Part 3

TREATMENT.—Give two tablespoonfuls of Cascara Sagrada. Great care must be exercised in administering the medicine to place it well back on the tongue; do not hold the nose high or some of the liquid may enter the lungs; it is much better to waste some of the medicine. One of the most important factors in the treatment of Colt Constipation is rectal injections; they relieve temperature, gases, and pain, promoting the worm-like action of the bowels and liquefying their contents.

COLT DIARRHOEA.

CAUSE.—Specific infection, the action of which is favored by insanitary conditions, irregular feeding, or permitting the colt to nurse when the mother is overheated or out of condition.

SYMPTOMS.—Frequent watery discharges, sometimes tinged with blood, and as the disease progresses the colt shows signs of great pain. If not treated promptly, the disease will terminate fatally in the course of six or ten days.

TREATMENT.—Determine the exact cause, if possible, and remove it. If the colt has not been weaned, attention should at once be given the mare, and if anything is wrong with her, it may be best to take the little patient away from its mother and feed it on cow’s milk sweetened with sugar. Give two tablespoonfuls of Castor Oil on the tongue; this will remove the irritant within the bowels. The following prescription is a very reliable remedy: Protan, three ounces; Pulv. Ginger, four drams; Zinc Sulphocarbolates, four grains. Mix and make into twelve powders; give one powder on the tongue every four hours, effecting a cure within a few days. Do not pull the tongue, or hold the head too high. Permit the animal to swallow slowly. Remember that sanitary surroundings are essential in the treatment of all diseases.

CRACKED HEELS.

CAUSE.—There is little doubt in my mind that ammonia, which is so plentifully found in ill-kept stables, is the chief cause of cracked heels. The action of ammonia on the skin renders it soft and pulpy, and diminishes its strength by separating the layers of which it is composed.

SYMPTOMS.—When inflammation is set up in the part, the secretion of natural oil is interfered with and cracks usually occur in the place where the skin becomes wrinkled when the pastern joint is bent. The discharge from cracked heels has an offensive smell. In early stages there is extreme heat and swelling, there is pain and lameness, which usually disappear as the case becomes chronic.

TREATMENT.—Keep the affected parts clean as possible, if there is extreme inflammation present. Apply hot poultice made from bran or flaxseed meal. When the inflammation subsides, apply Zinc Ointment twice daily. Before each application of the ointment, wash with Warm Water and Castile Soap. Feed carrots, green grass, if possible, also hot bran mashes or steam rolled oats each morning. Sometimes it is well to give a physic, and I would recommend Aloin, one and one-half drams; Ginger, two drams. A physic has very good effect in reducing the swelling of the legs.

DENTISTRY.

The art of animal dentistry has been abused by the owners of stock allowing the services of irresponsible men in the veterinary profession, who do not look to the betterment of the animal’s condition. The owner of the animals, not being able to see the condition of the animal’s teeth for himself, is persuaded into having the animal’s teeth worked on regardless of whether it is needed or not. The quack or transient veterinarian will pull and crack healthy, sound teeth, and lacerate the poor animal’s mouth.

HOW TO EXAMINE AN ANIMAL’S TEETH.—Perhaps the best method that can be applied in examining an animal’s teeth or mouth is by the use of a mouth speculum. There are several different makes on the market, and some can be purchased very reasonably and will give excellent service.

UNNATURAL CONDITION AND IRRITATION., ETC., OF THE TEETH.—After studying the anatomy thoroughly you will be able to see at once any abnormal condition of the teeth or mouth, which are as follows:

DENTITION begins at or soon after birth, and continues until the horse is five years old, and the animal suffers more or less during that time. The lower animals do not appear to suffer so much in getting their first teeth, but do suffer when getting their permanent ones, even more, perhaps, than the human being. Hence, we have dentition fever in the horse from three or four up to five years old—there is a weak pulse, impaired appetite, a staring coat, the bowels sometimes costive, and sometimes there is diarrhoea; he is not able to work, and it is hard to say what is the matter, unless the system is affected by the irritation set up by the teeth, for all of the organs appear to be in a healthy state. Such symptoms indicate that the temporary teeth are not being displaced in a proper way. The same applies to cattle. The food passes improperly digested, which may be due to the state of the teeth. It is well in such cases to examine the mouth, and if you find some tooth not properly displaced, the gums swollen, remove it—which you can sometimes do with the thumb and finger, or you may have to use the forceps, which we believe the best. Then give a laxative, feed on soft food, and the animal will soon recover.

IRREGULAR TEETH.—The gums are sometimes irritated in connection with the molar teeth. This irritation extends and affects the pharynx and larynx, and perhaps a severe cough is the result, called a dentition cough. It is often the result of but a slight irritation at the back part of the gums—this cough may not be very severe, but it is troublesome—or the gum may become badly swollen. The best treatment is to scarify it. We find tumors in the upper and lower jaw, perhaps from the imperfect development of the teeth, or from slight injury, irritation, etc. They may or may not be malignant, and are likely to extend and involve the alveoli and bone. If not malignant, and only upon the surface, it is called epulis, and is not very common. If not malignant remove it, and it may do well for some time; it will return, extend and become a hopeless case. The horse frequently suffers from sharp, projecting teeth, which occurs more commonly in old horses, from wearing down the teeth in an uneven manner. They will be sharper on the inner edge of the lower jaw and the outer edge of the upper jaw, which may be from faulty formation. In such cases the animal has difficulty in eating, grinds his food, ejecting it. Perhaps when driving him he carries the head to one side from the bearing of the bit not being the same on both sides. If the teeth are sharp in the lower jaw they lacerate the tongue; if in the upper they lacerate the cheeks. The best remedy for this is the tooth rasp, and there is no necessity for using the mouth speculum. After rasping, feed upon soft food for a day or two. There are more difficult cases where the teeth project to some extent, generally in old horses, due to malformation of the jaw. Sometimes the upper jaw extends over the lower, and a part of the tooth is not worn down properly, and after a time it interferes with mastication, and the animal suffers considerably from irritation. The same appears in the front teeth of the upper jaw, but it is not so serious as the back tooth. The animal may be reduced to a walking skeleton, almost; although the appetite appears good, the food is thrown out. You can detect by examining with the hand, and if it is the last molar tooth it is advisable to place a twitch on the horse’s nose, and using the mouth speculum, then remove the projecting portion of the tooth by means of the molar cutter. After using the molar cutters smooth the cut surface of the tooth with a tooth rasp and feed properly, and he will improve rapidly.

ULCERATED OR CARIES OF THE TEETH.—The lower animals do not suffer from this as much as man, for two reasons: their teeth are complicated, and the mode of living. Sweets have a bad effect upon the teeth. Horses rarely suffer from toothache, but they frequently suffer from carious teeth. Caries may commence either on the table surface, root or fang, or even in that which surrounds the teeth; or it may result from a slight injury, as getting a stone, etc., between the teeth when masticating, or it may begin in the fang from improper development of the dentine, which receives its nourishment from the tooth-pulp, and when this is gone, the tooth does not receive proper nourishment, etc.

SYMPTOMS.—In the early stages they are not very plain, but become better developed after a time. The animal will show some irritation while eating. Although he is hungry, and goes ravenously to eating, he will all at once quit masticating, and either holds the food in the mouth or throws it out unchewed. This may be due to a slight irritation of the teeth. He acts something similar to the human being, and these symptoms may be present for some time before well-marked symptoms appear. But in, it may be, six months or a year, certain distinct symptoms appear. If it is in the table surface, the tooth is brittle and wears down more readily and the tooth opposite to it grows longer; he quits or rejects the food, and a peculiar stench or fetor is present. The animal falls off in condition in most cases. When it is in connection with the root or fang it is different. As it extends it involves the other tissues, sets up irritation in the upper sinus of the head, if it is in the lower jaw, as well as the symptoms given, you will, perhaps, notice a slight enlargement which extends down the lower portion of the jaw; sinuses form and pus is discharged. Exercise care and judgment and you need make no great mistakes. I know of horses being destroyed for glanders when only affected with ulcerated teeth.

TREATMENT.—Remove the tooth—and this is not very easily done, but there are various ways. Open the mouth by means of a mouth speculum, and, if practical, use the forceps. The trouble with the forceps is, they are apt to break the tooth when they are closed upon it too tight. There is a root forcep which can be used in the lower jaw, as the teeth in that are more easily removed than those in the upper jaw; or you may remove by trephining, and then, by inserting a punch, it can be driven out. When you attempt to remove a tooth and it breaks down, it will, in many cases, come away of itself without further treatment. The first and second molars are more difficult to punch out than the others. After treatment keep the animal quiet; feed upon soft food that does not require much mastication. There is a difference in treating the cavity. Some recommend filling it with gutta percha to prevent the food from passing into the sinus. It will sometimes pass into both sinuses; but generally there is no necessity for filling it. If you trephine, it is more needful than in pulling. If food passes into the sinuses then it will be necessary to fill the hole. Sometimes in parrot-mouth the incisors of the lower jaw grow and irritate the mucous membrane of the opposite jaw when it is necessary to use incisor cutters or rasp them down.

WOLF OR SUPERNUMERARY TEETH.—Wolf teeth are comparatively small in size and have only one root and are found just in front of the upper molar teeth. Sometimes they do harm, but that is an exception and not the rule. They can be easily removed with a pair of small forceps or they may be punched out in some instances, but I prefer that you use the regular wolf tooth forcep as it looks much better to the onlooker. I think they interfere with the eyes, causing them to become watery and inflamed, due to the tooth exerting some influence upon the ophthalmic division of the fifth nerve.

SUPERNUMERARY TEETH.—Tooth substance may develop in almost any part of the body. These are called supernumerary teeth and are commonly found in the testicles, ovaries and sinuses of the head, etc.

FOREIGN BODY LODGED IN THE MOUTH.—A foreign body sometimes gets lodged in the mouth, as a piece of wood, wire from the feed, etc., and possibly becomes imbeded between the molar teeth, and the animal is not able to get it out. There will be difficulty in masticating; a flow of saliva; the animal stands with the head poked out, as if suffering from sore throat. He will partially masticate, then try to swallow, and perhaps eject the food. These symptoms are present in sore throat, and it is necessary to make a careful examination; you are not likely to mistake just one case, but if there is some other disease prevalent that presents similar symptoms, then you are liable to make a mistake. As stated before, exercise care and judgment and you need make no great mistakes, this applies to all diseases, etc., that you are called upon to treat.

CURB.

CAUSE.—Faulty conformation of the hind legs; that is to say, if a animal has crooked legs, a slight sprain from slipping or jumping will produce Curb. In cases where an animal has well proportioned limbs, and is afflicted with Curb, it is caused by a rupture of the small ligament or cord situated just back of the hock.

SYMPTOMS.—A swelling will be noticed on the back part of the hock. At first the animal is lame and the enlargement is hot and painful. After a few days’ rest the inflammation will partially subside and the enlargement can be plainly seen. When the animal is walked about he may be very lame at the start, but this will disappear as he is moved.

TREATMENT.—When the curb is hot and painful, it is well to apply ice packs or cold water to the part. When the inflammation subsides, apply Red Iodide of Mercury, two drams; Lard, two ounces. Mix and rub in well for twenty minutes; repeat every forty-eight hours until three applications are made. If the Curb is of long standing it is more difficult to treat, in which case the above treatment should be repeated again in two or three months. Do not use the animal in drawing heavy loads, or drive on slippery roads, for six months. Give the blister time to strengthen the ruptured tendons. A high-heeled shoe is often valuable in relieving tendons of their tension.

DIARRHOEA.

CAUSE.—Sudden change of food, frozen food, soft food, unwholesome food, stagnant water, or drinking large quantities of water at one time, purgative medicines, or it may be associated with blood diseases, lung and intestinal affections, or produced by micro-organisms. Many horses, particularly slack loined, slight, “washy” animals, purge if worked or excited, as may be observed among race horses when taken to a race course. Diarrhoea may also be due to worms, or it may be merely an effort on the part of nature to expel some irritant matter from the bowels or from the blood, in which case it should on no account be prematurely checked.

SYMPTOMS.—Frequent loose evacuations of the intestines, with or without pronounced abdominal pain; generally, loss of appetite, animal looks gaunt and the hair rough.

TREATMENT.—Keep the animal quiet, comfortably stabled and warmly blanketed. Give pure water to drink, often, but in small quantities. If the animal will eat, feed moderately on clean food, as rolled oats and dry bran. Also, give the following prescription: Protan, three ounces; Zinc Sulphocarbolates, ten grains; Creosote, one dram; Powdered Ginger, two ounces; Powdered Gum Catechu, six drams; Powdered Gum Camphor, one-half dram. Mix and make eight powders. Place one powder in gelatin capsule and give with capsule gun, or the same sized dose dissolved in a pint of water and used as a drench. However, be very careful when drenching an animal. _It is dangerous._ This prescription will not only check the diarrhoea, but will tone the muscular fibres of the intestines which aid in throwing off these irritant matters from the system. If the horse shows colicky pains, administer the same treatment as that recommended for colic. It is well to give the following treatment in the convalescing stages of diarrhoea: Pulv. Gentian Root, four ounces; Ferri Sulphate, four ounces Pulv. Nux Vomica, four ounces; Pulv. Fenugreek Seed, eight ounces. Mix and give one heaping tablespoonful three times daily in feed. This facilitates digestion by stimulating the flow of gastric juices.

DISTEMPER.

CAUSE.—Distemper is placed among the germ diseases, and is produced by the Streptococcus of Schutz. It is contagious and a number of animals in the same stable may become affected at the same time. It is supposed to attack an animal but once, but it may be contracted a second time. May occur at any time of the year.

SYMPTOMS.—The animal will first appear dull, and show loss of appetite, and the hair will look dull and rough. There will be a watery discharge from the nose, and in a day or so a lump will appear between the jaws; the animal keeps his head in a peculiar position; saliva runs from its mouth; the pulse will be a little faster than normal. The breathing will become more rapid and the lump between the jaws will get larger. This lump, or tumor, may form in other parts of the body, on the shoulder, in the groin, lungs or intestines. It usually causes death if it cannot be absorbed. This is called irregular distemper. A determined effort should be made to draw the lump, or tumor, to a head as soon as possible.

TREATMENT.—Place the horse in a clean, well-ventilated and lighted stall, excluding all drafts, blanket the animal, hand rub the legs and bandage them; give inhalations of steam from Hot Water and Turpentine. A good method for heating water for this purpose is to place hot stones or bricks in the water and Turpentine. This will relieve the hard breathing. Remember a horse cannot breathe through his mouth, therefore, liquid drenches are dangerous. A paste made from Potassi Chlorate, two ounces; Potassi Nitrate, two ounces, dissolved into a pint of warm molasses and given well back on the tongue in tablespoonful doses every two or three hours is very beneficial. A liniment made from equal parts of Aqua Ammonia Fort., Turpentine and Sweet Oil should be applied every morning over the enlargement that appears in the region of the throat. If the enlargement fails to come to a head, use a clean knife for lancing purposes.

After an attack of distemper your horse is generally run down in condition. Give the following: Potassi Nitrate, four ounces; Pulv. Gentian Root, four ounces; Pulv. Anise Seed, eight ounces. Make into thirty-two powders and give one powder three times daily in feed.

DROPSY.

(_Of the Belly, Chest, Sheath, Udder and Legs_)

CAUSE.—Poor circulation; kidneys not working properly; lack of exercise; diseases of the lungs, liver, heart, womb or sheath. Mares heavy with foal often have dropsical swellings.

SYMPTOMS.—Swelling seldom contains fluid, although sometimes a sticky serum oozes through the skin; fingers pressed against the swollen parts leave impressions.

TREATMENT.—Avoid giving physics in this condition when possible, especially to mares with foal. Feed laxative food, as hot bran mashes, green grass, carrots, potatoes, etc.; also the following mixture: Potassi Iodide, two ounces; Potassi Nitrate, four ounces; Chloride of Potash, two ounces. Mix and make into sixteen powders. Place one powder in their drinking water three times a day. Exercise the animal as much as possible and you will derive good results from this treatment within a week or so.

I may add that in the above affection it is a bad practice to apply hot applications, as the chances are it would produce a sloughing of the skin.

ECZEMA.

CAUSE.—Anything that interferes with the healthy action of the skin, as checked sweating, irritation from dirty blankets or harness, or from accumulation of dirt on the skin through want of grooming, errors in feeding, overheat, or by infection. In some cases the cause seems to be constitutional; in others, local. Though the disease is not parasitic in character, it is probable that when once contracted the diseased parts may become infected.

SYMPTOMS.—Slight dryness and eruptions that may affect the head, ears, neck, shoulders, flanks, inside of thighs and root of the tail, followed by vesicles or pimples which burst and discharge, or the contents may be absorbed. The animal will rub against the stall, manger, or any other object he can reach, until the parts are very sore, or if worked, he will rub himself violently when unharnessed.

TREATMENT.—Give Fowler’s Solution of Arsenic, one tablespoonful morning and night on their feed; also give a physic consisting of two drams of Aloin and two drams of Pulverized Ginger in gelatin capsule. Give at one dose. One physic is all that is necessary to cool out the blood, which will assist materially in treating Eczema. Also, apply Zinc Ointment twice daily over the vesicles or pimples which will appear on the skin. Also, feed easily digested food if possible, such as carrots, apples, grass, hot bran mashes and steamed rolled oats, and keep the animal clean and groom carefully with clean combs and brushes.

EYE DISEASES.

_Inflammation of the Membrane of Nictitans_

CONJUNCTIVITIS, or Inflammation of the superficial structure of the eye.

CAUSE.—Direct or indirect injury to the eye, as a blow from a whip, dust, sand or chaff in the eye, or it may be due to extreme cold, heat, or foul air.

The membrane of nictation is an accessory eyelid common to all domestic animals, the purpose of which is to remove foreign substances from the eye in much the same manner as we use the hand.

SYMPTOMS.—Conjunctivitis and inflammation of the membranes of nictitans are very much the same. A partial or complete closure of the eye, and a watery discharge due to overstimulation of the lachrymal glands, the fluid being secreted so abundantly that it is impossible for the tear duct to carry it away; hence, there will be a continuous overflow of tears down the horse’s face. The formation of a film or scum over the eye need not cause alarm if the eye shows no sign of puncture.

TREATMENT.—Examine the eye carefully and remove any foreign body with clean cloth or feather and apply the following: Yellow Oxide of Mercury, three grains; Lanolin, one ounce. Mix well together and apply to the eye three or four times daily. Avoid the use of liquid medicines, as they are hard to apply, and the animal throws them out by shaking the head.

FISTULOUS WITHERS.

CAUSE.—Fistulous Withers are seen mostly in horses that have a thick neck as well as those that are very high in the withers, or among saddle horses, those that are very low on the withers, the saddle here riding forward and bruising the parts. They are often caused by ill-fitting collars or saddles, by direct injury from blows, and from the horse rolling upon rough, sharp stones. In this location, the ulcer of the skin or a simple abscess, if not properly and punctually treated, may terminate into Fistula. The pus burrows and finds lodgment deep down between the muscles, and escapes only when the sinuses become surcharged when, during motion of the muscles, the pus is forced to the surface.

SYMPTOMS.—These of course will vary according to the progress made by the Fistula. Following an injury we may often notice soreness or stiffness of the front legs, and upon careful examination of the withers we will see small tortuous lines running from the point of irritation downwards and backwards over the region of the shoulder. The stiffness of the limbs may disappear at this time, and heat and soreness of the parts may become less noticeable, but the swelling of the shoulders continues to enlarge. The swelling may often have the form of a running ulcer, or its contents may dry up and leave a tumor, which gradually develops the common characteristic of a fistulous tumor. When the enlargement has an opening, we should carefully examine the pus cavity, as upon this condition will wholly depend our treatment.