The management and treatment of the horse in the stable, field, and ...

In the Stable, Field, and on the Road. 177
tumour to a suppuration. The first thing to be done is
to apply a sharp blister over the tumour between the
jaws, and for this purpose use Stevens' blister, or
biniodide of mercury. This administered in time will
facilitate the discharge a week or two sooner than it
would otherwise take place if allowed to come to a
period naturally. It will also have a tendency to draw
out the inflammation from the mucous membrane of
the throat, and consequently greatly ameliorate the
cough. The old practice of fomenting and applying
poultices to the tumour has almost passed away, as
they often proved ineffectual from the great thickness
of the horse's skin. Shortly after the blister has been
applied, a hot linseed meal poultice may be added, and
repeated twice a day until the tumour has become full
of matter and is quite soft. The tumour frequently
breaks of its own accord, but I do not like to do so as
the lips of the wound in that case become jagged, and
take a longer time to heal. I prefer to take a lancet and
insert it in the bottom of the tumour and cut upwards,
making a cut an inch or an inch and a-half in length.
The matter must be well squeezed out, and the lips of
the incision kept open with a piece of lint, which
should be kept in the wound for at least a week to keep
up the suppuration, otherwise a second tumour may
be formed which frequently proves very difficult to
cure. After the matter has been discharged, a small
quantity of carbolised oil may be injected into the
wound daily. At this stage of the complaint, if there
is no unusual degree of fever, it is advisable to give a
laxative, and the following will be found very good for
L