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

In the Stable, Field, and on the Road. 207
and the life or death of the animal depends upon the
treatment first adopted. Although the first symptoms
may be of a mild character, yet we have seen how
rapid they become in their after-effects ; to palliate
this would be absurd, the iron must be struck while
it is hot, and in this case we cannot hit too hard if we
mean to defeat the enemy, therefore the first remedy
is too clip off all the hair from the sides, mix mustard
with turpentine and vinegar into a thin paste, rub this
well into the sides from near the back all over the
ribs, in a circle at least of eighteen inches in diamater ;
the whole of the horse's chest and windpipe should
be also subjected to the beneficial effects of counter
irritation. In olden times farriers used to bleed freely
for inflammation of the lungs, but it is seldom re-
sorted to now. If the horse is costive, which is fre-
quently the case in inflammation of the lungs, the first
thing is to get its bowels open ; for this purpose (never
give aloes in inflammation) the best purgative to give
is three half-pints of linseed oil. Some give castor-oil,
but that mild aperient in the human being is both
uncertain and unsafe when administered to the horse.
Instead of bleeding we resort to the use of digitalis,
aconite, and acetate of ammonia. Tn the early stages
of inflammation of the lungs, give digitalis one drachm
morning and night. If the fever runs very high give
belladonna in drachm doses, alternately with digitalis.
If the pulse is high, up to 80 or 100, give aconite in
ten-drop doses every quarter of an hour, enemas of
warm soap and water, with two ounces of linseed oil,
which should be given every half-hour until the