disease. In powder, it is effective for stopping
the oozing of blood ; mixed with equal parts of fine, dry clay, it is excel-
lent, applied to harness galls and other surface wounds ; and in strong
solution removes the pain of burns and scalds. Nos. 85, 225, 2G6, 303.
Ammonia, Acetate Of^see Acetate of Ammonia Solution.
Ammonia, Carbonate of [HaHshom salt, Smelling
salts). — Dose 2 to 4 drachms. A strong stimulant. The dose maybe given
dissolved in a half tumbler of whisky, or made into a ball with linseed
meal and water. Valuable in influenza, erysipelas, and other weaken-
ing diseases. Nos. 75, 333, 374.
490 Drugs and Medicines,
Ammonia, Muriate of i^a^ ammomac).— Dose 3 to 6
drachms, given like the carbonate. Its effects are similar, but not
go powerful. Externally, it is a favorite application for hot swellings,
bruises and strains. A good cooling mixture for this purpose is—
No. 480. Sal ammoniac,
Nitre, of each, 4 oz.
Water, 8 oz.
Wet rags with it and keep applied to the part.
Nos. 22, 247.
Ammonia, Spirits of [Liquid ammonia, Spirits of harts-
;^oni).— Principally used externally. It gives immediate relief to bites,
and stings of gnats, mosquitoes, flies, wasps, etc. For snake bites it
should be promptly rubbed into the bite. It is used in very many lin-
iments. A good one is —
No. 481. Spirits of amrnonia,
Oil of turpentine.
Water, of each, 1 oz.
Linseed oil, 4 oz.
A useful stimulant draught for horses and cattle is —
No. 482. Spirits of ammonia.
Sweet spirits of nitre,
Tincture of gentian, of each, J oz.
Ale or beer, 1 quart.
To be given for great exhaustion or weakness.
Nos. 103, 198.
Antimony (Tartar emetic, Tartarized antimony).— J) o^e 1
to 4 drachms; pigs, grains 4 to 10. This was at one time very
extensively prescribed in inflammatory diseases of horses and cattle,
but the best English authorities say it is entirely useless in them. In
pigs it is a useful emetic, and still has credit when given in small doses
(four grains), several times repeated, for keeping down inflammation.
Tartar emetic ointment is a strong caustic, but should not be used ex-
ternally, as it blemishes. Nos. 83, 149.
Antimony, Blacic or Sulphurated.— I^sed as an
alterative. Of uncertain action, and doubtful value. No. 372.
Arnica.— Used externally as a healing remedy in strains, bruises,
wounds, broken knees and sore shoulders. Useful combinations
are-
No. 483. Tincture of arnica, 1 drachm.
Sulphate of zinc, 2
Water, 10 oz. '
Drugs and Medicines, 491
No. 484. Tincture of arnica, 1 drachm.
Sugar of lead, 1 drachm.
Water, 10 oz.
Arnica is somewhat irritant, and should be applied cautiously when
the skin is broken. Internally it is valuable in chills and shivering.
Nos. 159, 250, 348.
Arsenic. — Dose 5 to 10 grains; sheep, 1 to 2 grains.
Folders solution is a popular form for administering it. This solution
contains four grains of arsenic to the ounce. Very serviceable in chronic
rheumatism and skin diseases. Externally it enters into many dipping
mixtures for destroying lice and other vermin on sheep. Nos. 77, 79,
179, 182, 186, 461. See page 419.
ASSafetida. — Dose, horses, 3 drachms; cattle, 2 ounces;
sheep, 1 drachm. Occasionally given to horses and cattle, for colic
and chronic coughs. Nos. 104, 105, 153, 154, 324, 403.
Belladonna. — Dose of the dried powdered leaves, 2 ounces;
of the extract, 1 to 2 drachms. In influenza, sore throat, severe
colds, inflammation of lungs, and the like, this is a valuable remedy.
For sore throat, with noisy breathing and spasmodic cough in horses,
no other medicine gives such immediate relief. Excessive sweating,
from weakness, is promptly checked by a full dose. Externally it
relieves irritable and painful wounds, the raw surface following frost-
bite, cracks from mud fever, etc. Inflammation of almost any part of'
the eye is relieved by belladonna. Its active principle is atropia. This
can be very neatly administered with the hypodermic syringe ; ten
drops, of a solution of five grains of atropia to the ounce of water, is
the proper strength for a horse, repeated as necessary. Nos. 77, 139,
157, 165, 264, 268, 273, 274.
Bleaching Powder— see Lime chloride.
Blistering Ointment— see Cantharides.
Blue Stone, Blue Vitriol— see Copper sulphate.
Bole Armenian. — -^ kind of clay, used formerly as a coloring
ingredient ; of no medicinal value.
Borax [Bihorate of Sodium). — Used externally as a wash to
sores and ulcers, especially in calves and lambs. The powder may bo
sprinkled on the part. It is a feeble irritant. No. 85.
Bromide of Potassium— see Potassium.
492 Drugs and Medicines.
Calomol — ^66 Mercurials.
Camphor. — Dose, horses, 1 to 2 drachms ; cattle, 2 to 4 drachms;
sheep and pigs, J drachm. As a sedative, it is given in chronic cough,
colic, diarrhea and influenza. Externally, spirits of camphor are very
popular, as an application to sprains, bruises and wounds, and enter into
many liniments. Nos. 77, 78, 164, 169.
CantharideS {Spanish FUeSj Blistering Flies). — Their us6
should be external, chiefly. Blisters are useful in the later stages of
inflammation, and in local watery swellings and effusions. After an
attack of pleurisy, a blister will hasten the disapi3earance of water from
the chest. For checking inflammation of the jugular vein, in a horse,
nothing is so prompt as a long, narrow blister along the tense, corded,
swollen vessel of the neck. Slow abscesses are brought to a head by a
blister. For healing obstinate, unhealthy, old ulcers, nothing so often
succeeds as to apjjly a large blister, covering both the ulcer and an inch
or so of the flesh around it. Ointments of cantharides are much employed
by veterinarians for blistering purposes.
In applying any blistering preparation, the hair should first be shaved
off. The animal should be prevented from rubbing and breaking the
blister when it rises. On the second day after it has been applied, the
part should be well bathed with warm water, and dressed with washed
lard, oil, or unsalted butter. Liniments of cantharides are used to
stimulate a part, short of blistering it. An average strength is —
No. 485. Powdered cantharides, 1 oz.
Linseed oil, 10 oz.
To be rubbed in.
Nos. 13, 16, 17, 18, 19, 32, 33, 167, 234, 235, 237.
Capsicum {Red pepper, Cayenne pepper) — see Pepper.
Carraway Seod. — Dose ^ oz. Used as a stomachic, with other
medicines.
Carbolic Acid. — Dose lO to 40 drops ; sheep and pigs, 5 to 10
drops. One of the most valuable veterinary medicines. In strangles,
putrid sore throat, low fevers and farcy, given in full doses, often re-
peated, it greatly lessens the severity of the disease. In indigestion,
dyspepsia and flatulence, it nearly always succeeds. "Wounds should be
freely washed with a one per cent, solution. Overreaches, quittors
and troublesome ulcers, should be covered with oakum, which should
be kept wet with the solution. For stings, bites, skin diseases and
parasites, it has numerous applications. As an antiseptic and disin-
Drugs and Medicines, 493
fectant, and hence a preventive of disease, it should be in every barn
and stable. Nos. 151, 220, 2-41, 279, 288, 307, 318.
Castor on. — ^osq l pint; sheep and pigs, 3 to 4 oz., or G or
8 beans. A mild purgative ; efficient, though slow, in its effects. For
young animals, about the best purge. When given to adult horses or
cattle, it is best to combine with it half a pound of Epsom salts. Nos.
110, 130, 330, 376, 404.
CatOChUa — Dose ^ oz. A useful vegetable astringent in diar-
rhea, flux, etc. Nos. 121, 131, 370, 387.
Chalk — see Lime carbonate.
Charcoal. — Dose l oz. Used for indigestion and dyspepsia,
with fetid feces. It can readily be given in gruel. Externally, it may
be dredged or sprinkled on foul sores.
Chloral Hydrate. — Dose l to 2 ounces; sheep and pigs,
1 to 3 drachms. One of the best agents to quiet irritability and
produce sleep. Used in colic, asthma, brain disease, convulsions of all
kinds, etc. A solution of a drachm to the ounce is one of the best ap-
plications in obstinate ulcers, old galls, wounds, etc. Can readily be
injected subcutaneously. Nos. 96, 126, 243, 377.
Chloride of Lime— see Lime.
Chlorate of Potash— see Potash.
Chloride of Sodium (Common Salt, Dairy Salt) — see
Sodium Chloride.
Chloroform. — Dose 1 to 2 drachms. As an anodyne in colic,
asthma and troublesome cough. Principally used as an anaasthetic. For
this purpose 2 or 3 ounces are generally sufficient for horses and cattle,
1 to 2 ounces for sheep and pigs. A sjDonge saturated with this amount
may be placed in a nose-bag and fastened to the head, or held to the
nostrils. The animal should be well secured, as the earliec effi^ct of
chloroform is to produce a state of excitement. Air must be allowed to
enter freely with the chloroform, as its pure vapor is poisonous. A safer
though slower anaesthetic is the mixture No. 12.
For internal use a mixture called chloric ether is very popular in
England. It is —
No. 486. Chloroform, 1 part.
Pure alcohol, 19 parts.
494 Drugs and Medicines,
Dose, horses, 1 ounce ; cattle, 2 ounces ; sheep and pigs, J ounce*,
Mr. Dun says such a dose, with half a teaspoonful or a teaspoonfal of
laudanum, diluted with water, is one of the most effectual anti-spas-
modics and nerve soothers he has ever used. Nos. 92, 139, 364.
Cinchona [Peruvian Baric, Quinine). — As a tonic and for
use in fevers, no medicine equals the active principles of Peruvian
bark. Unfortunately, quinine is too dear for veterinary practice.
Cheaper and very efficient preparations are cinchonia and cinchonidia ;
or the powdered bark itself may be used. Dose of quinine, horses and
cattle, 20 to 40 grains ; pigs and sheep, 10 grains of powdered bark j
half an ounce to horses. They are used in exhaustion and debility, in
scrofula, rheumatism, diabetes, sheep's rot, influenza, etc. Nos. 88,
146, 178, 194, 203, 335o
Cod"iiv©r OiL — Dose 4 to 8 oz. An excellent tonic; valuable
in exhausting diseases, especially in young animals. Nos. 132, 202.
Copalva. — Dose, as diuretic, J oz. to 1 oz. ; as an expectorant in
coughs, 1 or 2 oz. No. 209.
Copper Sulphate [Blue vitriol, Blue Stone, Vitriol of Cop-
per).— Dose, horses and cattle, 1 to 2 drachms; sheep and pigs, 10 to
20 grains. A tonic and astringent ; used solid as a mild caustic ; in
large doses poisonous. Copper sulphate is much used in excessive
watery or bloody discharges from the bowels. In glanders and exhaust-
ing diarrheas, it is one of the best remedies. As a stimulant and caustic,
it is used on inflamed eyelids, fistulous and slow healing wounds, foot
rot in sheep, and the like. Copper subacetate, or verdigris, is
sometimes used like the sulphate, but is a more irritant poison, and
might as well be dropped. Nos. 118, 134, 178, 180, 213, 215, 310.
Copperas — see Iron Sulphate.
Corrosive Sublimate {Corrosive chloride of mercury) — see
Mercurials.
Cream of Tartar — see Potash bitartrate.
C reaSOtOn — Dose 20 to 40 drops. This is made from wood tar,
and is a useful preparation. It is used to check unhealthy discharges,
and as an antiseptic. In farcy, nasal gleet, scouring, etc., it is given
internally. Externally, it is an excellent remedy to relieve itching,
destroy vermin, to dress foul wounds, and recent burns. For these pur-
poses it may be used as an ointment, 1 dr. to lard 1 oz., or 1 dr. to
water I pint. Nos. 120, 174, 200, 326, 398.
Drugs and Medicines. 495
CfOtOn Oil' — Dose, for a horse, 20 drops; for cattle, 50 drops; for
sheep and swiiuc, 5 to 10 drops. The oil is made from the seeds of the
plant. Ten or twelve seeds is a dose for a horse. A powerful and
prompt purgative, and externally a sharp irritant, producing numerous
little pustules. Valuable in fardel bound, and other forms of obstinate
constipation. Externally, it is used for jDleurisy, pneumonia, chronic
rheumatism, obstinate swellings and the like. It should not be applied
to horses, as it blemishes. Nos. 89, 91, 323, 388, 375.
Digita^liS' — Dose of the powdered leaves, horses, 30 grains ; sheep
and pigs, 10 grains. Very useful to reduce temperature at the outset of
feTers, etc., to strengthen the heart when diseased, for broken wind, and
to reduce dropsy. It acts on the kidneys promptly. It may also be
given in an infusion from the leaves (1 drachm of the leaves to a pint of
cold water), and the active principle of the jjlant, digitalin, is very con-
venient for hypodermic use, about one-twentieth of a grain, repeated as
needed. The effects of digitalis are rather slow, not being visible some-
times for 10 or 12 hours. Nos. 76, 82, 155, 167,320, 434.
Epsom Salts {Sulphate of maguesia)~sGe Magnesium sul-
phate.
Ergot. — The spur of diseased rye. Used both to hasten and
facilitate the birth of animals, and to prevent abortion in dropping.
Dose, for a mare or cow, 1 oz. ; for sheep and swine, 1 drachm. A
simple decoction, swallowed, dregs and all, is the best form for veteri-
nary practice. Ergot is also useful in bleeding from the lungs, nose,
stomach or bowels. For this purpose it is best given by hyijodermic
injection of its active principle, ergotiu, in five-grain doses, in solution,
repeated as often as necessary. Nos. 24, 405. Page 325.
Ether {Sulphuric ether). — Used as an anaesthetic and stimulant.
As an anassthetic, the mixture recommended under chloroform is better
than ether alone. As a prompt and diffusible stimulant, the dose is,
for horses and cattle, 2 ozs. ; for sheep and pigs, I oz. It is called for
in the chills and shiverings which often usher in diseases, and is
especially called for in hard-worked horses in town, when struck down
by influenza, etc. It relieves cramps, colic, stomach staggers and
fainting fits. Nos. 12, 28, 95, 98, 102, 319.
Fen nel Seed . — Dose l to 2 oz. Used as a stomachic, with other
medicines.
Callic Add.— Dose J oz. a popular vegetable astringent, ia
diarrhea, etc. Nos. 122, 302.
496 Drugs and Medicines,
Cingor. — Dose J to 1 oz. of tlie powder, 1 draclini of tlie essence.
A useful stimulant and stomachic, in colic, diarrhea and exhaustion.
Much employed in combination with other medicines, to prevent griping
and render them more acceptable to the stomach. Nos. 121, 335.
Contisn. — One of the most esteemed vegetable tonics. Dose of
the powder J oz. to 1 oz. Nos. 86, 123, 189,196, 337.
CISIUber S^ltS — see Soda, sulphate of.
ClyCCrinO is a cleanly and useful application for sores and galls.
In cracked heels, sore mouths, harness galls and the like, it should be
diluted and mixed with tannin, as follows : —
No. 487. Glycerine, 8 oz.
Starch, 1 oz.
Tannic acid, ^ oz.
The following is an excellent application to sores, old galls, burns
or foul wounds : —
No. 488. Glycerine,
"Water, of each, 4 oz.
Carbolic acid, ^ oz.
To be painted on with a brush.
Cu^lEICUm. — Used as an expectorant; one of the best, in the
lower animals. Nos. 66, 321.
Hartshorn — see Ammonia.
Hellebore, White. — Used as an irritant. No. 14.
Iodide of Potassium — see Potassium, iodide of.
Iodine. — Usually employed as the tincture. Dose 30 to 60 drops,
on an empty stomach. Generally used externally, painted on the skin,
to reduce swellings of the joints, strains, hardenings of the udder, cold
abscesses, scrofulous glands, skin diseases, and for indolent ulcers and
unhealthy wounds. Nos. 81, 170, 172, 183, 202, 238, 253, 255, 815, 426.
Iron, Chloride of. — The tincture of the chloride of iron is an
efficient tonic, astringent and alterative. The dose is ^ oz., well diluted,
Nos. 74, 117, 188, 203.
Iron Sulphate [(rreen vitriol, copperas). — Horses, 2to8drs.
Sheep, 20 grs. Astringent and tonic. Can be mixed with soft food and
given several times daily, where there is want of tone of the system and tor-
pidity of the bowels. It is a cheap and efficient tonic, but turns the feces
of a black color, and gives them a disagreeable odor. After it has been
Drugs and Medicines, 497
given five or six days, it should be suspended for a few days, so as tc
avoid irritating the stomach. Nos. 2, 152, 161, 176, 205, 322, 423, 428.
Ipecacuanha. — I^ose \ oz. A diaphoretic and expectorant.
Useful in dysentery. Not very efficacious in the herbivora. Nos. 67j
137.
Laudanum— see Opium.
Lead Acetate [Sugar of lead), — Dose 1 drachm ; calves,
sheep, pigs, 10 to 15 grs. Used to check bleeding from the lungs and
bowels, profuse scouring, red water, etc., especially when combined
with opium. Externally, 5 or 10 grains dissolved in an ounce of water,
it is excellent to soothe and heal burns, bruises, irritable and moist
ulcers ; to cool and relieve inflamed tendons, moist skin diseases, and
cracked and itching skin diseases. It has been often used as an eye
•wash, but for this it is not suitable, as the lead is apt to leave a perma-
nent stain or film on the eye, over the cornea. Nos. 119, 226, 227, 228,
248.
LimCy Lime ^SitOr {Calcium oxide, quicklime, aquacalcis). —
Lime is irritant, corrosive and antacid. Lime water is made by briskly
stirring four ounces of freshly burned lime in a gallon of water, letting it
settle, and pouring off the clear solution. It is an excellent antacid in
indigestion, hoven, and diarrhea in cattle and calves. Dose 2 to 6 ozs.
Mixed with linseed oil, in equal parts, it is one of the best applications
in burns and scalds, and in watery and itching skin diseases. Powdered
slaked lime is used as an antacid. Dose 1 dr., mixed with moist food.
Nos. 265, 385.
Lime Carbonate (Calcium carbonate. ChaTJc). — Dose,
horses, 1 to 2 ozs. ; sheep, pigs, 2 to 4 drs. One of the cheapest and
most convenient antacids, much used in indigestion, chronic diarrhea,
and dysentery. May be given in milk or moist feed. Nos. 113, 116,
120, 121, 133, 385.
Lime Chloride [Chlorinated Ume, bleaching powder). — Prin-
cipally used as a disinfectant. Scattered about the stable, it keeps away
flies, rats and mice. Used externally for unhealthy wounds, mange and
grease. Of little or no value internally. It may be advantageously
mixed with equal parts of powdered sulphur. Nos. 3, 231, 312.
Lunar Caustic— see Silver nitrate.
Lobelia Inflata [Indian tobacco). — Used as a nauscant and de-
498 Drugs and Medicines,
pressant in nervous excitement, lockjaw, mad staggers, etc. Dose of
the tincture, 1 ounce.
Linseed. — Valuable as a diet. Nos. 5, 6.
Linseed Oil-— I^ose, as a cathartic, 1 to 2 pints. A bland and
unirritating purge, useful in young and weakly animals. Often valuable
In choking in cattle. Externally it is a soothing dressing. Nos. 89, 91.
Magnesia, Suiphate of [Epsom salts, Sulphate of mag-
nesia).—Do^Q, as a purgative in cattle, 1 to 2 pounds ; calves, sheep and
pigs, 3 to 6 ounces. A popular febrifuge, purgative and alterative, but
not desirable as a purge for horses, as it sometimes acts very violently
on them. It is, however, valuable to them in small doses, repeated, say
1 to 2 ounces, several times a day, to ''cool the blood," in influenza,
pneumonia, and, indeed, most febrile inflammatory disorders. It should
be given in ten or fifteen times the quantity of water, and mixing it
with molasses and ginger will nearly conceal the taste, and allow of
giving it in soft food. Nos. 144, 145, 331, 332.
MerCUriaiS. — Mercury or quicksilver is used as Mercurial oint-
ment, Mercurial liniment, Mercury with chalk {Gray Powder), Bed
Precipitate {Red Oxide of Mercury), Calomel {Mild Chloride of mer-
cury), Corrosive sublimate {Corrosive Chloride of mercury) and Citrine
ointment {ointment of Nitrate of Mercury).— 0^ these we may use in-
ternally, mercury with chalk, dose 15 to 20 grains, in indigestion and
diarrhea in young calves ; but calomel, dose 30 to 60 grains, is gen-
erally preferred, combined with chalk, magnesia or opium. Calomel is
much less used now than formerly, and is mostly confined to some
diseases of the stomach and bowels. Corrosive sublimate is a very
valuable internal remedy in arresting the slimy, bloody discharges of
chronic dysentery in cattle. Dose, horses and cattle, 5 to 8 grains ;
sheep and pigs, 1 grain. Externally mercurial ointment is used as a
stimulant for old sores, ulcers and swellings, and for destroying lice and
vermin. But for the latter purpose other agents are better, as the mer-
cury is apt to be absorbed, and to poison the animal. A weak solution
of corrosive sublimate, 20 grains to the pint of water, is used for the
same purpose. Citrine ointment is used in chronic skin diseases, ring-
worm, etc., but is easily absorbed, and must be cautiously used. Nos.
76, 90, 147, 162, 186, 194, 234, 236, 239, 350, 383.
Muriatic Acid {EydrocUoric acid. Spirit of salt).— Dose of
the diluted medicinal acid 1 to 2 drachms, in a quart of water. An ex-
cellent remedy, given with the food, in indigestion in lambs and calves
Drugs and Medicines, 499
and in weak animals without appetite, and which do not thrive ; also in
febrile and exhausting diseases, and in hemorrhages. May be advan-
tageously combined with iron, gentian, Peruvian bark or other bitters.
Externally, the strong acid is a powerful caustic ; diluted, it may be
applied to ulcers with proud flesh ; and as a cheap and penetrating dis-
infectant, it is suitable for pouring on carcases of diseased animals which
have died of contagious diseases. No. 141.
Mustard {Sinapis), —Do^q ^ oz. Best given as a pill or ball.
A stomachic and mild stimulant, in colic, cramps, dyspepsia, etc.
Principally used externally, as the popular ''mustard plaster." For
ordinary purposes, it may be mixed with tepid water; mixed with
whisky or vinegar, the action is slower ; with turpentine or spirits of
ammonia, the action is much more prompt and severe. The oil of mus-
tard rubbed in is a strong blistering fluid. For all domestic animals,
mustard plasters are admirable means of reducing inflammations, reliev-
ing pain, lessening swellings and stimulating parts. Nos. 190, 395.
Nitre {titrate of Potash) — see Potash nitrate.
Nitrate of Silver [Lunar camtic)—see Silver Nitrate.
Nitric Acid (Aqua fortis).— Dose of the dilute medicinal acid
1 to 2 drs., well diluted. Internally a stimulant and antiseptic, useful in
dyspepsia, low fever, and diarrhea. The strong acid is used as a caustic
for removing warts, proud flesh, etc. It is generally applied on a splinter
of soft wood. A drachm of the strong acid to a pint of water is a valu-
able wash for foul sores, old ulcers, foot rot, and sloughing wounds. It
is also serviceable in abating itching, nettle rash and mange. No. 229.
NUX Vomica and Strychnine (>S^^rycAma).— strych-
nine is the active principle of the plant nux vomica. The dose of the
powdered nux is, for horses, 1 dr., cattle, 2 drs., sheep and pigs, 20grs.,
given in a ball. Far more convenient is strychnine used with the hypo-
dermic syringe, as —
No. 489. Strychnine, ' 5 grains.
Water, 6 drachms.
Alcohol, 2 drachms.
Of this ten drops contain one-tenth of a grain of strychnine, and 20
or 30 drops m*y be thrown at one time under the skin of the
horse.
Internally, a horse may take 2 grains of strychnine. Both nux and
strychnia are of unequaled value in stiffened and partly paralyzed ani*
mals. To be used with advantage, they must be continued and the dos©
500 Drugs and Medicines,
increased, until the animal has twitchings of the muscles, usually first
noticed at night. Nos. 31, 86, 146, 157. '
Oilof Tar— seeTar.
Oil of Vitriol — see Sulphuric acid.
Olive Oil {Sweet oil.) — Laxative and demulcent. Dose 1 to 3
pints.
Opium is employed principally as powdered opium, laudanum,
{tincture of opium), and morphine, which is one of its active principles.
Horses and cattle can take 2 drachms of powdered opium, or 3 or 4 ozs.
of laudanum, or 5 to 10 grains of morphia at a dose. An invaluable
means of giving an opiate is to inject one or two grains of morphia under
the skin. Calves, sheep and pigs about one- sixth of these doses. Hardly
any drug has more uses than opium. It is a stimulant in exhaustion and
weakness, it allays pain and restlessness, it checks excessive secretion
and vomiting, it relieves the spasms of colic, dysentery, lockjaw and
many convulsive diseases. It should not be given in active inflamma-
tion, when the skin is hot and dry, and the pulse strong, in inflamma-
tion of the brain, nor in obstinate constipation. Nor is it considered
safe in diseases of the lungs, when the breathing is shallow and rapid.
When an animal is suddenly taken with shivering and chills, a full dose
of opium will often cut short the impending disease. At the very com-
mencement of a cold, when the nostrils begin to run, a similar treatment
will abort the attack. Nos. 73, 76, 78, 118, 119, 120, 124, 169, etc.
Morphia— see Opium.
Pepper, Black and Red {Capsicum, Cayenne pepper).—
Dose 2 to 3 drachms. Used in indigestion and colic, and sometimes as
a plaster or liniment on the skin. Less esteemed now than formerly.
Petroleum {Rock oil, Seneca oil, etc). — The crude oil should be
used only as an external application to galls, cuts, bruises, scratches,
etc. Internally, kerosene and benzine are valuable in coughs, colds,
croups, colics and intestinal obstruction. Dose 1 to 4 ounces. Benzine
is said to prevent trichinae in hogs. Kerosene destroys lice.
Peruvian Baric— see Cinchona.
Podophyllin {'The active principle of tlie May apple or Hog
apple). — Dose, 1 to 3 drachms. This is an active purgative in man, but
has little effect on the lower animals. It is said to be a sedative to the
heart. No. 337.
Drugs and Medicines, 501
Potash, Bitartrate of {Cream of tartar).— Coolmg, laxa-
tive and diuretic. Dose 2 or 3 ounces, well diluted in water. Nos. 108.
IGl. '
. Potash, Bromide of.— I^ose J ounce to l ounce. A seda-
tive, to allay nervous excitement. Nos. 25, 187.
Potash, Bicarbonate and Carbonate.— Dose J
ounce to 1 ounce. An alkali, sometimes used in indigestion.
Potash, Iodide of.— Dose ^ ounce to 1 ounce. Prescribed
in chronic rheumatism, scrofulous enlargements, chronic coughs, and to
cause absorption in pleurisy and inflammation of the lungs. Nos. 75,
Potash, Nitrate of
ounce. An alterative, febrifuge and diuretic. Much used in condition
powders, febrile complaints, dropsy and inflammations. Externally, it
is added to cooling lotions. Nos. 78, 79, 100.
Potash, Chlorate of.— Dose 2 to 4 drachms. Useful in
fevers, inflammation and sore throats. Externally as a wash to foul
ulcers, etc. Nos. 66, 84, 106, 311.
Quinine — see Cinchona.
Salicylic Acid. — Dose, l to 2 drachms. A valuable antiseptic
and febrifuge. In all descriptions of wounds it arrests putrefaction,
lessens pain and hastens healing. A convenient solution for external
use is —
No. 490. Salicylic acid.
Borax,
each,
10 grains.
Water,
1 oz.
Apply on rags, tow or oakum.
In acute rheumatic fever the dose above given, repeated three or four
times a day, will generally greatly hasten the cure. No. 192.
Saltpetre — see Potash nitrate.
Silver, Nitrate of {Lunar caustic). — Dose, internally, 5 to 6
grains, made into a ball. For external purposes small sticks of the fused
nitrate are sold ; or an ointment may be made, 5 to 10 grains to the ounce
of water ; or a solution, of any desired strength. The antidote is common
salt, which should be at hand to check the over-action of the caustic.
Internally, it is a tonic, stimulant and astringent, useful in diarrhea,
dysentery, cholera and wasting fevers. It is generally used externally.
502 Drugs and Medicines,
As a caustic it removes proud flesh, warts and angleberries, and freshens
the surface of obstinate sores. For sore teats, foot rot and the like, it is
an excellent application. Nos. 27, 129, 224.
SoSiPa — Common soft soap, well rubbed in several times, is often a
cure of skin disease. It is also popular in clysters and liniments. Hard
soap is much employed in making liniments, ointments, balls, etc. Nos.
207, 209.
Soda, Bicarbonate of {BaMng socZa).— Dose J to 1 oz.
An excellent alkali. Nos. 86, 123, 192.
Soda Bisulphite of- — I^ose ^ to l oz., as a disinfectant inter-
naUy. Nos. 113, 281, 313.
Soda, Chloride of {Common salt). — Dose, as a purgative to
the ox, 1 lb.; sheep, 1 to 3 ozs. In large doses salt is an efficient purga-
tive for these animals, but should not be given for this purpose to the
horse, as its action is uncertain and violent. In small doses it is a
digestive stimulant and stomachic. Nos. 87, 151.
Spanish Flies— see Cantharides.
Strychnine. — I^ose 3 to 4 grains to a horse. A poweriul tonic
and nervous stimulant. Nos. 30, 80.
Sugar of Lead — see Lead acetate.
Sulphate of Magnesia— see Magnesium sulphate.
Sulphate of Strychnia.
Sulphur {Brimstone). — Dose, as a laxative, 4 to 6 ozs. ; as an
alterative, 1 to 2 ozs. Its value as such is not very great. Externally,
sulphur ointments are very popular for vermin and parasitic skin dis-
eases. Nos. 108, 161, 190, 283, 290, 291, 351.
Sulphuric Acid {Oil of vitriol).— Dose of the medicinal acid
1 to 2 drachms ; as an external wash 20 drops of the strong acid to 1
oz. of water. Used in a similar manner to Nitric and Muriatic acids,
which see. Nos. 4, 184, 191, 216, 363.
Sulphurous Acid. — Dose of the medicinal solution 1 to 2 ozs.
One of the cheapest and best antiseptics. The acid is evolved in a
gaseous state by burning sulphur. Flour of sulphur sprinkled on a
shovelful of hot coals will evolve it rapidly, and a stable can thua be
Drugs and Medicines, 503
thoronghly purified. The medicinal acid is an excellent soottine
application to irritable wounds. It can be used with the atomizer. No. 1
Sweet Oil — see Olive oil.
Sweet Spirits of Nitre. — Dose l to 2 ozs. A stimulant,
diuretic and antiseptic. Valuable in indigestion, colic, low fever,
inflammatory diseases and kidney disorders.
Tannic Acid. — Dose 10 to 20 grains. A powerful astringent
in diarrhea and mucous discharges. Used as an injection for the whites,
to relaxed membranes. Nos. 69, 115, 125.
Tar. — Largely used as an external dressing to wounds, chaps, galls,
mallenders, grease, ringworm, foot rot, etc. - Internally, it is a vermi-
fuge, and benefits chronic cough. Dose 5^ to 2 ozs. Tar ointment is
made by mixing equal parts of tar and lard at a gentle heat ; tar water ^
by pouring a gallon of boiling water on a pint of tar, stirring and letting
it settle. Oil of tar is an impure turpentine, obtained from distilling
tar ; it is used for sheep dips, etc. It is an excellent antiseptic. Nos.
212, 216, 246, 293, 285.
Tartar Emetic— see Antimony.
Tobacco* — Dose 1 to 2 drachms, dissolved in hot water. As a
relaxer of the muscles, tobacco is used in colic and obstinate constipa-
tion, tetanus, and convulsions. Externally, it is popular as a destroyer
of fleas, ticks and lice. Nos. 294, 297.
Turpentine (^^'^ of turpentine^ Spirit of turpentine). — Dose i
to 2 ozs. A valuable stimulant, antispasmodic, diuretic and vermifuge.
But administered mixed with olive or linseed oil, or shaken up with
milk, gruel, or white of eggs and water. Largely used in indigestion,
colic, worms, coughs, rheumatism, low fever, etc. Externally, as a lini-
ment in rheumatic swellings, sprains, bruises, frost bite, vermin, ce.t
It should not be used where there is high fever, or irritation of the
bowels or urinary organs. Nos. 70, 90, 91, 94, 148, 150, 207, 208, 388.
Veratrum Viride (i^^ Water hemlock) is highly esteemed by
€ome to reduce the pulse and fever in acute inflammations. Dose ^ oz.
of the saturated tincture.
Verdigris — see Copper subacetate.
Vinegar. — Principally used externally as a convenient stimulant
in strains, bruises and superficial inflamtaations. As acei-ic acid a dis-
504 Drugs and Medicines,
tilled and concentrated vinegar is sold by druggists ; dose 1 to 2
draclims, -well diluted. It is used as a cooling addition to drinks, and a4
an antidote to alkalies. Nos. 174, 218.
Vitrioly Blue — see Copper sulphate.
Vitriol 9 Green— see iron sulphate.
Vitriol, White— see Zinc sulphate.
Zinc Chloride [Butter of zinc). — A powerful caustic, used
externally in foot rot, malignant growths, and the like. Dissolved, 5
grains to the ounce of water, it is a capital wash to destroy vermin and
disinfect foul wounds. Nos. 177, 217.
Zinc Oxide. — {Flowers of zinc.) An excellent drying powder
for weeping surfaces, moist skin diseases and chafes. An ointment of
1 drachm to lard 1 ounce is one of the most soothing to irritated
surfaces. Nos. 227, 267.
Zinc Sulphate — [White vitriol). Principally used externally
as a stimulant and astringent in weak wounds, foul ulcers, ophthalmia,
chronic skin diseases, etc. The solution is usually made of 5 or 10
grains to the ounce of water. Also as -a disinfectant. Nos. 2, 26, 185,
218 270.
CLASSIFIED LIST OF DRUGS,
ACCORDING TO THEIR ACTION ON THE SYSTEM, WITH
EXPLANATIONS AND FORMULAS.
"When we wish to bring about a particular effect on the
system we select as medicines those agents which experience
has shown to produce the desired action ; and with this end
in view, drugs have been arranged in classes, with reference
to their specific or peculiar action. The practical utility of
such an arrangement will be obvious; and for that reason
we give below a scheme of the kind, omitting various minor
divisions of no great importance.
ALTEEATIVES.
These are medicines which alter or correct some faulty condition of
the blood or secretions. They are used when animals are " out of con-
dition," and in scrofula, rheumatism, distemper, anaemia^ and chronic
diseases generally. The principal alteratives are ;^
Mercury and its preparations.
Iodine and its preparations.
Arsenic.
Sulphur.
The Salines (Nitre, Epsom, Glauber and Common Salt).
Alkalies (Potash, Soda, Lime).
Vegetable alteratives (Podophyllin, Poke).
Mercury^ in the form of calomel, was formerly much more largely
employed than it is now. Nevertheless, in the commencement of some
acute diseases, and also where an active fillip to the liver is required, it
is a valuable remedy.
Iodine is used principally in the form of the iodide of potash.
505
606 Qassified List of Drugs,
Arsenic is very lilgHy esteemed. Its most convenient form ib Fowler' s
solution of arsenic, one ounce of which is the average dose for a horse.
The Salines and Alkalies increase the discharge from the kidneys,
bowels and skin. They may often be advantageously combined with
sulphur, as — •
No. 491. Nitre,
Sal ammoniac, of each 1 drachm.
Sulphur, flowers of 1 oz.
Mix with gruel, oil, milk, or molasses and water, for a draught.
Other alterative receipts are Nos. 181, 182, 183, 461, 462.
A1T.SSTHETICS.
These are given for the purpose of benumbing the senses and prevent'
ing pain. The two most important ones are — •
Chloroform, and
Ether.
The method of administering them will be found on page 61.
ASTEINGE2STS.
This class of medicines are used to check excessive discharges, especially
from the bowels, and also to stay bleeding. The principal astringents
are —
Alum,
Acetate of lead,
Tannic and gallic acids and vegetables containing them,
The mineral acids,
Ergot.
They should not be used when there is extensive inflammation and
high fever ; nor is it well to give them at the outset of many complaints,
as diarrhea, for instance, as the increased discharge is often an eff'ort of
nature to relieve the system of irritating substances. Formulas for
astringents will be found on pages 138, 139, 144, 145, 337, 370.
CAUSTICS.
These are required to destroy ''proud flesh;" to kill the virus in
poisoned wounds ; to stimulate old ulcers and destroy sloughs ; to excite
healthy action in fistulas ; to remove warts and tumors ; and the like.
The most important are—
Classified List of Drugs. 507
Nitrate of silver (lunar caustic),
Nitrate of mercury,
Nitric acid,
Chloride of zinc,
Butter of antimony,
The hot iron.
The nitrate of silver and chloride of zinc can be bought in pencils,
which can be placed in holders and used very conveniently. The first
mentioned is the most popular of all the caustics.
Nitric acid is very valuable for limited but powerful impression. It
is readily applied by dipping the end of a match or a larger piece of
wood in the fuming acid, and applying it to the part. The pain is
intense, but of short duration.
Butter of antimony is rejected by some surgeons but is very highly
esteemed by others (see page 359).
The liot iron is an efficient and powerful caustic, too little used now-
adays owing to a weak sentimentality.
Caustic solutions and formulas are given, Nos. 215, 216, 217, 220,
221, etc.
COTTNTER-IRRITANTS.
This class includes rubefacients, which redden the skin ; vesicants,
which raise blisters ; and suppurants, which produce sores on the
surface. The principal ones are —
Alcohol,
Turpentine,
Ammonia,
Mustard,
Rubefacients.
Cantharides, "]
Boiling water, I Vesicants
Iron at 212°
Tartar emetic ointment, j PP • I
All these agents, by setting up an inflammation on the surface at no
great distance from an internal one, withdraw from it some of the blood
and serum which surrounds it, and thus diminish its intensity. They are
of frequent service in almost all attacks of congestion and inflammation
of the internal organs, of the bones, joints and deep tissues. Even in
influenza, fevers, and other general disorders of a depressing character,
an active rubefacient, such as a mustard paste, well rubbed into the legs
.508 Classified List of Drugs,
and washed off in five or ten minutes, is of much benefit in reducing the
temperature and stimulating the powers.
Counter-irritants should not be placed too near the affected parts ;
nor should vesicants be used when inflammation is high. Suppurants
are valuable for old chronic complaints.
For directions for blistering see page 68 ; and for various formulas
for counter-irritants see under Cantharides, p. 440.
DEMULCENTS.
These are gummy, or glutinous solutions, intended to soothe and coat
inflamed surfaces. They are of great value in inflammations of the
membranes of the throat, stomach and bowels, in kidney diseases, and
other irritable conditions. The principal demulcents are —
Linseed tea.
Slippery elm bark tea.
Gum arable water.
Starch water.
Sweet oil.
All of these are serviceable, and the two first mentioned are par-
ticularly so, as they are both excellent and cheap. Examples of theii
use will be found in formulas, Nos. 5, 6, 169, etc.
DISINFECTANTS AND DEODORIZERS.
These have been fully considered on previous pages, 28, 29, 421.
DITJRETICS AND DIAPHORETICS.
Diuretics increase the action of the kidneys, and consequently the
amount of urine ; diaphoretics act on the skin, and augment the amount
of perspiration. They are allied in character and use, being employed
to relieve the pressure on other organs of secretion, and diminish fever-
ishness. Horses sweat more readily than cattle, and are more easily
acted upon by sweating medicines. The principal drugs of this class
are —
Nitrate of potash (nitre),
Bitartrate of potash (cream of tartar),
Turpentine,
Sweet spirits of nitre, ' Diuretics.
Digitalis,
Cantharides,
Classified List of Drugs. 509
Solution of acetate of ammonia
Ipecacuanha (small doses),
Dover's powder,
Tartar emetic,
. Diaphoretics.
"Warm water is an efficient agent for both purposes.
When any of the above are given, and the animal covered with cloths
and kept in a temperature of 70°, the action will be mainly on the skin ;
but when uncovered and exposed to a lower temperature, the action
will be on the kidneys. A cheap and effectual diuretic ball for a horse
is —
No. 492. Nitre,
Resin,
Soft soap, of each ^ oz.
Three-fourths of an ounce of each of these, dissolved in a quart of
water, is a diuretic drench for a cow.
For other examples of medicines of this class, see Nos. 163 164, 166.
EMETICS AND EXPECTOEANTS.
Emetics are given to produce vomiting ; expectorants to loosen mucus
in the breathing tubes, and facilitate its expulsion. The horse, cattle and
sheep cannot vomit, therefore emetics have no place in their treatment ;
and expectorants have very little effect on them. The best formulas will
be found in Nos. 50, 51, 57, 68, 321.
KAECOTICS, ANODYITES AND SEDATIVES.
These are employed to allay pain, soothe irritability, and quiet exces-
sive nervous action. The most valuable narcotics in veterinary pharmacy
ftre —
Opium (including laudanum and morjjhia),
Belladonna.
Each of these has innumerable applications, and they must be regarded
as about the most valuable drugs to the veterinarians. Their many uses
will be seen by consulting the formulas referred to in the premium list.
In the class of sedatives whose action is to lower nervous force, the
principal are —
Aconite,
Veratrum viride. •
These are very largely used by many practitioners to reduce the pulse
and abate the febrile symptoms, at the outset of acute inflammations.
They have been referred to in formulas given in the foregoing list.
510 Classified List of Drugs,
PURGATIVES OR CATHARTICS.
TKese are designed to bring about evacuation of the bowels. They
are an exceedingly valuable class of remedies. The principal ones are —
Aloes,
Salts (Epsom, Glauber and common salt),
Oils (linseed, castor, Croton).
Ahes are especially useful in horses ; the salts and the oils, in cattle
and sheep. The rules for their administration and formulas for their
proper combination will be found in the alphabetical list.
STIMULANTS.
These are intended to give prompt assistance in an exhausted condi-
tion. The strength they confer is not lasting, therefore too much re-
liance should not be placed upon them. But in many emergencies they
are invaluable, and save life when nothing else will. The main ones
are —
Alcohol. ("WTiisky, brandy, gin, wine, ale, etc.)
Ether.
Carbonate of ammonia.
Turpentine.
Ginger.
Where there is active inflammation or high fever, stimulants should
be withheld ; but in wearing chronic disease and in crises of profound
nervous exhaustion, they can be administered with advantage.
TONICS.
These are intended to sharpen the appetite, and increase the nervous
vigor, and thus impro^ve the health generally. They should not be given
to already healthy animals, as they are not beneficial ; nor should they
be continued for too long a period, as they lose their effect. Small doses
should be given at regular intervals, for one or two weeks, and then
should be suspended for a few days, or another tonic substituted. They
are either of animal, vegetable or mineral origin, as
Sulphate of iron. (Copperas.)
Sulphate of copper. (Blue vitriol.)
Arsenic.
Vegetable bitters. (Peruvian bark, gentian, quassia, etc.)
Alcohol.
Cod-liver oil.
As the mineral tonics are generally nxore active than those from the
vegetable conditions, they are generally prescribed for horses and
cattle ; or the two forms are combined.
INDEX.
J6®* Drugs and medicines are not Included In this Index, but should be look«/d
for in the Alphabetical list on page 488 ; and Poisons in the list on page 480.
PAGE.
Abortion, in cows,
. 315
Absorbent vessels, inflammation of the
. 156
Adenitis, specific, of horses,
. 181
Afterbirth, when retained in cows, ,
. 323
Ague cake, in cattle, ....
. 283
in swine, ....
. 407
Albugo or eye spot,
. 251
Amputation of the foot, ....
. 309
Anaemia of cattle,. ....
. 289
Anaesthetics, how to administer,
41, 61
Anatomy of the horse, ....
84, 85
Aneurism, in horses, ....
. 155
Anthrax j in cattle, 276 ; in swine, ,
. 390
fever,
. 278
Apoplexy, in horses, ....
. 90
parturient, in cows, .
. 829
splenic, in sheep, 344 ; in swine,
. 403
Arteries, enlargement of, ^
Ascites, in the horse, . • • *
. 155
. 186
Asthma, in horses, .►...,
Azoturia, in horses,
. 119
. 165
.B.
Balling iron, form of, ... .
. 40
Balls, how to give,
. 39
Barbs and Paps, in horses, . . . ,
. 125
Barrenness, in cows,
. 312
Bastard strangles, in colts, . . . .
. 182
Black leg, or black quarter, in cattle.
. 276
tongue,
. 277
water in horses, . . . . ,
. 165
in cattle,
. 300
Bladder, inflamed, in horsea, . . . .
. 160
stone in the, in horses, 161 ; in sheep
, . 861
worm, the, in sheep, . • . .
. 371
511
512
Index,
Blain, in cattle, • •
Blast, the, in sheep, . •
Bleeding, rules for, .
Blood spavin, in horses, .
Bloody flux, in horses, 143 ; in cattle
murrain the, .
urine, in cattle, .
Blistering, directions for, .
Blown the, in cattle, 291 ; in sheep
Blue disease the, in swine,
nose, in swine, .
Bog spavin, in horses,
Bone spavin, , , ,
rotten,.
Bones, inflammation of, ,
Bots the, in horses, 160 ; in sheep.
Bowels, inflammation of, in horses,
_ obstruction of, in cattle.
Brain, inflammation of, in the horse
hydatid of the, in sheep,
Braxy, in sheep.
Breaking down, in horses.
Broken knees, in horses, ,
^ wind, in horses,
Brushing, in horses, .
Burns and scalds,
Burst, or hernia,
Bustian foul, in cattle,
Caked bag, in cows, .
Calking, in horses, .
Calving, management of, .
Canker of the feet, in horses.
Capillary bronchitis, in cattle.
Capped hock, .
Caries of bone, .
Cataract, how to examine for,
Catarrh, in horses, .
in cattle, , .
in sheep,
in swine, . ,
Catarrhal fever, in horses,
Cattle plague, the, .
powders, ingredients of,
Cautery, the, method of using, .
Cerebro-spinal meningitis, in horses
Charbon, in the horse, •
in cattle, .
in sheep, , ,
in swine, • ,
27';
PAGB.
, 278
353
62
218
302
279
300
69
353
393
404
218
219
239
215
374
140
297
87
371
343
235
233
119
233
242
244
306
fc 333
. 233
318, 330
. 202
. 265
. 222
. 239
. 250
102, 105
. 285
. 351
. 400
. 109
. 268
. 476
. 65
. 85
. 176
. 276
. 343
. 390
Index,
513
PAGE
Charges, how prepared, 66
Chickens, diseases of,
. 426
cholera of,
428, 464
lice on.
.432
Choking, how to treat,
. 245
Cholera, hog, so-called,
. 389
of fowls.
. 428
Clipping, as conducive to health,
. 32
Cold in the head, in horses.
. 102
in cattle.
. 285
chest, in horses.
. 105
Colic, in horses.
. 131, 134
in calves.
. 338
in sheep,
. 353
in dogs.
. 416
Colt distemper,
. 181
Condimental food, .
. 476
Condition powders, .
. 470
Conjunctivitis, . ' .
. 249
Constipation, in horses, .
. 136
in dogs.
. 417
Consumption, in cattle, .
. 287
in dogs.
. 416
Convulsive diseases, in horses.
. . 90
Cords, the, in cattle.
. 297
Corns, in horses,
. 201
Costiveness, in horses.
. 136
in lambs.
. 368
in dogs.
. 417
Cough, chronic, in horses,
105, 107
in cows and cattle.
. 286
Coughs and colds, in swine,
. 404
Cowpox, the, ....
. 284
Cows, diseases of.
. 313
best breeds, .
. 435
how to choose,
. 446
management of.
450, 457
Cracked heel, in horses,
211, 241
Cradles, for horses, .
. 35
Cramp colic, in dogs,
. 417
Cribbing, or crib biting.
. 130
Croup, the, in calves.
. 338
Cud, loss of,
. 77
Curb, in horses.
. 236
T).
Diabetes, in horses, 164
Diarrhoea, in horses and cattle.
. 137
in calves.
. 336
in lambs,
. 368
in swine, .
,
. 406
in dogs, .
.
. 418
in fowls, .
. ,
. 427
514
Index.
PAGE
Diets, for sick animala, 36
for fattening stock.
• '*JJ
Disease, signs of, . ' .
. .77
Disinfectant mixture,
. 429
Disinfection, rules and receipts for,
28. 429, 473
Distemper, the. in colts, .
. .181
in sheep, .
. 351
in dogs, .
. 420
Dogs, diseases of.
. 415
Drenches, rules for giving to horses,
. 47
to cattle.
. 49
Dropping the calf, ...
. 315
Dropsy, in the horse.
. 186
wind, in the sheep.
. 353
Dysentery, in horses.
. 143
in cattle, .
. 302
in dogs, .
. 418
Dvapepsia, in horses.
. 128
"Fl.
Ear. canker of. in dogs 423
Eczema, of the heels, in horses.
. 212
contagious, in cattle. .
. 274
Elbow lameness or elbow sprain,
. 234
Enteric fever, of cattle, .
. 263
Enteritis, in the horse,
. 140
Epilepsy,- in horses,
. 90
Epizootic, the. in horses, .
. 109
Epizootic aphthae, in cattle. ^
274
Epizootic catarrh, in sheep.
. 351
in swine,
400
Erysipelas, in horses,
185
Erythema of the heels, in horses.
211
Ewes, milk fever in, .
363
garget in, ....
364
Eye spot
251
Eyes, inflammation of the.
248
how to examine.
250
inflamed, in dogs, .
424
Falling sickness, in horses,
False quarter, in horses, .
Farcy, in the horse, .
Fardelbound, in cattle,
Feathers, loss of, in fowls,
Felon, in cattle,
Fibro-chondritis of the hoof, in horses.
Firing, rules for performing,
Fiatula of the coronet, in horses, •
90
206
174
293
432
306
207
64
207
bV.
Fii. ;.
Fii.. -^ '
Id-
Fo:.
yntE of^
rtn — - . .
Foul ci^w. or imai imh. in cbsa.
. . , ir siifjeT..
X rrnnaer. in iiorsefe,.
FcviL. disease* of.
ciiDi-erfe of.
Frog, diseifcset afa*fc. in r -
Fr:>siiinfc. .
Frnai- in iiarseE.
V
Tvr.
- W'
. 4is;
. I&4
. 2!S
. »
. dOfi
. 236
. 274
. SO?
• d6C>
. 2.^
. lit
. 42*
. 2f»('
G-.
in
in:iiain&.
L iorses-
- m finsep.
2»
2(4
n
^ fhgt*:.
IS
2iC
^grm^icm. in horaeE
in fltteei>.
514
Index,
Diets, for sick animals,
for fattening stock,
Disease, signs of, .
Disinfectant mixture.
Disinfection, rules and receipts for,
Distemper, the, in colts, .
in sheep, .
in dogs, .
Dogs, diseases of, .
Drenches, rules for giving to horses,
to cattle,
Dropping the calf, .
Dropsy, in the horse,
wind, in the sheep.
Dysentery, in horses,
in cattle, .
in dogs, . .
Dyspepsia, in horses,
E.
Ear, canker of, in dogs, .
Eczema, of the heels, in horses,
contagious, in cattle, .
Elbow lameness or elbow sprain,
Enteric fever, of cattle,
Enteritis, in the horse,
Epilepsy,..in horses,
Epizootic, the, in horses, .
Epizootic aphthae, in cattle.
Epizootic catarrh, in sheep,
in swine,
Erysipelas, in horses,
Erythema of the heels, in horses,
Ewes, milk fever in,
garget in,
Eye spot, ....
Eyes, inflammation of the,
how to examine,
inflamed, in dogs, .
IF
Falling sickness, in horses,
False quarter, in horses, .
Farcy, in the horse, .
Fardelbound, in cattle.
Feathers, loss of, in fowls.
Felon, in cattle,
Fibro-chondritis of the hoof, in horses.
Firing, rules for performing.
Fistula of the coronet, in horses, •
28
PAGE
. 36
. 477
. 77
. 429
, 429, 473
. 181
. 351
. 420
. 415
. 47
. 49
. 315
. 186
. 353
. 143
, 302
. 418
. 128
423
212
274
234
263
140
90
109
274
351
400
185
211
363
364
251
248
250
424
90
206
174
293
432
306
207
64
207
Index,
517
Inflammation of eyes, in dogs,
Inflammatory fever, of cattle, .
colic, in dogs.
Influenza, the, in horses, .
Iiijections, rectal, rules for giving,
into the nose, .
into the veins.
Intestinal fever, of swine.
Interfering, ....
Issues, how to make,
Itch, the, in sheep, .
in hogs,
PAGE
424
278
417
109
43
53
45
330
232
71
383
412
Jaundice, in the horse,
in cattle, . . . .
Jersey cows, . . .
Jugular vein, inflammation of.
Kidneys, inflammation of, in horses,
Kidney worms, in hogs, .
Knees, broken, . . . .
146
299
441
156
159
410
233
Lakeburn, in cattle, .
Lambing, in the ewe.
Lambs, rheumatism in,
constipation in,
diarrhoea in,
Lameness, signs of, in the horse,
elbow,
Laminitis, in the horse,
Lampas, in horses, .
Lard worms, in hogs.
Laryngitis, in horses.
Leg weakness, in fowls,
Leprosy, the, of hogs.
Lice, on horses,
on cattle,
on hogs, .
on dogs, .
on fowls.
Liver, congestion and inflammation of,
flukes in the, in sheep, .
Live stock, sanitary management of.
Lockjaw, in horses, ....
in the horse,
in cattle,
. 293
. 362
. 365
. 368
. 368
192, 196
. 234
. 197
. 124
. 410
. 112
. 432
. 408
. 260
. 310
. 413
. 425
. 432
146
298
379
457
96
618
Index,
Louping ill, in sheep,
Lumbago, in cattle, .
Lung fever, in horses,
in cattle,
in swine,
worms, in lambs,
Lymphangitis, in horses,
1^
Malignant pustule, .
sore throat,
Mallenders and sallenders, the,
Mammitis, in cows (See Garget
Mange, the, on horses,
in sheep,
in hogs,
in dogs,
Mawbound, in cattle,
Mayhew's mixture, for dogs,
ointment, for dogs.
Measles, in hogs,
Megrims, in horses, .
Metritis, in cows.
Milk, management of, in cows
to bring on or increase,
to correct blue and bloody
fever, in cows,
in ewes, .
in cattle,
Milking, the art of, _ .
Milt swelling, in swine.
Moon blindness.
Mud fever, in horses,
Murrain, in cattle, .
Myositis, symptoms of, in horses,
liT.
Nasal gleet, in horses.
Navicular disease, in horses, .
Necrosis and caries of bone.
Nettle rash, in the horse.
Nose, running from, in horses,
the blue, in swine, .
PAGE
349
307
113
270
404
375
156
. 276
277, 395
. 256
. 333
. 258
. 383
. 412
. 422
. 293
. 419
. 419
. 411
. 91
. 329
. 327
. 328
. 328
. 329
. 363
. 304
! 407
. 249
. 211
. 276
. 199
103
209
239
254
103
404
Ophthalmia, periodic,
Ostitis, in horses.
Overreach,
249
215
232
Index.
519
Ovination, how performed,
Oxen, feeding and management,
PAGE
349
461
Pale disease, the, in lambs.
Palpitation, in horses,
Palsy. (See Paralysis.)
Paper skin, the, in lambs,
Paralysis, in horses.
Parturient apoplexy,
fever, in cows,
Parturition, in cows,
Pelt rot, the, in lambs, .
Periodic ophthalmia.
Periostitis, in horses,
Pharyngitis, in horses,
Phlebitis, in horses,
Phrenitis, in the horse,
Phthisis, in cattle, .
Pink eye, in horses,
Pining, in cattle,
Plethora, in animals,
Pleurisy, in horses, .
Pleuro-pneuraonia, the, in cattle
Pneumonia, in horses,
in cattle,
Pneumo enteritis, contagious
Poisons and antidotes.
Poll evil, the, .
Positions of the calf.
Poultices, how made.
Pregnancy, length of, in animals
Probang, directions for using
Puerperal fever, in cows,
Pulse, the, in animals
Pumiced foot, .
Purples, the, in swine.
Purpura hemorrhagica, in the horse,
Quarter ill, in cattle,
Quidding, in horses, ,
Quinsy, in swine,
Quittor, in horses, .
Q/.
I?/.
Red soldier, the, in swine,
water, in cattle, .
in sheep.
Reproductive acts, the, in animals,
375
152
375
95
329
329
318
375
249
215
112
156
87
287
109
287
471
116
270
113
265
393
479
237
320
46
26
246
329
72
198
393
175
276
126
404
393
300
354
26
520
Index,
PAGE
Retained afterbirth, in cows, ,S23
Rheumatism, in the horse,
. 178
in cattle.
. 306
in lambs, .
. 365
Rinderpest, the.
. 268
Ring bones, in horses,
. 217
worm, in horses.
. 252
Rising of the lights, in swine,
. 405
Roaring, in horses, .
. 120
Rot, the, in sheep, .
. 379
Rowels, how to insert.
71
Rupture, in horses, .
. 244
S.
St. Anthony's fire, .185
in sheep,
. 348
St. Vitus' dance,
. 90
Sallenders, the, in horses.
. 256
Sandcrack of the hoof,
. 205
Scab, the, in sheep, .
. 383
in hogs, .
. 412
Scouring, in horses, .
. 187
in calves, .
. 386
in lambs, .
. 368
rot, the, in cattle.
. 302
Scratches, the, in the horse.
. 211
Scrofula, in the lower animals,
. 265
Seedy toe, in horses.
. 199
Setons, how to insert,
. 63
Sheath, diseases of, in horses, .
. 167
Sheep distemper,
. 851
pox, ....
. 847
Shoote, the, in calves,
. 838
Short horn cows.
. 437
Shot of grease, in horses.
. 156
Shoulder lameness, meaning of,
. 230
slip, in the horse,
. 281
Sick animals, attention to.
. 31
Sick dogs, how to treat, .
. 416
Sidebones, in the horse, .
. 222
Sitfasts, on horses, .
. 257
Sleepy staggers, in horses.
Slings for horses, how made, .
. 129
. 34
Slinking, in cows.
. 315
Smallpox, in cows, .
. 284
in sheep, .
. 347
Snores or snivels, in cattle.
. 285
Sore shins, in horses,
. 215
throat in horses.
. 112
malignant or putrid, in cattle.
. 277
in s
wme.
.
. 395
Index,
521
PAGE
Spanish fever, the,
. 281, 400
Spavin, bog,
. 218
blood,
. 218
bone,
. 219
Special diet preparations.
. 36
Speedy cut, a,
. 233
Splenic apoplexy, in sheep.
. 344
fever, the, of cattle,
. 288
of hogs,
. 390, 407
Splints, in horses,
. 216
Spotted fever, in the horse.
. 175
Sprains or strains,
. 228
of the back sinew.
. 232
of the suspensory ligament.
. 235
Stabling of sick animals, .....
. 27
Staggers, blind or mad, in horses, .
. 87
sleepy, in horses,
. 129
stomach, in cattle,
. 293
in swine.
. 403
Staleing, painful, in horses,
. 162
profuse,
. 164
Stall-feeding cattle,
. 454
Staring coat,
. 75
Stings and bites,
. 243
Stomach staggers,
. 129, 293
Stone in the bladder, in horses.
. 161
in sheep.
. 361
Stopping, for the feet, ....
. 32
Strains, of the shoulder and leg of the horse,
. 230
Strangles, in the horse, ....
. 181
in swine
. 405
Strangury, in horses, ....
. 162
Striking of the blood, in sheep,
. 343
Stringhalt, in horses, ....
. 90
Sturdy, the, in sheep, . . . .
. 371
Sunstroke, in horses, ....
. 93
Superpurgation, treatment of, .
. 138
Suppositories, how made and given.
. 43
Surfeit, in horses, . . . . •
. 254
Surgical instruments, veterinary.
. 59
Suspensory ligament, strain of, . . .
. 234
Sutures, how to insert,
. 66
Sweeny, in the horse, .... 22
8, 231, 232
Swine, diseases of,
. 388
rules for feeding,
. 462
Swiss cattle,
. 445
Swollen belly, in horses,
. 134
Syphilis, in horses,
. 167
T.
Tapeworm, in sheep and dogs,
. 371
in hogs,
. 412
522
Index,
PAGE
Teeth, operations on the, 67
decayed, in horses,
. 126
Temperature, the, of animals,
. 76
Tetanus, in horses, .
. 96
Tetter, moist, in horses, .
. 254
Texas cattle disease,
\ 2i
51, 400
Thick leg, in horses.
. 158
wind, in horses.
. 120
Thoroughpin, in the horse,
. 221
Thorter ill, in sheep,
. 349
Thrush of the frog, in horses,
. 202
Thumps, the, in horses, .
Ticks, on cattle,
'. 310
Tinea, or ringworm,
. 252
Tooth cough, in horses, .
. 127
Tracheotomy, how to perform,
. 183
Tread, a, in horses, .
. 233
Trembles, the, in cattle, .
304
Trevis, how to construct, .
61
Trichina or trichinosis, in swine
)
409
Trocar described,
53
Tuberculous disease, in cattle, .
287
Turnsick, in sheep, .
371
Tympany or tympanites, in horses,
134
TJ.
Udder, inflammation of the, in cows, . . .333
in ewes,
. 384
Urine, retention or suppression of, in horses
bloody, in cattle, ....
. 162
. 300
in sheep, ....
. 354
■V.
Vagina, diseases of, in mares, 170
Variola, of cows, ....
284
of sheep, ....
247
Ventilation, of stables,
28
Vertigo, in horses, ....
91
Veterinary pocket case.
59
Vives, in horses, ....
125
•W.
Warbles, in horses, 257
Weed, the, in horses,
. 156
Weights and measures,
. 67
Whistling, in horses.
. 120
White bristle, in hogs.
. 390
scour, in lambs.
. 370
skin, the, in lambs,
.
376
Index,
523
Wind dropsy, In sheep, .
galls, ....
sucking, ....
colic, in dogs,
Wolf teeth, as a cause of blindness,
Womb, inversion of, in cows, .
' inflammation of, in cows,
Worms, intestinal, in horses, .
in sheep,
kidney and lard, in hogs.
Wounds, general treatment of, .
of the feet,
of the knees, .
Wound fever, .
PAGE
353
235
130
417
251
323
329
148
382
410
224
204
233
226
Yard, diseases of the, jgg
Yellows, the, in horses, ...!,'! 146
in cattle, 298
This is the best book of the kind wc bave yet seen, from either tlie Euglibli or American
press." — Live Stock Journal and Fancier''8 Gazette, London.
Of Eminent Veterinary Surgeons, Distinguished Physicians,
the Medical Press, Leading Agricultural Journals, ancJ
others, to the merit of
THE DISEASES OE LIVE STOCK.
BY W. B. E. MILLER, D.V.S.,
One of the Veterinarians of the Bureau of Animal Industry, Department Agriculture, WashingloVj
D. C; Chief Veterinary Surgeon of the New Jersey State Board of Health ;
President of the United States Veterinary Associatioti,
AND LLOYD V. TELLOR, M.D.
From FlNLAT Dun, Lecturer on Materia Medica at the Edinburgh Veterinary College, Scotland,
author of "Veterinary Medicine,^'' etc.
"I have had much pleasure in examining Drs. Miller and Teller's volume, and believe
that it vk'ill prove of much value to agriculturists and amateurs, as well as to veterinarians.
In terse and readable language, it treats of a large number of veterinary subjects, and
contains a great amount of useful practical information on the diseases of live stock."
From Jos. TivsmAhV , Veterinary Surgeon, V. S. A.
"The treatment of the diseases of live stock recommended in Drs. Miller and Tellor'e
book is humane, simple and scientific. I think it will prove a valuable book to every
stock owner."
From CoL. James Moore, Quartermaster, U. S. A., Washington, D. G.
"I have carefully perused the book entitled 'The Diseases of Live Stock, and their Jlost
Efficient Remedies, including Horses, Cattle, Sheep and Swine,' by Drs. Miller and Tellor,
and have no hesitancy in pronouncing it the very best work on the subject that has come
under my observation.
"The book is fi-ee from the technicalities usually found in similar works, and can be
profitably studied by those who are not acquainted with the anatomy and physiology of the
four species of animals therein treated.
"The forms of medicines, and methods of their administration ; the signs and symptoms
of diseases and manner of treatment, are scientifically exact and simple ; the diagnosis
perfect, and the medical cure recommended the result of jiractical (!Xperience in a rural
l<icality, and studied research among the best and latest veterinary experts of England and
our own country.
" To the owner of a horse this book cannot be too highly commended. Especial attention
is paid to the treatment of the diseases incident to this animal, and the removal of what-
ever would impair his powers. The article on diseases of the foot of the horse is alone
worth the price of the book.
"It should be in the hands of every owner of live stock, be he pour or rich, farmer,
ranche man or city gentleman."
1
From Col. A. F. Eockwkll, As&t Qiiurlermasler, l'. S. A.
"I have examined Drs. Miller and Tailor's book. It appears to me exhaustive and
thorough, and I do not doubt it will be of great service to all who are interested in stock."
From General William G. LeDuc, U. S. Commissioner of Agriculture.
"In ordering Drs. Miller and Tellor's ' Diseases of Live Stock' for our library, I desire
to congratulate you on the publication of so excellent and desirable a manual for farmers,
to every one of whom engaged in raising or handling live stock the work will be of great
value."
From PnOF. Tiios. Taylor, 3Ilcroscopist to the Department of Agriculture, Washington.
"I have a very high opinion of Drs. Miller and Tellor's work, and I cheerfully add my
testimonial to its exceeding usefulness to every one in any way interested in stock raising
or owning."
From William A. Hammond, N..D.,of New York City, Late Surgeon General, U. S. A.
"I have gone through Drs. Miller and Tellor's book very carefully, and regard it as
admirably adapted for the use of those who are obliged to treat their own animals. It is
eminently practical and full of common sense."
From Henry J. Bowditch, m.D., Chairman of the Massachusetts State Board of Health.
" I am much pleased with the book, and think it will do a great deal of good."
From Edwin M. Snow, Superintendeid of Health, lihode Island; Chairman of the State Board
of Health. *
"There are some diseases of domestic animals that I have seen much of and have in-
vestigated with care. In regard to these Drs. Miller and Tellor's book is correct and
judicious. As a whole, the book is well done. Its language is plain, and it will prove
highly useful to the public. It will also correct some false and pernicious ideas in relation
to some diseases among animals."
From Henry Bergh, Esq., President of the American Society for the Prerention of Cruelty to
Animals.
" I iim gratified by the opportunity to express my admiration of its contents, which I
find so clearly and naturally uttered that all who can read can understand. It is a most
useful and elegant volume."
From Horace J. Smith, T'tVe President of the Permanent International E.rhihition, Philadelphia.
"Drs. Miller and Tellor's book is a valuable contribution to popular knowledge of a most
important subject; a knowledge which is now imperatively demanded. It is especially
valuable to the isolated farmer, who is unable to call in skilled attendants. I hail its
publication as a forerunner of the time when veterinary science will take its just rank
alongside of other sciences."
From the '^Practical Farmer"" {Phila. Pa.)
" The publication of this work is most opportune, and it will prove of great value tij all
stock owners."
From the " Cliatauqua {N. Y.) Farmer.'''
"We consider Drs. Miller and Tellor's book far superior to any we have up to this time
examined. Its arrangement is most admirable. It is well qualified to enable any farmer
to handle skillfully all his sick animals."
From the Lancaster '^ New Era.'''
"It is a model handbook, and one that every keeper of domestic animals should own; it
will save him many dollars during the course of a year. The most approved remedies for
all the known diseases are given. We know of no other work so well adapted to popular
use as this."
2
From the ^^ Boston Journal."'
"This is a very practical and lulpful treatise."
From (he " Ponllnj Monthly,'" Albutiy, New York. /
"This is an exhaustive treatise on the diseases of horses, cattle, sheep and swine. It is
easy of reference, and will be highly valned by every stock breeder."
From the " DvtcheffS Co. Farmer,''' N. Y.
" The ftirmer and stock man will find this a book to which he will refer almost daily.
No possible case of disease in stock seems unprovided for. The explanations are full and
the directions clear."
From the ''Detroit Post and Tribune.'^
" This work has many special features to recommend it. The language is free from
technicalities, and the descriptions are clear and accurate. We do not hesitate to re-
commend it as covering a wider field than any similar book published, and it is better
adapted to popular use."
From the "Medical and Surgical Reportek," Philadelphia.
"The authors' results are presented in direct and clear terms, addressed to the ordinary
reader, but exact and truly exponent of the latest scientific research."
From Dr. Henry Gibbons, Editor of the " Pacific Medical and Suryical Journal,"' San
Francisco.
" Most of the books that have been written on the diseases of domestic animals have
been filled with common notions on the subject, and entirely devoid of scientific pathology
and therapeutics. But this is the work of educated and systematic writers. We esteem
it a valuable work, and just what is needed. Having scanned it over, we should not like
to be without it."
From Dr. J. G. Westmoreland, Editor of the "Atlanta {G<i.) Medical and Surgical Journal.
" A first-class handbook of veterinary practice, with every disease that animals are sub-
ject to arranged in systematic order, and treated of in a plain, comprehensive manner. All
who deal in live stock should have the work. It is adapted particularly to the use of
farmers, etc., and all technicalities are avoided."
From the "New York Medical Journal.''''
"This work is written in plain language, for the use of the farmer and stock owner, and
the authors have endeavored to render it a safe guide for practice, according to the rules of
the best veterinary surgeons. The directions seem very full and explicit, and the methods
of treatment are abundantly illustrated wherever illustrations are necessary."
From the "St. Louis Courier of Medicine.'''
"This book is well written, well printed and bound, and we heartily commend it to all
who value the comfort and well being of their animals, especially those who are beyond
the reach of a good veterinary surgeon. The different diseases are concisely and accurately
described, the symptoms being so clearly defined that they may be readily recognized by
the non-professional. The chapter on diseases of the foot and on lameness is especially
instructive."
From the "Chicago Inter ocean."
"This book should find its way to every farmer and stock raiser. It is thoroughly scien-
tific, yet universally free from technicalities. Valuable animals have often been sacrificed,
from ignorance of tlie facts and laws here laid down."
From the ''National Agrwulturist and Working Farmer.''''
"This is a most excellent work, full of valuable material."
From the "Live StocJc Journal and Fanciers' Gazette,'" Loiulou, England.
"We have carefully examined the book before us, and can give it hearty commendation.
It is the best book of the kind we have yet seen, from either the English or American
press."
From the " North British Agriculturist" Edinburgh, Scotland.
" Drs. Miller and Teller's popular treatise is a valuable work. They have collated a great
(leal of information, which they present in a clear and readable form. Agriculturists on
both sides of the Atlantic will consult it with much advantage."
From the " Virginia Medical Monthly."
" This work must become, when once known, the popular treatise on veterinary science
in this country. It should be generally found throughout the land."
From the " Chicago Interocean."
"This is a valuable book, and should find its way into the hands of every farmer and
stock raiser. While it is thoroughly scientific in its investigation and its facts, yet it is
unusually free from all technicalities."
From the " North Carolina Medical Journal."
"We advise our friends in the country to put this volume side by side, on their book-
shelves, with Youatt, and soon the latter would be but a shelf-keeper alongside their new
acquaintance."
From the ^'Louisville Medical News."
" This work should be in the hands of every physician and farmer. It is full of practical,
useful information."
From the " Atnerican Medical Bi-weekly," Louisville.
"This is an excellent work, written in plain language, and will prove most useful to
every farmer and stock owner. It is profusely illustrated with devices and appliances for
the treatment of unruly patients. To all interested in the subject we warmly recommend
this book."
From the "Southern Practitioner " Nashville.
"It is the most intelligently written work on this subject which we have examined."
From Prof. Lewis A. Sayre, m.d., of New York City.
"Having read Drs. Miller and Teller's work very carefully, I consider it of the greatest
possible utility to the farmer. It should be in the hands of and carefully studied by every
breeder of live stock. It is a condensed epitome of all the more scientific works on the
subject, freed from their technicalities, and thus made more useful to the non-professional
reader."
From J. F. Elsom, A.m., Agricidtural Editor of " Turf, Field and Farm.
" After a careful perusal of Drs. Miller and Teller's work, I have no hesitation in saying
that it is one of the best books of the kind, and should be found in the library of every
one owning or having to do with live stock."
From the "New York Medical Record."
"This work contains an immense amount of valuable information. The therapeutical
portions are clear, precise and simple. It will furnish an excellent resource in cases of
emergency."
From the " Canadian Journal of Medical Science. "
"Drs. Miller and Teller's work en the 'Diseases of Live Stock' constitutes a notable
example of a work which can be safely recommended to the enterprising stock owner, not
only in sections unsupplied with good veterinary surgeons, but even in localities where
they reside."
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