yryyiyy>>'y>>ii'i 
 
 111a: 
 
 iEADY BEFERENGE. 
 
 
 r 
 
 
 
 
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. 
 
 Shelf...:.Ql_ 
 
 UNITED STATES OF AMERIOA. 
 
^- % V^ a:^. ^. 
 
THE FARMER'S READY REFERENCE; 
 
 OR 
 
 HAND = BOOK 
 
 OF 
 
 Diseases of Horses and Catde. 
 
 A SHORT AND PLAIN DESCRIPTION OF THE ORDINAKY 
 DISEASES OF HORSES AND CATTLE, WITH SIM- 
 PLE, PRACTICAL RULES FOR THEHv 
 CARE AND TREATMENTS^ 
 
 By S. C. ORR, V. S 
 
 GRADUATE OF THE ONTARIO VETERINARY COLLEGE, OF 
 TORONTO, CANADA ; VETERINARY EDITOR TO KAN- 
 SAS FARMER, TOPEKA, KANSAS : HOME. FIELD 
 
 AND FORUM, GUTHRIE, OKLA ; AMERI- / 
 
 CAN FARMER AND FARM NEWS, 
 
 SPRINGFIELD, OHIO. ^ |-^ '^L 
 
 '• ^fO'i^'^' 
 
 PUBLISHED BY 
 
 S_ C_ ORR^ V_ S_. 
 
 Manhattan, Kansas. 
 
 1894. 
 
Copyrighted, 1894, by S. C. ORR, V. S. 
 (All Rights Reserved.) 
 
 Parties desiring to confer with the author will find full 
 directions in business card in back part of this book. 
 
 r^ 
 
 V '' 
 
 manhattan, kansas: 
 Mercury Publishing House. 
 
To THE FaIIJIERS OF THE STATE OF KANSAS, AS A TOKEN 
 
 OF Appreciation of Their Efforts Toward the 
 Improvement of Live Stock, is This Work Re- 
 spectfully Dedicated by 
 
 THE AUTHOR. 
 
AUTHOR'S F^REKACK. 
 
 In preparing this little volume, the aim. has been to make it 
 just what its title implies, namely, a ready reference. The 
 average farmer, with the many cares of agricultural life upon 
 his mind, has no time to read elaborate works upon the scientific 
 treatment of disease and store away knowledge for future use in 
 the case of an emergency, as does the practitioner who has had 
 the advantage of a collegiate course in veterinary science, but, 
 on the contrary, he needs something to which he can refer with 
 the shortest possible delay in the immediate time of need. With 
 this in mind, the object has been to avoid everything that savored 
 only of unproven theory ; to make use of no mystifying tech- 
 nicalities; but to set forth every detail in as plain and concise a 
 manner as possible. 
 
 While it is always advisable to place the treatment of sick or 
 lame animals in the hands of a qualified veterinarian when it is 
 possible to do so, yet it must be admitted that many farmers 
 living in remote localities find it impossible to call such an indi- 
 vidual in time to save an animal's life ; to these especially, is 
 this work recommended. 
 
 No great claim to originality is made ; but with a knowledge 
 gained from the works of Professors Williams, Fleming. Steele, 
 Smith, Salmon, Baker, Liautard and others, together with a 
 collection of ideas gathered from an extensive and varied 
 practice, I have endeavored to select and compile a compend of 
 methods of treatment and remedies, such as the stock owner or 
 farmer can readily understand and apply with the conveniences 
 at hand, and with the best chance of success. 
 
 With the hope that this little book may meet with the kind 
 approbation of those for whom it is intended, it is launched 
 
 upon its journey for better or for worse. 
 
 THE AUTHOR. 
 
PART KIRST. 
 
 Diseases ol tk Horse, 
 
 THEIR CAUSES: 
 
 THEIR SYMPTOMS; 
 
 THEIR TREATMENT. 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 In order to facilitate the understanding and carrying-out of 
 the instructions given in the succeeding pages, a few hints are 
 necessarj^ upon the recognition of disease, the nursing of pa- 
 tients, and the administering of medicines. 
 
 How to Recognize Disease. 
 
 Before anyone can readily recognize the symptoms of disease 
 it is first necessary to beconie thoroughly acquai:ited with the 
 habits, actions, and general appearance of our domesticated 
 animals in a state of health. It is not necessary that a horse 
 should be loaded with fat to be healthy ; but there is a sleek, 
 thrifty appearance of the coat ; a clear, bright look of the eye ; 
 a strong, elastic step, and a good and regular appetite, all of 
 which are indications of a healthy condition; while, on the 
 other hand, a rough, staring coat, a dull, listless eye, a sluggish, 
 tottering gait, a poor or irregular appetite, are all signs, either 
 of disease of the animal or of bad management on the part of the 
 attendant, and demand an investigation at once as to the cause. 
 The pulse, which may be found at the angle of the lower jaw 
 where the artery passes to the outside of the jawbone, is an indi- 
 cator of the condition of the animal's health. The normal beat 
 of the pulse is from thirty-six to forty per minute ; anything 
 above forty is indicative of fever. The respirations, also, should 
 be taken into consideration. When the animal is in health and 
 free from excitement, the number of respirations per minute are 
 
12 THE FAEMEr's ready REFERENCE. 
 
 from ten to fifteen : anything beyond fifteen being a deviation 
 from the normal. The temperature is ascertained by inserting 
 a clinical thermometer into the rectum for two or three minutes. 
 The normal temperature of the horse is 98.5 degrees Fahrenheit. 
 A degree above the normal is not generally looked upon as any- 
 thing serious ; but a rise of several degrees is a sure sign of a 
 fevered condition of the system. 
 
 Nursing and Feeding. 
 
 A good nurse is of as much importance as a good doctor. A 
 careless or indifferent person should never be intrusted with the 
 care of sick animals There should always be plenty of fresh, 
 pure air, but all drafts or currents should be avoided. The 
 patient should always be clothed according to the condition of 
 the weather. In very cold weather a woolen blanket is best ; 
 but in moderate weather a cotton covering is more comfortable ; 
 and in very warm weather a thin sheet should be used to keep off 
 the flies. The stall should be kept clean and free from filth. 
 There can be no fixed rule laid down for feeding. Some horses, 
 like some people, when sick seem to have peculiar whims in 
 regard to their food that only the most careful and judicious 
 nurse knows how to gratify. All food should be clean and easy 
 of digestion. Cooked food is best, but some animals will not 
 eat it. Feed whatever of the grains an animal will eat best and 
 give it wet or dry as seems best to suit the taste. Give green 
 grass when obtainable ; at other times give clean, sweet, well- 
 cured hay. Food of all kinds should be given in small quan- 
 tities, and often. As a general rule, water can be given freely. 
 A good plan is to keep a pail of cool water where the patient can 
 go to it at will. A horse with a fever will go to the bucket and 
 rinse out and cool his mouth when he does not want to drink. 
 
THE farmer's ready REFERENCE. 13 
 
 Administering fledicines. 
 
 Always first determine what the disease is, then select the 
 remedy best suited or recommended for that disease. When a 
 selection is once made give the prescribed dose and then wait a 
 sufficient length of time for the result, and do not get impatient 
 and repeat the same or give something else that some dis- 
 interested bystander recommends as a ''sure cure." Many 
 horses are killed every year by over-dosing that, if left alone, 
 would have gotten well without any treatment. Medicines are 
 always most conveniently given in the food or drink, when it 
 can be done ; but some drugs have such a disagreeable odor or 
 taste that no horse will take them in this way. Some medicines, 
 as aloes, are best made into a ball and placed well back on the 
 tongue. Powders can be put into a large spoon and placed well 
 back on the tongue, and the head held up until the medicine 
 becomes mixed with saliva. But as the most common way of 
 giving medicine is by drenching, we will describe the best plan 
 of performing that operation: First, always drench through the 
 mouth, and not through the nose. Second, do not pull the 
 horse's head up with the halter, but take a rope ten or more feet 
 long ; tie a loop a foot long in one end ; now pass this loop down 
 inside of the nose-piece of the halter and place it in the animal's 
 mouth ; now" throw the other end over a beam, or a limb of a 
 tree, and pull on it till the head is as high as you want it ; now, 
 while an assistant holds this rope, you can open the side of the 
 mouth with one hand, while with the other you insert the neck 
 of the bottle or drenching horn and pour the medicine in, a little 
 at a time, to avoid choking the horse. This holds the head up 
 by the upper jaw, while the lower jaw is left free to work up 
 and down and work the medicine back. The tongue should 
 never be pulled out or held by the hand, as it does no good and 
 increases the danger of choking. All medicines to be given 
 
14 
 
 THE FARMER S READY REFERENCE. 
 
 in drenches should be well diluted and, if of an irritating nature, 
 they can be more safely given in raw linseed oil, sweet milk, or 
 gruel of some kind. The dose should also vary to suit the con- 
 dition and temperament of the animal. An old and debilitated 
 patient, or one with a highly-nervous temperament, will require 
 a smaller dose than one in fair flesh or with a sluggish tempera- 
 ment. The doses, as given in this work, unless otherwise stated, 
 are always intended for grown animals. By observing the fol- 
 lowing table the dose for any age may be easily ascertained : 
 Doses, Graduation Of. 
 
 Horse. 
 
 Ox. 
 
 Dose. 
 
 S or more years . . . 
 2 vears 
 
 2 or more years . 
 
 lYz years 
 
 1 year 
 
 6 months 
 
 1 month 
 
 1 part 
 >2 part 
 34 part 
 38 part 
 1-16 part 
 
 1 year 
 
 6 months 
 
 1 month 
 
 
 Measuring Doses. 
 
 As facilities are not always at hand for accurate weight or 
 
 measurement of doses, an approximate measure may be attained 
 
 by the following table : 
 
 Liquids— 
 
 A teaspoonful equals 1 fluid drachm; 
 
 A tablespoonfui equals half a tluid ounce. 
 Roots or Barks, Powdered— 
 
 A teaspoonful equals two-thirds of a drachm; 
 
 H tablespoonfuls equal half an ounce. 
 Powdered Herbs— 
 
 3 teaspoonfuls equal 1 drachm; 
 
 3 tablespoonfuls equal half an ounce. 
 Salt, Saltpetre, Sulphur, Etc — 
 
 A teaspoonful equals 1 drachm. 
 Sugar of Lead, Sulphate of Zinc, Etc.— 
 
 A teaspoonful equals H drachms. 
 
THE farmer's ready REFERENCE. 15 
 
 Care of Medicines. 
 
 Liquids should be kept in bottles tightly corked. Towders 
 also retain their virtues longer if kept in wide-mouthed bottles, 
 well corked from the air. Each bottle, box, or package should 
 be properly and plainly labeled, to prevent mistakes. All ves 
 sels in which medicines are mixed should be kept scrupulously 
 clean. Medicines allowed to stand in tin or other metallic 
 vessels not only lose their curative qualities, but sometimes 
 become positively injurious. 
 
 Medicines— How to Mix Them. 
 
 Wherever a medicine is recommended throughout this work 
 without giving its mode of preparation, tlie formula, with full 
 directions, will be found under this heading. Tiie dose given 
 here is always for grown animals ; the dose for younger animals 
 can be ascertained from the table on. Doses. Graduation of 
 
 Physic for Horses. 
 
 Barbadoes aloes ; dose, 1 ouice. The powdered aloes may 
 he mixed into a ball with oil or glycerine, or they may be dis- 
 solved in a pint of warm water and given as a drench. 
 
 Raw linseed oil is sometimes usel. Dose, 1 pint to a quait. 
 
 Physic for Cattle. 
 
 Epsom salt is used, because of its prompt action. Dose. 
 1 to 2 pounds. Dissolve the salts in half a gallon or more of 
 warm water, and give as a drench. 
 
 As a mild physic, raw linseed oil may be given in doses of 
 from 1 to 2 quarts. 
 
 Melted lard may be used in the same quantities 
 Ammoniacal Liniment. 
 
 Oil, raw linseed or olive; turpentine and aqua ammonia, 
 equal parts, mixed. To blister, rub in well three times a day. 
 
16 THE FAEMER's ready REFERENCE. 
 
 White Lotion (Healing). 
 
 Sugar of lead, 1 ounce ; sulphate of zinc, 6 drachms ; carbolic 
 acid, 2 drachms ; rain water, 1 quart. Apply to the wound two 
 or three times a day with a syringe or a soft sponge. 
 
 Biniodide of Mercury Blister. 
 
 Biniodide of mercury, 1 drachm ; lard or vaseline, 1 ounce. 
 
 Mix w^ell together with a spatula. Rub in a small quantity 
 
 with the hand for fifteen minutes ; tie the horse's head up for 
 
 twenty-four hours, then grease the blister and turn the horse 
 
 loose. 
 
 Cantharidine Blister. 
 
 Powdered cantliarides, 1 drachm ; lard or vaseline, 1 ounce. 
 Mix and keep hot for one hour, but do not burn. Apply same as 
 the biniodide of mercurv. 
 
RESPIRATORY DISEASES. 
 
 Distemper. 
 
 This is a common term used by the farmer or ordinary horse- 
 man for any or all diseases in which there is a discharge irom 
 the nostrils, sore tliroat, and difficulty in breathing. But as 
 these diseases require treatment, according to the organs affected, 
 each one will be treated separately. 
 
 Catarrh. 
 
 Catarrh, or common cold, is simply a congested or inflamed 
 condition of the mucous membrane lining the nasal chambers 
 and other cavities of the head. 
 
 Causes.— Cold, damp stable ; standing in a draft of air ; 
 driving against a cold wind ; standing without blanketing after 
 rapid driving. 
 
 Symptoms. — Dullness ; discharge from the nostrils, proba- 
 bly thin at first, but growing thicker; sometimes constipation, 
 and scant, high-colored urine. 
 
 Treatment.— Place the patient in a well ventilated stable, 
 and blanket if the weather is cold. Feed moderately on bran or 
 oats and hay, and keep a pail of clean water where he can drink 
 at will. Give from one to two drachms of nitrate of potash 
 three times a day, either in the feed, water, or on the tongue. 
 Strangles, or Colt Distemper. 
 
 This disease is often called colt distemper because colts 
 rarely ever escape it, very few horses reaching the age of five 
 
18 THE farmer's ready REFERENCE. 
 
 years without an attack. There are two forms of this disease: 
 the regular, and the irregular or malignant form. The name, 
 strangles, originateii from the difficulty in breathing. The 
 regular form generally runs its course in from ten to fifteen 
 days, while the irregular form may last as many weeks. This 
 disease may occur at any season of the year, but is generally 
 most severe during the spring months. 
 
 Symptoms.— In the regular form the symptoms are some- 
 what similar to those of catarrh. There is dullness; discharge 
 from the nostrils, pulse and breathing slightly quickened and a 
 rise of two or three degrees in temperature. There is also swell- 
 ing of the throat and of the glands underneath the jaws. In 
 the irregular form the fever often runs very high ; abscesses 
 form on different parts of the body, and may form on the inside, 
 where they generally prove fatal. As the disease progresses 
 the legs swell ; the appetite fails ; great prostration follows, 
 often resulting in death. 
 
 Treatment.— Ill the mild form, blanket aud stable the 
 animal according to the season; feed on nutritious, laxative 
 diet, and give, three times a day, a heaping teaspoonful of the 
 following : Powdered gentian loot and nitrate of potash, of each 
 equal parts, mixed. If the throat is tender, rub in three times a 
 day till sore, a little of the following : Raw linseed oil, turpen- 
 tine, and aqua ammonia, of each equal parts, mixed. When 
 abscesses form they should be opened and syringed out once or 
 twice a day with carbolic acid, two teaspoonfuls and water one 
 pint. If the symptoms become more severe, running on toward 
 the irregular form, stimulants and tonics will be necessary. 
 Nitrous ether, from 1 to 2 ounces, and quinine, 20 grains, should 
 be given three or four times a day. The discharge from the 
 nostrils, in either form, can be greatly facilitated by steaming 
 
THE FARMEE's ready REFERENCE. 19 
 
 over a pail of hot water into which has been put a tablespoon ful 
 of turpentine to the gallon of water. If the swelling in the 
 throat should become so severe as to threaten strangulation, the 
 only hope will be in tracheotomy, and as this will require the 
 services of a veterinarian we will not describe the operation. 
 
 Influenza or Pinkeye. 
 
 This is a special form of catarrhal influenza, known by the 
 various names of influenza, pinkeye, epizootic, epizootic cellu- 
 litis, etc. This, like the other distempers, seems to be contagious, 
 ( ither by direct contact or by the infection carried in the atmos- 
 phere. 
 
 Symptoms.— Dullness ; loss of appetite, a short cough, a 
 dry, hot mouth, eyes somewhat inflamed and watery ,*ears and 
 legs cold, pulse rapid but weak, and the throat sometimes 
 swollen and tender to the touch. If the disease runs for some 
 time without treatment it often becomes complicated with 
 pneumonia, rheumatism, or some other disease ; it then becomes 
 more serious and must be treated according to the instructions 
 given elsewhere for the treatment of such diseases. 
 
 Treatment.— First of all the animal should be placed in a 
 clean, well-ventilated box stall, and clothed according to the 
 weather. The food should consist of bran mash, boiled oats, 
 and any other laxative, digestible food the animal will eat. A 
 little sweet hay should always be within reach ; also a pail of 
 clean, fresh water. As there is great danger of strangulation in 
 drenching, because of sore throat, all medicines should be given 
 either in the water or by placing it on the tongue. A drachm 
 of nitrate of potash should be given three times a day in the first 
 stages of the disease ; but if the patient becomes much debilitated 
 the potash should be discontinued. From a half to one ounce of 
 sulphite of soda should be dissolved in the drinking water during 
 
20 THE farmer's ready reference. 
 
 each twenty-four hours. If there is much weakness an ounce of 
 spirits of nitre should be diluted and given with a syringe three 
 times a day; and, if there is much difficulty in breathing, half an 
 ounce of fluid extract of lobelia may be added to each dose. 
 The throat should be rubbed several times a day with turpen- 
 tine, oil, and ammonia, in equal parts, until the skin gets sore. 
 The legs should be well rubbed with the hands or wisps of hay, 
 then bandaged. The treatment should continue until the horse 
 
 is entirely well. 
 
 Laryngitis. 
 
 Laryngitis simply signifies sore throat or inflammation of 
 the larynx. 
 
 Causes.— Exposure to cold ; standing in a stable vi^here a 
 current of cold air passes ; driving rapidly against the wind, etc. 
 
 Symptoms.— The first s} mptoms noticed generally are dull- 
 ness, slight swelling of the throat and soreness upon pressure. 
 There will be difficulty in swallowing, and when attempting to 
 drink the water will run out of the nostrils. The mouth will be 
 dry and hot, the pulse very quick in severe cases, and there will 
 be a discharge from«mouth and nostrils both ; the discharge will 
 be colored from the food the animal has been eating, sometimes 
 leading to the mistaken idea of glanders. The breathing will be 
 loud and difficult, and in very severe cases there is danger of 
 choking. 
 
 Treatment. — Put the animal in a box stall and give plenty 
 of pure air. Mix equal parts of powdered chlorate of potash and 
 licorice root and place a heaping teaspoonful well back on the 
 tongue three or four times a day, after first rinsing the mouth 
 with cool water. Mix equal parts of turpentine, raw linseed oil, 
 and ammonia and apply to the throat every two hours until the 
 skin becomes lender. If the breathing is very difficult, inject, 
 with a small syringe, a half ounce of fluid extract of lobelia well 
 
THE farmer's ready REFERENCE. 21 
 
 back on the tongue once every two hours till relieved. Do not 
 attempt to drench or you will strangle the animal. Keep a pail 
 of clean, cool water where the patient can get to it, and feed on 
 bran mash and a little fine hay. 
 
 Bronchitis. 
 
 Inflammation of the bronchial tubes may follow any of the 
 other respiratory diseases, or it may come on as a primary disease. 
 
 Causes.— The exciting causes are the same as in other 
 catarrhal diseases. The inhalation of smoke, also, will cause it, 
 as in the pernicious habit some people have of smoking with old 
 rags, leather, feathers, etc., for distemper. 
 
 Symptoms.— A dryness of the throat and a rasping sound in 
 the breathing; soreness of the chest just above the breast bone 
 when pressed with the hand ; a gurgling, snoring sound heard by 
 placing the ear against th6 windpipe. Sometimes a soft, deep, 
 subdued cough accompanied by great pain. Pulse and tempera- 
 ture both run high. 
 
 Treatment.— Give one drachm of nitrate of potash on the 
 
 tongue three or four times a day, and rub tbe chest in front and 
 
 on the sides with the ammoniacal liniment, as recommended in 
 
 laryngitis and other affections of the throat. If the breathing 
 
 is very difficult and painful, throw back on the tongue, with a 
 
 syringe, half an ounce of laudanum or fluid extract of lobelia 
 
 every two hours until relief is obtained. If the patient is very 
 
 weak give an ounce of spirits of nitre in the drinking water three 
 
 times a day. 
 
 Nasal Gleet. 
 
 This is a chronic discharge from one or both nostrils. It 
 may be the result of a neglected case of strangles or it may come 
 from some injury to the bones of the head. Sometimes a decay- 
 ing tooth will cause it. 
 
22 THE farmer's ready reference. 
 
 SYMPT03IS. — A whitish or yellowish discharge from one or 
 both nostrils, but does not adhere and close up the nostrils like 
 that of glanders. If there is a very bad odor it is the result of 
 diseased bone or decayed teeth. The teeth should always be 
 examined. An enlargement can sometimes be seen on the out- 
 side of the bones. 
 
 Treatment.— If the discharge comes from a diseased tooth, 
 the tooth must be removed by trephining, an operation which 
 requires the skill of a surgeon. But, if the discharge is only due 
 to an inflammation of the membrane lining the nasal chamber, 
 it may sometimes be dried up by giving two drachms of sulphate 
 of copper and five grains of powdered cantharides twice a day^ 
 and blistering the out side of the nasal bones with biniodide of 
 mercury, one drachm, and lard, one ounce. Feed the animal 
 well to build up the system. 
 
 Heaves or Broken Wind. 
 
 This disease may follow any of the distempers. It also 
 comes from feeding on mouldy or dusty hay. 
 
 Treatment.— When this disease is of long standing it is 
 incurable. A teaspoonful of pine tar placed well back on the 
 tongue two or three times a day will sometimes relieve it. All 
 hay and grain should be moistened with lime water, and hay 
 should be given in small quantities, taking care not to have the 
 animal too full on first starting out to work. 
 
 EpistaxLs or Nasal Bleeding. 
 
 Sometimes this comes from an injury or from violent ex- 
 ertion. 
 
 Treatment.— Bathe the head and face with cold water, and 
 let a stream of cold water fall two or three feet and strike the 
 loins. 
 
THE farmer's ready REFERENCE. 23 
 
 Congestion of the Lungs. 
 
 This is stagnation of blood in the lungs and is always the 
 forerunner of inflammation, which can often be prevented if 
 treated early. 
 
 Causes.— Driving against a cold wind ; rapid driving when 
 in a debilitated condition, especially when just recovering from 
 any of the distempers ; standing in a cold current in the stable, 
 or standing out without a blanket after driving often produces it. 
 
 Symptoms.— The horse becomes sluggish, stops, stands with 
 his fore feet spread apart ; stretches his head forward and gasps 
 for breath ; his nostrils flap ; his flanks heave and he often 
 seems about to suffocate ; the eyes have an anxious look ; the 
 body shivers as with ague, and cold sweat breaks out all over it. 
 
 TREAT3IEXT.— Treatment must be prompt. Remove all 
 pressure upon the chest or throat from harness or saddle ; 
 blanket the body ; give plenty of fresh air, and cold water in 
 small quantities, but often; rub the body dry with wisps of hay 
 and cloths ; give from one to two ounces of spirits of nitre and 
 one-half to one ounce of laudanum or fluid extract of lobelia in 
 half pint of water. This should be given at once and repeated 
 in one hour if the symptoms do not abate. It is best given with 
 syringe. After the distressing symptoms have been relieved the 
 animal should have two drachms of nitrate of potash and one 
 drachm of sulphate of cinchonida every four hours for at least 
 twenty-four hours. This may serve to ward off inflammation of 
 the lungs. 
 
 Pneumonia or Inflammation of the Lungs. 
 
 This is inflammation of the lung substance proper. 
 Causes.— Same as in congestion. 
 
 Symptoms*— The horse stands with head down and ears 
 generally drooping; breathes short and quick and the mouth is 
 
24 THE farmer's ready reference. 
 
 dry and hot. The pulse, in the beginning, is quick and strong; 
 but grows weak as the disease progresses. If the ear is held 
 against the side a rasping sound is heard like two pieces of dry 
 leather rubbing togetlier. The horse will not lie down but re- 
 mains in a standing posture. The temperature may run up as 
 high as 106 degrees and yet not prove fatal. 
 
 Treatment.— The horse should be turned loose at once in 
 a box stall and blanketed according to the season. He must 
 have plenty of fresh air, but a current of air must not strike 
 him. If the pulse is full and strong give him ten drops of tinc- 
 ture of aconite every two hours until the pulse begins to decrease 
 in power and frequency, but it must not be continued after the 
 pulse becomes weak. The aconite should be diluted and given 
 on the tongue with a syringe. If the animal is weak and the 
 pulse low an ounce of spirits of nitre should be given every two 
 hours, instead of aconite, for the first twelve hours, then give it 
 every four hours, then three times a day, as needed. If there is 
 much distress in breathing add one-half ounce of laudanum to 
 each dose. From the first, give two drachms of nitrate of pot- 
 ash and one drachm of sulphate of cinchonida every four hours 
 until the fever is broken, then three times a day while convales- 
 cent. Also, from the first, a liniment made of equal parts of 
 linseed oil, turpentine, and ammonia should be rubbed into the 
 sides of the chest once every hour until the skin becomes sore, 
 then Just often enough to keep it so. I consider these last two 
 most important of all. A pail of fresh water and a little hay 
 should be within reach at all times. Bran, oats, or corn, as the 
 animal eats best, should be given judiciously, but not left be- 
 fore it long at a time if it does not eat it. If the legs are cold, 
 rub and bandage them. Much depends upon the good judgment 
 of the nurse in treating this disease. 
 
THE FAEMEK's ready REFERENCE. 25 
 
 Pleurisy. 
 
 Pleurisy is inflammation of the membrane covering the 
 lungs and lining the thoracic cavity. It is often complicated 
 with pneumonia. The causes are the same in both. 
 
 SY3IPTOMS.— The symptoms are somewhat similar to those 
 of pneumonia. In addition there is a short, hacking, suppressed 
 cough, and the breathing is shorter. There is always a hollow 
 place passing from the flank downward and forward along the 
 lower ends of the ribs, known as the pleuritic ridge, and when 
 you attempt to move the horse he acts as if stifl:' and gives a short 
 grunt at every step. He does not lie down, even at night. 
 
 Treatment. — Same as in pneumonia. If there is great 
 prostration two drachms of muriate of ammonia should be added 
 to each dose of nitre, and, if the heart is labored, twenty drops of 
 tincture of digitalis may be given three times a day. If this 
 disease is taken at the start it generally yields to treatment, but 
 if allowed to run four or Ave days the chest begins to fill with 
 fluid and then it becomes serious, and requires the most skillful 
 
 treatment. 
 
 Hydrothorax. 
 
 This is the filling of the chest with water as the result of 
 pleurisy. If it is not checked the horse may live two or three 
 weeks, but finally dies of suffocation. It is impossible for the 
 novice to treat it. A skillful veterinarian should be called at 
 once. 
 
 Roaring. 
 
 Heavy and wind-broken horses are often called roarers, but 
 there are some in which the difticulty is in the throat instead of 
 in the lungs. It is due to a thickening of the membrane lining 
 the larynx, and finally a wasting of the muscles of the larynx. 
 When it is of long standing it is incurable. 
 
26 THE farmer's ready reference. 
 
 Sympto^is.— A loud roaring or whistling noise when the 
 horse is pulled hard or driven fast. 
 
 Treatment.— This can only be palliative. A sharp blister 
 
 on the outside of the throat, and from one to two drachms of 
 
 iodide of potash given twice a day for a week, may relieve it for 
 
 a time. 
 
 Chronic Cough. 
 
 This is generally the result of some previous disease. It may 
 come from the throat only and is then short and hacking, or it 
 may come from the lungs and in that case will be deep and hollow . 
 
 Treatment.— Give a tablespoonf ul of the following powder 
 in feed three times a day: Powdered anise seed, foenugreek, 
 Jamaica ginger, nitrate of potash, and muriate of ammonia, 
 equal parts, mixed. Blister the throat if the cough is hacking. 
 
 Purpura Hemorrhagica. 
 
 Although this is a disease of the blood it generally follows 
 some one of the respiratory diseases ; therefore. I give it with 
 them. 
 
 Causes.— It comes from an impoverished condition of the 
 blood, the result of debility from some other disease. The watery 
 portions of the blood ooze through the walls of the blood vessels 
 and settle under the skin of the most pendant parts. 
 
 SY3IPTOMS — The pulse becomes weak and wiry, and there is 
 great debility ; the mucous membrane of the eyes and nostrils 
 is studded with red or purple spots. The legs, head and under 
 the belly swell rapidly, the swellings ending very abruptly as 
 though a string was tied around the limb. 
 
 Treatment. — Treatment is not generally satisfactory unless 
 in the hands of a good physician. A half pint of raw linseed oil 
 and one-half ounce of turpentine should be given at once and 
 repeated every morning thereafter. Mix together two ounces of 
 
THE FAKMER's ready REFERENCE. 27 
 
 tincture muriate of iron, one ounce tincture of gentian, one 
 drachm fluid extract of nux vomica, and one ounce of water and 
 give one tablespoonful in three times its bulk of water, with a 
 syringe, every two hours. The swellings may be bathed with 
 cold, salt water, but use no strong liniments on them. 
 
 Recapitulation 
 
 On the Treatment of Respiratory Diseases. Pure air for breath- 
 ing, and warm clothing for the body are both indispensable. 
 Never give a physic; but open the bowels with injections of 
 warm water. Give plenty of fresh, cool water to drink. Never 
 drench when the throat is sore. Dilute all strong medicines 
 before giving. 
 
DISEASES OF THE ALIMENTARY 
 CANAL. 
 
 Teeth. 
 
 As the teeth are the principal organs by which the food is 
 prepared to enter tlie stomach, it is necessary that they are 
 sound and in good order. Young horses often suffer during 
 their second dentition. Sometimes the old caps of the milk 
 teeth fail to shed and remain wedged in between the permanent 
 teeth as they grow out. When this happens they should be 
 removed with a pair of forceps. 
 
 By reason of a difference of width in the upper and lower 
 jaws the teeth become so worn as to leave sharp points on the 
 outer edges of the upper teeth which lacerate the cheeks, and on 
 the inner edges of the lower teeth which lacerate the tongue. 
 Also, sometimes one of the grinders is broken oft" by biting upon 
 some hard substance in the feed ; and then the tooth in the jaw 
 opposite, receiving no pressure, soon extends into the vacancy 
 and causes great inconvenience in eating. Slobbering, cudding 
 the hay, and taking a mouthful of grain and letting it drop again 
 are indications that something is wrong with the teeth. The 
 long teeth should either be extracted or cut oft and the sharp 
 points should be dressed down. Special instruments, as well as 
 experience, are necessary in such cases, and the best way is to 
 go to a good veterinary dentist. 
 
THE farmer's ready REFERENCE. 29 
 
 Wolf Teeth. 
 
 The so-called '' wolf or blind teeth" are the great bugbear 
 of the quack. The term '' wolf " is a misnomer applied by 
 early-day horsemen as signifying something harmful or destruc- 
 tive, as these teeth were supposed to affect the eyes. A more 
 appropriate name would be Rejinant Teeth, as they are sim- 
 ply the remnants of teeth once functionally developed and which, 
 through the process of evolution, have diminished to their 
 present size and inconstancy. They have no effect upon the 
 
 eyes whatever. 
 
 Tongue. 
 
 Sometimes the tongue becomes sore from cutting on the 
 teeth or other cause. Dissolve an ounce of alum in a pint of 
 water and apply three times a day. 
 
 Lam pas. 
 
 This is not properly a disease ; but rather a condition conse- 
 quent upon the process of dentition. Do not burn them out 
 with a hot iron, but, if greatly gorged with blood, scarify the 
 gums with a sharp knife. All that is necessary generally is to 
 rub the gums with powdered alum and give the horse soft feed 
 
 for a few days. 
 
 Choking. 
 
 Sometimes a horse, wiien feeding upon dry oats or ground 
 feed, will get some of it lodged in the gullet and become 
 choked. Moving around or making him jump over some object 
 will generally remove it. Give him a couple of ounces of oil, or 
 dissolve a teaspoonful of saltpetre in two ounces of water and 
 pour down his throat, then rub the outside of the neck with the 
 hand. If these remedies fail, seek a veterinarian, as it is not 
 safe for the uninitiated to attempt to use the probang. 
 
30 THE farmer's ready reference. 
 
 Indigestion. 
 
 Indigestion may be acute, coming on quickly, or it may be 
 chronic, coming on slowly. But, as the acute form is the fore- 
 runner of, and generally ends in, flatulent colic, it will be fully 
 treated under that head ; hence, only the chronic form will be 
 considered here. 
 
 Chronic Indigestion or Dyspepsia 
 
 Is a very common disease among horses. It is generally the 
 result of irregular and injudicious feeding. It comes on slowly, 
 and therefore is not noticed until it has a fast hold upon the 
 animal. 
 
 Symptoms. — The horse has a rough, staring coat and a dull 
 appearance generally ; the appetite varies ; sometimes he eats 
 fairly well, but at other times the food remains untouched ; he 
 eats very little hay at any time. The bowels are sometimes 
 loose and at others constipated ; the manure is of a pale or clay 
 color and the animal often has slight attacks of colic. If you put 
 your hand back in his mouth the saliva from the tongue has a 
 foul odor. 
 
 Treatment. — Give five to eight drachms of Barbadoes aloes 
 
 combined with one drachm of calomel. In twenty-four hours 
 
 begin with the following, giving a tablespoonful three times a 
 
 day : Powdered charcoal, bicarbonate of soda and gentian root, 
 
 equal parts, mixed. The feed should be bran and oats and good 
 
 hay. A little salt should be given once every day, and the 
 
 animal should be watered half an hour before each meal but not 
 
 soon after the meal. 
 
 Flatulent Colic. 
 
 Although the word colic, in its true sense, signifies pain in 
 the colon, yet popular usage has applied it to pain in any part of 
 the abdomen. 
 
THE farmer's ready REFERENCE. 31 
 
 Flatulent colic is the result of acute indigestion and is char- 
 acterized by an accumulation of gas in the stomach and intes- 
 tines, accompanied by violent pain. Sometimes it results from 
 the fermentation of food that has been washed or crowded out 
 of the stomach before it had been thoroughly digested ; in that 
 case the stomach is not so much involved. This is often the 
 result of feeding grain first and then giving water soon after- 
 ward. 
 
 Symptoms.— The horse will become uneasy ; look back at 
 his sides ; paw a few times, then lie dow^n and stretch out upon 
 the ground. As there is no visible bloating the owner is often at 
 a loss to know what the trouble is. Sometimes the animal will 
 get up and stretch out as if to urinate ; then the novice pro- 
 nounces it " stoppage of the water." This is the stage which 
 veterinarians term acute indigestion. The whole trouble lies in 
 the stomach, and, as it is small, the bloating does not show. 
 But in a short time the intestines become involved ; the animal 
 bloats ; the pains become more violent ; the body is covered 
 with perspiration ; the breathing becomes difficult and the 
 animal seems about to suffocate in consequence of the stomach 
 and intestines crowding upon the lungs 
 
 TREAT3IENT. — Give from one to two ounces of sulphuric 
 ether, one ounce of laudanum and one drachm of essence of 
 peppermint in about twelve ounces of water. This dose can be 
 repeated in half an hour and again in one hour from the second 
 dose, if necessary. At the same time copious injections of warm 
 water should be given per rectum. As soon as the animal 
 becomes manageable, from five to eight drachms of aloes, one 
 drachm of calomel and one drachm of gum camphor should be 
 given, either in a ball or a drench. It is not best to push medi- 
 cines too far. In a prolonged case of colic, where inflammation 
 
THE farmer's ready REFERENCE. 
 
 is feared, a mustard plaster on the abdomen, as recommended 
 in enteritis, will ward it oft". 
 
 Spasmodic Colic. 
 
 This is a spasmodic contraction of the intestines and is due 
 to change of diet, change of temperature, eating frozen roots, 
 vegetables, etc. 
 
 Symptoms.— The attack comes on suddenly ; the animal 
 paws, looks at its sides, jumps up in the air and throws itself 
 violently upon the ground, rolls upon its back and tries to bal- 
 ance itself there. In a case of purely spasmodic colic there is 
 very little, if any, visible bloating, but it is often combined with 
 flatulent colic, then there is danger of rupture of the stomach 
 from its great distention with gas and the violent plunging 
 together. 
 
 Treatment. — If there is no bloating, from one to two ounces 
 of laudanum in half a pint of water will generally give relief. 
 If there is bloating give the drench recommended for flatulent 
 colic. In either case use the warm water injections freely. 
 There is no danger of overdoing this part of the treatment, and 
 I am satisfied that many cases will yield to hot water injections 
 alone if applied in time. The physic, as use;l in flatulent colic, 
 should also be given in spasmodic colic. After a case of colic, 
 either flatulent or spasmodic, the patient should be allowed no 
 grain for at least twelve hours and should be fed sparingly for 
 two or three days. 
 
 When a dose of medicine has been given, due time should 
 always elapse for it to take effect before another is given. The 
 common habit of pouring down dose after dose, as fast as some 
 new-comer on the ground recommends a new remedy, has killed 
 many a good horse that might have recovered without any medi- 
 cine if left alone. 
 
THE farmer's ready REFERENCE. 33 
 
 Constipation. 
 
 See treatment for Chronic Indigestion. 
 
 Enteritis. 
 
 Enteritis is inflammation of the inner or mucous lining of 
 the bowels. 
 
 Causes.— Irritating food causing diarrhoea ; catching cold 
 or a prolonged case of colic ; and sometimes irritating medicines 
 given in the treatment of colic cause it. 
 
 Symptoms. — An ordinary observer will sometimes mistake 
 it for colic, but there is a difference. The pain is continuous, 
 while in colic there will be quiet spells. The horse lies down 
 carefully ; the pulse is soft at first, but rapidly and gradually 
 grows faster and harder until it becomes small and wiry and 
 then fails altogether. The breathing is hurried, and there is an 
 anxious look out of the eyes. Toward the last the patient does not 
 lie down but continues to walk until it staggers and falls, 
 struggles a few times and expires. 
 
 Treatment.— There is little use for the novice to attempt 
 
 treatment ; it is generally fatal. A quart of raw liuseed oil and 
 
 two ounces of laudanum should be given at once. Mix a pound 
 
 of the best ground mustard with warm water and rub it well 
 
 into the abdomen, then put a sheet of newspaper over it and 
 
 put on a blanket to keep it there. Use warm water injections 
 
 freely. In an hour after giving the oil, if there is pain, begin to 
 
 give one ounce of laudanum every hour until four more doses 
 
 have been given. Repeat the oil in two hours without the 
 
 laudanum. Death or recovery will take place in from six to 
 
 tw^enty-four hours. 
 
 Peritonitis. 
 
 Peritonitis is inflammation of the peritoneum— the mem- 
 brane that lines the abdominal cavity and forms the outer cover- 
 ing of the intestines. 
 
34 THE farmer's ready reference. 
 
 Causes,— Injuries to the abdomen, as kicks, blows and 
 punctures. It sometimes follows castration. 
 
 Symptoms.— The pulse is quick and hard, and soon grows 
 wiry. The horse flinches if you press the abdomen, and he lies 
 down carefully, but soon gets up again The animal is disin- 
 clined to walk about. 
 
 Treatment.— The same as in enteritis. If the animal 
 begins to recover give one drachm of iodide of potassium twice a 
 day for a week. If there is a wound, dress it twice a day with 
 sulphate of zinc two ounces and w^ater one quart. 
 
 Diarrhoea. 
 
 The passages from the bowels are in a semi-fluid state. 
 
 Causes.— A debilitated condition of the digestive organs 
 often brought on by high feeding on rich food. Sometimes it is 
 due to some irritating substance eaten by the animal, as frozen 
 vegetables or roots, impure w^ater, etc. 
 
 Symptoms.— Passing of the feces in a thin and watery state 
 and in large quantities. 
 
 TREAT3IENT.— In mild cases it may only be necessary to put 
 the animal on light feed of a dry nature ; but it is generally nec- 
 essary to cleanse the bowels by giving a physic. Give from a 
 pint to a quart of raw oil and one to two ounces of laudanum at 
 one dose. After the oil operates, there is nothing better to 
 check the action of the bowels than gruel made of wiieat flour 
 and water well boiled, but not burned. From a pint to a quart 
 should be given every six hours till the diarrhoea begins to check. 
 If there is much pain an ounce or two of laudanum may be 
 added. Keep the patient as quiet as possible. 
 
 Dysentery. 
 
 This may result from a prolonged case of diarrhoea, or from 
 eating some irritating substance. 
 
THE farmer's ready REFERENCE. 35 
 
 The •discharges are mucous and stringy and tinged with 
 blood ; they are frequent and are accompanied with great strain- 
 ing. There are often griping pains. 
 
 Treatment.— Give the same treatment as in diarrhoea, and 
 also give one half ounce of powdered charcoal and one ounce of 
 hyposulphite of soda in the gruel three times a day. 
 
 Megrims— Epilepsy. 
 
 This, in the mild form, is knoAvu as Megrims, Stomach 
 Staggers or Blind Staggers ; when it is severe it is sometimes 
 called Epilepsy. 
 
 Causes.— Undue pressure of some part of the harness, and 
 sometimes severe constipation, or even intestinal worms will 
 cause it. 
 
 SYMPT03IS.— The horse often becomes sluggish, then after a 
 time begins to stagger or plunge and falls to the ground. 
 
 Treatment.— Remove all harness that might cause pres- 
 sure, and wet the top of the head with cold water. If due to 
 constipation or worms, treat as prescribed for those diseases 
 elsewhere in this work. 
 
 Bots. 
 
 These are the larvse of the gad fly, (Estrus Equi. They are 
 a great bugbear of the quack. Every case of colic or bowel 
 trouble which does not yield to his treatment being attributed 
 to bots. There is no doubt that they irritate the stomach and 
 interfere with digestion when in large numbers. They often 
 collect in such numbers around the piloric orifice (outlet of the 
 stomach) as to almost obstruct that passage. 
 
 Treatment.— There are no known means by which they 
 can be dislodged. A good dose of Barbadoes aloes might prove 
 beneficial. When the aloes begin to operate an ounce of chloro- 
 form in half pint of water might be given. 
 
36 THE farmer's ready reference. 
 
 Worms. 
 
 Those most commonly infesting the horse are the pin-worms 
 or Asca rides. They are a small, round worm, pointed at both 
 ends and from one to two inches long. They infest the large 
 intestines and rectum. 
 
 The next variety most common is the large round, or lum- 
 bricoid worm ; tlie male may grow to twelve and the female to 
 fifteen inches in length. They are mostly found in the intes- 
 tines. 
 
 Symptoms.— There is generally a whitish-yellow deposit 
 around the anus and the worms are occasionally seen in the 
 manure. 
 
 Treatment.— A drachm of sulphate of iron given twice a 
 day for a week then foUowtd by a purgative is generally effect- 
 ive. A pint of raw oil and one ounce of turpentine given on an 
 empty stomach will often dislodge them. Wood ashes mixed 
 equally with salt and given daily will often answer the purpose. 
 In treating for pin- worms the rectum should be injected twice a 
 week with turpentine one part, and oil four parts. 
 
 Wormy Corn or Cornstalk Disease. 
 
 This is a peculiar disease which sometimes affects horses in 
 Kansas and other corn-growing states. The cause is not thor- 
 oughly understood. In my own practice I have found it only 
 where horses were allowed to feed upon worm-eaten and mouldy 
 corn. 
 
 Symptoms.— The premonitory symptoms are not always well 
 marked. Sometimes the animal will appear dull and listless for 
 several hours prior to becoming delirious ; while in other cases 
 the first symptoms noticed will be those of delirium. The 
 animal will plunge about in a reckless manner, running against 
 fences, walls, or whatever may be in the way. In some in- 
 
THE farmer's ready REFERENCE. 37 
 
 stances the animal falls and dies suddenly ; but it generally 
 becomes unable to rise and lies upon the ground struggling for 
 several hours before it expires. 
 
 Treatment.— After the animal becomes unmanageable it 
 is not only dangerous but useless to attempt treatment, as 
 disintegration of the brain tissue has begun and a cure is im- 
 possible. If noticed while yet under control a large dose of 
 aloes— from eight to twelve drachms— should be given at once. 
 A. dose composed of half an ounce of chloral hydrate and two 
 drachms of bromide of potassium should be given, dissolved in 
 water, every hour until four doses have been given, unless the 
 patient becomes quiet before. If the disease can be held in 
 check until the physic operates there is a prospect of recovery. 
 Plenty of cool water should be kept within reach at all times. 
 
 Final Hints. 
 
 • In all such diseases as colic, indigestion, etc., where the 
 digestive organs have been overtaxed, all grain should be with- 
 held for from twelve to twenty-four hours, and then it should be 
 fed sparingly for a few days. A fair allowance of good hay can 
 be given, and in all diseases except diarrhoea and dysentery, 
 pure, cool (not ice) water should be kept where the animal can 
 get it at will, and be changed often to keep it fresh and clean. 
 
DISEASES OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM. 
 
 Inflammation of the Brain. 
 
 This is not a very common disease among horses in the 
 "• Great West," although it does occur occasionally. 
 
 Causes —It may come from keeping in too high condition ; 
 from concussion produced by a fall, or by a blow about the head, 
 or it may follow some other disease. 
 
 Symptoms. — The attack is generally preceded by dullness ; 
 and if the horse is in the stable he will often rest his head on the 
 manger ; the pulse will be full, but the beat will be slower than 
 usual ; the breathing will be loud, resembling a snore. As it 
 goes on the animal becomes excited and plunges about, reels, 
 and sometimes falls. It will walk blindly against a wall and 
 then stand and push with its head until the fit passes olf . The 
 pulse grows weak and more rapid and the convulsions more 
 frequent and frenzied as the disease progresses, and the pupil 
 of the eye becomes dilated. 
 
 Treatment.— If the animal is in good condition take four 
 to six quarts of blood from the jugular vein ; and keep cloths 
 wet with cold water on the head. As soon as the animal 
 becomes manageable give from six to ten drachms of aloes and 
 a half ounce each of chloral hydrate and bromide of potassium ; 
 repeat the last two every four hours until the patient is quiet, 
 then three times a day for a few days. When the aloes operate, if 
 there is much fetor to the discharges, give one ounce of hypo- 
 sulphite of soda three times a day. Give cold water freely and 
 feed moderately on soft feed. 
 
THE farmer's ready REFERENCE. 39 
 
 Cerebro=Spinal Meningitis. 
 
 This disease is not very common in this country, but may 
 occur under any conditions — either in the stable or in the field. 
 It is probably due to some parasitic vegetation which is taken 
 into the stomach with the food. It is neither contagious nor 
 infectious, but a number of animals may take it from the 
 same cause, thus giving the idea of contagion. 
 
 Symptoms.— There is loss of appetite, tremors, spasms, 
 twitching of the muscles, and sometimes after reeling about for 
 a while the animal goes down paralyzed, especially in the hind 
 parts. Sometimes the muscles of the throat are paralyzed and 
 the animal cannot swallow. The pupil of the eye is generally 
 dilated and the horse may become unconscious. 
 
 Treatment.— If there is complete paralysis, or the animal 
 is unconscious, treatment is almost useless ; and it is difficult 
 for the novice to treat in any case. Place wet cloths, or ice 
 packs, over the brain and along the spine to relieve the conges- 
 tion. If the animal can swallow give one ounce of aloes, then 
 give four-drachm doses of bromide of potassium three times a day. 
 Some practitioners are in favor of putting the patient in slings 
 at once, and, although this is best with some horses, there are 
 others so nervous they will not bear it. 
 
 Sunstroke. 
 
 This occurs occasionally when in a low-lying tield sur- 
 rounded by timber, shutting off all breeze, and under a broiling- 
 hot sun a horse is pushed beyond its powers of endurance. 
 
 Symptoms.— The horse becomes slow and dumpish ; pays 
 little heed to the driver ; staggers about ; the sweat suddenly 
 dries up ; the breathing becomes labored, and he finally drops 
 down and becomes unconscious. 
 
40 THE farmer's ready reference. 
 
 Treatment —If noticed before he goes down, stop in a 
 shady place where there is a current of cool air ; give a drink of 
 cool water and let him rest an hour or two. If the horse falls 
 apply cold water or ice to the head and along the spine, but 
 cover the balance of the body up w^arm and get the perspiration 
 started. If he can swallow give two ounces of nitre and repeat 
 it in an hour. If he begins to revive give one ounce of aloes, 
 then give two to four drachms of bromide of potassium three 
 times a day for several days. 
 
 Shocked by Lightning. 
 
 I do not remember of ever having seen this subject men- 
 tioned in any work on veterinary science. The only literature I 
 ever saw touching the subject was a short account of the treat- 
 ment of the stallion, Pancoast, by Professor Liautard of the 
 American Veterinary College of New York. Although light- 
 ning generally kills outright, yet it sometimes happens that the 
 shock is light and the animal may recover, as I have had occa- 
 sion to know from experience As the shock is often received 
 when no one is with the animal to see it, you have only the 
 peculiar symptoms, exhibited soon after a storm, upon which to 
 base your diagnosis. 
 
 Symptoms.— The animal will generally be found lying 
 down or plunging about in the attempt to get upon its feet, 
 although I saw one case of a mare that received a shock some- 
 time in the night and did not become unable to walk until noon 
 the next day. At first there wall be tremors and sharp twitching 
 of the muscles ; the eyes will have a dazed appearance ; the 
 animal will plunge about and try to get upon its feet ; if it 
 succeeds it will walk with a staggering gait, unable to control 
 its movements. After a few hours the twitchings cease and 
 paralysis, either partial or complete, supervenes. 
 
THE farmer's ready REFERENCE. 41 
 
 TKEAT3IENT.— A moderate dose of Barbadoes aloes sbciild 
 be given at once to prevent constipation. If there is twitching 
 of the muscles give two to four drachms each of chloral hydrate 
 and bromide of potassium every four hours till the twitchings 
 cease, then change and give one drachm of powdered mix 
 vomica twice a day. If no improvement is noticed after three 
 days increase the dose of nux vomica to one and one-half 
 drachms. Make a linimt nt of equal parts of raw oil, turpentine 
 and ammonia and rub in well all along the spine twice a day. 
 Feed upon soft food that is easily digested ; give plenty of w^ater 
 to drink and keep well bedded to prevent sores, and turn from 
 side to side several times a day. 
 
 Tetanus or Lockjaw. 
 
 Tetanus has heretofore been divided into two kinds; viz.: 
 traumatic when the result of a wound, and idiopathic when 
 occuring without a prior disease or injury ; but science has 
 proven beyond a doubt that the disease is of microbic origin, the 
 disease germ entering the animal organism through a wound or 
 an abraded surface. Taking this view of tlie disease it is the 
 WTiter's opinion that there is but one form of the disease, the 
 traumatic, and, although no wound or injury may be found, 
 it is there nevertheless. A mere scratch in the skin or a small 
 abrasion inside of the mouth is sufficient to afford entrance to 
 the germ. Wounds of the feet are more apt to be followed by 
 tetanus than any other, due to their being in direct contact with 
 ihe earth, the home of the germ which produces the disease. 
 
 Symptoms. — At first the animal will appear stiff, both in 
 limbs and body, and the head will be stretched forward. Jerk 
 his head up suddenly and you will see the haw or membrane at 
 the corner of the eye thrown out till it covers the sight. The 
 jaws may not be much affected at first and the animal continues 
 
42 THE farmer's ready reference. 
 
 to eat; but as the disease progresses the jaws become more set 
 until the animal cannot even drink water. 
 
 Treatment.— Treatment is not generally successful except 
 in the hands of an expert. If attempted it must be prompt and 
 energetic. If the jaws are thoroughly set there is little encour- 
 agement, and yet the writer saved one case in which the jaws 
 were so tightly closed that liquid would not run back in the 
 mouth when the animal was lying down and the nose turned up. 
 First find the wound if possible ; cleanse it with warm water, 
 then saturate a piece of cotton with either fluid extract of bella- 
 donna or lobelia and bind it on the wound. Now give from one 
 to two ounces of Barbadoes aloes. If the jaws are too close to 
 give in a ball place it back on the teeth with a paddle Mix one 
 ounce of turpentine in eight ounces of raw linseed oil and give 
 as a drench or with a syringe. Give the following dose at once 
 and continue three times a day thereafter : Chloral hydrate and 
 bromide of potassium, of each four drachms ; iodide of potas- 
 sium, forty grains ; water, three ounces; mix. v\ hen the first 
 dose of each medicine has been given, remove the bandage from 
 the wound and saturate a piece of cotton with turpentine and 
 bind on instead of the other one. In about two hours remove 
 this and then dress the wound twice a day with oil and turpen- 
 tine mixed in equal parts until pus begins to form. If the 
 turpentine irritates the patient, take the cotton ofC and saturate 
 it with belladona or lobelia and bind it on again. Keep the 
 animal in a dark, cool place where there is no noise and allow no 
 one but the attendant to go near. Keep a pail of water where it 
 can drink at will. Give gruel or soft food of any kind that it 
 will try to eat. 
 
 Paralysis. 
 
 Paralysis is called hemiplegia when one side is affected, and 
 
THE farmer's ready REFERENCE. 43 
 
 paraplegia when only the hind parts are att'ected ; or there may 
 be local paralysis, as of the lips, ears, or of the tail. 
 
 Symptoms —Loss of power in the parts affected ; if only 
 partial and the animal can yet walk, there will be unsteadiness 
 of the limbs and weaving of the hind parts, or if of one side the 
 animal will circle to the affected side. If it lies down there will 
 be difficulty in rising, and as it increases the animal will be 
 unable to rise. Paralysis of the lips, ears, or other local parts 
 will be recognized by the relaxed and pendulous condition of the 
 part. 
 
 Treatment.— If the case is of long standing treatment is 
 not generally satisfactory. The bowels should be kept in good 
 condition by giving soft food, and the animal (if grown) should 
 have one drachm of nux vomica twice a day for a week, then the 
 dose should be gradually increased a few grains each day until 
 slight twitchings of the muscles are seen, but this should only 
 be attempted by a competent veterinarian The spine should be 
 rubbed twice a day till sore with the ammoniacal liniment. In 
 local paralysis the liniment should be applied over the nerve 
 which controls the part affected 
 
 Inco=ordination of Movement. 
 
 This is a species of paralysis which affects, usually, all the 
 muscles of locomotion in a similar manner. The cerebellum 
 (little brain) or small division at the base of the brain is the seat 
 of the disease. It is generally due to some injury to the top of 
 the head, as a blow, or to falling backwards and striking the 
 head. It may also result from undue pressure upon the part, as 
 from a tumor growing there. 
 
 Symptoms.— The most prominent is inability to control the 
 movements and walking with an unsteady, tottering gait. The 
 hesitation and uncertainty with which the horse lifts and 
 
44 THE farmer's ready reference. 
 
 replaces its feet in walking are often mistaken for stilfness. 
 The appetite is generally good and the anitfial maybe in good 
 flesh. 
 
 Treatment.— Treatment is the same as in paralysis except 
 tliat the liniment only need be applied on the top of the head. 
 
 Chorea. 
 
 Chorea is a disease of the nervous system characterized by 
 involuntp.ry twitchings of the muscles. There are several forms 
 of the disease of which a short description of each will be given. 
 
 Stringhalt. This is the most common form and is easily 
 recognized by every horseman by the sudden jerking-up of one 
 hind leg when first starting out; sometimes both hind legs are 
 affected There are some cases in which it is not noticeable 
 when the animal goes forward, but if you try to back him or 
 turn him quickly lie will jerk his feet. And in some instances 
 if you try to back him he cannot move, but his tail will be 
 elevated and his muscles will become rigid ; hence it is always 
 well to try a horse thoroughly before purchasing him 
 
 Immobility. In this form of the disease the horse may 
 appear all right while in the stable or moving about the yard 
 and he may travel several miles upon the road all right, when 
 suddenly and without any apparent cause he begins to go lame 
 and in a short time goes down unable to proceed. After a few 
 hours' rest, however, he generally gets up ready to continue his 
 journey until another attack comes on. This form of the dis- 
 ea,se, fortunately, is very rare. 
 
 Shivering. This is of more frequent occurrence than the last 
 form. A horse with this form is called a shiverer. He may be 
 standing quiet and the attendant strikes him or even speaks 
 sharply and he will exhibit an uncontrollable shivering and 
 twitching of the muscles, which lasts until the excitement 
 
THE farmer's ready REFERENCE. 45 
 
 passes off. I have seen another form closely allied to this last, 
 but with symptoms very similar to an aggravated case of St. 
 Vitus' dance in the human family. 
 
 Treatment —Although it is known to be due to a diseased 
 condition of some part of the nervous system yet it is difficult to 
 determine just what nerves are affected; hence treatment has 
 not generally been successful. There is no known treatment 
 which a novice can apply with success. The disease is heredi- 
 tary beyond a doubt and animals thus affected should never be 
 used for breeding purposes. 
 
DISEASES OF THE CIRCULATORY 
 SYSTEM. 
 
 The Heart. 
 
 The heart is the great fountain-head of the circulatory 
 system, and, in connection with its coverings, is subject to num- 
 erous diseases— generally sequelse of other diseases ; but, as the 
 symptoms are generally so obscure as to baffle the skill of the 
 experienced physician, and as treatment is seldom more than 
 palliative in the end, it is useless to occupy space here to give 
 more than a few general symptoms : The horse will generally be 
 very dull and not disposed to move about much ; slight exertion 
 will cause the heart to beat tumultously, often so hard as to 
 visibly shake the shoulder; the blood in the jugular vein may 
 often be seen regurgitating or flowing backward toward the 
 head at each beat of the heart ; the pulse will be weak and slug- 
 gish, notwithstanding the heart is beating violently. 
 
 Treatment. — When these symptoms become distressing 
 place the animal in a well- ventilated stall, or out of doors if in 
 warm weather ; give stimulants, as spirits of nitre or whisky, 
 and let him rest a few days. 
 
 Inflammation of a Vein. 
 
 Inflammation may occur in any vein, but it is oftenest seen 
 in the jugular vein on the side of the neck. It is the result of 
 some injury or of a bad job of bleeding or from improper care 
 afterward and catching cold in the wound. 
 
THE farmer's ready REFERENCE. 47 
 
 Symptoms —The part becomes swollen and hot, and soon 
 grows hard and painful. If it is the jugular vein he will hold 
 his head out and appear as if stiff in the neck. 
 
 Treatment.— Cover the swollen part with cloths wrung 
 out of hot water and keep it hot and steaming for several hours 
 by pouring hot water over it ; rub the part gently with the hand 
 and aim to get the blood started. If an abscess forms open it 
 and syringe it out with two teaspoonfuls of carbolic acid in one 
 pint of water. If the part remains hard apply a cantharidine 
 blister. If the vein becomes obliterated the horse cannot feed 
 well with his head down to the ground but should always be fed 
 from a manger afterward. 
 
 Rheumatism. 
 
 A constitutional disease supposed to be due to an excess of 
 lactic or some other acid in the blood. It is most prevalent 
 during wet or changeable weather; it is often caused by 
 exposure to cold ; some animals seem predisposed to it and an 
 attack will come on apparently without any exciting cause. 
 
 Symptoms.— The animal is suddenly attacked with lameness 
 either with or without swelling. Sometimes the lameness will 
 shift from one leg to another in twenty-four hours. The 
 affected part is very tender on pressure ; the pulse is hard and 
 rapid and the temperature is elevated. Rheumatic patients 
 generally give forth a sharp, clicking sound from the joints 
 when first starting to walk after standing a few minutes. 
 
 Treatment. — Bathe the affected joint with hot salt-water 
 several times a day, and after wiping dry each time rub on a 
 little of the following : Sweet oil, ammonia, turpentine, oil of 
 origanum, spirits of camphor and fluid extract of belladona,of 
 each, two ounces. Give internally a dose of aloes sufficient to 
 open the bowels, then give the following dose three times a day : 
 
48 THE farmer's ready reference. 
 
 Bicarbonate of potash, two to four drachms ; powdered colchicum 
 seed, one-half to one drachm ; mix. Vary the amount of the 
 dose to suit the size of the horse. Keep the animal loose in a 
 roomy, warm, but well- ventilated box stall. Feed on soft food 
 of, a laxative character. 
 
 Erysipelas. 
 
 Erysipelas is a febrile disease in which the skin, and" often 
 the tissues underlying it, become swollen, hot and painful. It 
 is of two forms : The simple or superficial form, rarely seen in 
 the horse, and the phlegmonous or deep form. It is due to some 
 poisonous germ which gets into the blood, often through a 
 wound. 
 
 Symptoms. — In the simple form there will be swelling and 
 the formation of small blisters on the skin. In the phlegmonous 
 form there may be a wound that has not been doing well for a 
 day or two when suddenly it begins to swell and becomes hot ; 
 it is painful to the touch and the sore gives forth a dark, watery 
 discharge instead of pus, and there is a smell as of burnt 
 leather ; there is a crackling sound as you rub your hand over 
 the skin, owing to the air underneath. The temperature will be 
 elevated ; the pulse will be quick and hard ; the horse will show 
 signs of great pain and have an anxious expression about the 
 eyes. ,■,,,„, ^ 
 
 Treatment.— In the siniple form give a teaspoonful of 
 nitrate of potash in feed three times a day, and keep the swell- 
 ing wet with the following : Sugar of lead, two ounces ; sulphate 
 of zinc, one ounce ; water, one quart. In the phlegmonous form 
 an ounce of aloes should be given at the start, and in addition 
 to the potash, stimulants, as nitre or whisky, should be given. 
 This form is generally fatal. It should be handled with care, as- 
 it is contagious to both man and beast. 
 
DISEASES OF THE URINARY ORGANS. 
 
 Inflammation of the Kidneys. 
 
 This disease very rarely occurs in the horse, although quacks 
 frequently claim its presence; but that is more to cover up 
 ignorance than from any knowledge of the disease. In order to 
 prove their diagnosis correct they often pinch the animal on the 
 loins to make him flinch, which most horses will do at any time. 
 
 SY3IPT0MS.— The symptoms somewhat resemble those of 
 colic, except there is fever. There will be thirst, arching of 
 the back, stiffness, and tenderness across the loins; violent 
 straining to urinate, but only passing a few drops and that 
 highly colored, and may be bloody 
 
 TREAT3IENT.— A quart of raw linseed oil and two ounces of 
 laudanum should be given at once, and if the pain continues the 
 laudanum may be repeated in two hours in half a pint of oil. 
 A mustard plaster should be put over the loins at once, and 
 injections of very warm water should be given freely in the 
 rectum once every hour till the pain is relieved. When the 
 animal begins to improve give soft food and add a teaspoonful of 
 bicarbonate of soda to the feed three times a day. 
 
 Inflammation of the Bladder. 
 
 This seldom occurs except in a mare where the bladder has 
 been injured in delivering a large foal. 
 
 Symptoms.— The animal walks with a straddling gait and 
 the urine is passed every few minutes but only in small quan- 
 tities. 
 
50 THE farmer's ready reference. 
 
 Treatment.— The same as in inflammation of the kidneys, 
 except the mustard plaster should be omitted and the warm 
 water should be injected into the vagina as well as the rectum. 
 The animal should be kept as quiet as possible. 
 
 Bloody Urine. 
 
 Tliis is frequently the result of some injury ; it may be from 
 ovf r exertion. It sometimes comes from some abnormal growth 
 in the kidneys, or tliere may be a calculus (stone) in the bladder. 
 In either of the latter it will require special treatment by a 
 veterinarian. 
 
 TaEATMSN^T.— lii or Unary cases a dose of from one-half to 
 one drachm of sugar of lead given three times a day, for a few 
 days, will generally check it If the blood continues, or returns 
 again after having been checked, it will be well to seek the serv- 
 ices of a competent veterinarian. 
 
 Azoturia. 
 
 Azoturia, so called from Azote, meaning nitrogen, is sup- 
 posed to be due to an excess of nitrogen in the blood. A horse, 
 in fair condition and on full feed, is doing regular work every 
 day ; finally, he is kept in the stable for a few days, not even 
 turned out for exercise, but has his regular feed ; then he is 
 taken out to work and an attack comes on. 
 
 Symptoms.— The horse is taken from the stable full of life, 
 and, to all appearances, in the best of condition for work. He 
 may go half a mile or several miles when he gets sluggish, 
 begins to sweat profuselv and may appear lame in one or both 
 hind legs. He may swell at the lower and back part of each 
 slioulder and go stiff in front, or the muscles of the loins may be 
 swollen and hard. He may only appear stiff or he may go down 
 unable to rise again. He does not generally lose his appetite, 
 
THE FAKMER's ready REFERENCE. 51 
 
 but will eat and drink as if nothing was wrong, even when he is 
 down and cannot get up. 
 
 Treatment.— Get the animal in a comfortable position, 
 and, if he cannot rise, give him a good bed of straw but do not 
 sling him. Give a full dose of aloes at once and draw off the 
 urine with a catheter and you will tind it the color of strong 
 coffee. Wring cloths from hot water and place across his loins, 
 or, if the weather is cold, use bags of dry salt made hot, instead 
 of the cloths. Give no grain and very little hay until the 
 purgative operates, but give all the cool water he will drink, and 
 in each pailful put a tablespoonful of hypo-sulphite of soda. 
 The horse should be changed from side to side occasionally and 
 the urine should be drawn away every four or live hours. After 
 the bowels have moved he should have a small quantity of oats 
 and bran mash and a teaspoonful of bicarbonate of soda three 
 times a day. When he begins to get the use of his limbs help 
 him to get on his feet and let him out in a yard for exercise. To 
 guard against this disease, a horse should never be allowed to 
 stand in the stable on full feed, but should be turned out for 
 exercise when not at work. 
 
 Diabetes. 
 
 This disease is probably due to some impurity in the food, as 
 musty hay or grain ; it is not the same in the horse as in the 
 human being, there being no sugar in the urine. 
 
 Symptoms.— The symptom most likely to attract attention 
 is the frequent voiding, in large quantities, of pale, thin urine. 
 If the animal stands in the stable the stall will be kept con- 
 stantly wet. There will also be great thirst ; and, although the 
 appetite may be fair, the animal will be dull ; the hair will be 
 rough and the hide will be tight. 
 
52 THE farmer's ready reference. 
 
 Treatment.— As the true cause is generally some derange- 
 ment of the digestive organs, we should begin the treatment 
 there. Mix together equal parts of gentian, bicarbonate of soda 
 and powdered charcoal and give half a tablespoonful three times 
 a day in some easily-digested, laxative food. To check the flow 
 of urine give the following dose twice a day : Iodine crystals, 
 forty grains; iodide of potassium, twenty grains; water, one 
 pint ; mix, and give as a drench. As this is best not taken into 
 the stomach with the food, one dose should be given about the 
 middle of the forenoon and the other in the middle of the after- 
 noon, half way between the feeds of grain. Two or three days 
 of this will generally be sufficient, but it may be necessary to 
 continue longer. Give plenty of drinking water often and in 
 
 small quantities. 
 
 Dribbling of Urine. 
 
 This is due to a relaxing of the muscles that close the neck 
 of the bladder. It is frequently seen in brood mares after diffi- 
 cult parturition. In such cases it is the result of severe and 
 prolonged pressure on the parts in delivering a large foal. As 
 each case will require special treatment according to the nature 
 of the case, which can only be determined by an examination, 
 the best plan will be to consult a competent veterinarian. 
 
DISEASES OF THE GENERATIVE 
 ORGANS. 
 
 Inflamtnation of the Testicles* 
 
 This sometimes happens in the stallion and is generally due 
 to some injury, as a kick from a mare while in the act of service. 
 
 Treatment.— Give a dose of aloes sufficient to open the 
 bowels, and give half-ounce doses of nitrate of potash three or 
 four times a day. Suspend the testicles by placing a bandage 
 around and under the hind quarters ; keep cloths wet with hot 
 water inside of the bandage around the testicles. If there is 
 much pain give an ounce or two of laudanum internally and 
 saturate a piece of cotton with fluid extract of lobelia and wrap 
 it around the testicles. Moderate exercise will be beneficial if 
 the testicles are supported. 
 
 Hydrocele. 
 
 This is the filling of the scrotum with fluid and is generally 
 the result of prolonged or oft-repeated attacks of inflammation. 
 
 Treatment.— Support the testicles with a truss or suspen- 
 sory and give internally one or two drachms of iodide of potas- 
 sium. If there is no improvement it may be necessary to 
 puncture the scrotum which will require the skill of a veteri- 
 narian. 
 
 Phymosis— Paraphymosis. 
 
 These are both sw^ollen conditions of the penis. The first is 
 when the penis remains within the sheath, and the second is 
 
54 THE farmer's ready reference. 
 
 when it is protruding and cannot be drawn back on account oi 
 the swelling ; both are due to the same causes, viz.: injuries to 
 the penis or adjacent parts. In the stallion it may be due to 
 kicks during the act of service. It sometimes results from ca&- 
 tration in colts. 
 
 Treatment. — Bathe the parts freely with warm w;.ter and 
 if the penis protrudes support it with a bandage. After the 
 soreness has been somewhat removed by bathing, moderate 
 exercise should be given In very severe cases give nitrate cf 
 potash in two to four drachm doses three times a day. 
 
 Gonorrhoea. 
 
 This is an irritation of the membrane covering the penis 
 and lining the sheath. In stallions it generally comes from 
 serving a mare that has an acrid discharge from the vagina, 
 probably from not cleaning properly after foaling. The irrita- 
 tion may be communicated to mares if the horse is allowed to 
 serve while affected. A somewhat similar condition is seen in 
 geldings as the result of foul sheath. 
 
 Symptoms.— Small sores will be noticed on the penis from 
 which a slight discharge issues. In mares there will be a dis- 
 charge from the vagina, and sores will form where it runs down 
 on the outside. 
 
 Treatment.— Lay the stallion oif from service and wash 
 the penis with cool water, then apply a little of the following 
 three or four times a day with a soft sponge : Sugar of lead, one 
 ounce ; sulphate of zinc, six drachms ; carbolic acid, two 
 drachms ; rain water, one quart ; mix. 
 
 Do not inject it in the urethra, as the disease rarely extends 
 beyond the orifice, and injections are liable to irritate the deli- 
 
THE farmer's ready REFERENCE. 55 
 
 cate membrane. Severe cases may have a dose of nitrate of 
 potash three times a day. 
 
 In mares syringe out the vagina with tepid water and inject 
 the lotion. It is not generally serious and yields readily to 
 treatment in a few days. 
 
DISEASES PECULIAR TO THE MARE. 
 
 Inflammation of the Womb. 
 
 This occurs in a day or two after parturition and is the 
 result of injury or from lying on the damp ground soon after 
 foaling and catching cold. 
 
 SYMPT03IS. — Arching the back and straining as in foaling ; 
 there will be a dark, watery discharge from the vagina ; also, a 
 loss of appetite, rapid pulse, high fever, and an anxious 
 expression about the eyes. The mare will look back and show 
 symptoms similar to those of colic. 
 
 Treatment.— Give from one to two pints of raw oil and 
 one or two ounces of laudanum; and give two drachms of 
 nitrate of potash and one drachm of sulphate of cinchonida 
 every two hours until four doses have been given, then give 
 every four hours till recovery. Wash the uterus out with warm 
 water, then inject a pint of water in which has been dissolved 
 ten grains of corrosive sublimate. This should be done two or 
 three times a day. Keep the mare in a comfortably warm and 
 dry box stall. Give all the water she wants to drink. 
 
 Inflammation of the Udder. 
 
 This may occur in mares that are great milkers if the foal 
 be not allowed to draw the milk away regularly : it may also 
 come from catching cold by lying on the wet ground. 
 
 Treatment.— Bathe the udder freely with warm water, 
 and either draw the milk all away or let the colt do it, then rub 
 in thoroughly some of the following : Sweet oil, two ounces ; 
 
THE farmer's ready REFERENCE. 57 
 
 fluid extract of lobelia, one ounce ; mixed. This should be 
 washed off again in half an hour to let the colt suck, as it is not 
 likely to do so if the medicine is there. A few applicatioi.s 
 during the day will remove the trouble if the milk is drawn 
 away often. Moderate exercise will assist greatly to remove it. 
 
 Leucorrhcea. 
 
 This is a chronic discharge that comes from the womb. It 
 may lesult from a part of the placenta remaining in the womb 
 after parturition, decaying and setting up irritation, but it is 
 more often due old age and general debility. A mare will not 
 thrive while in this condition. It can easily be recognized by 
 the frequent discharge from the vagina of a white, glary and 
 curdled fluid ; the discharge is generally fetid. If the mare is 
 allowed to stand quiet for an hour or two and then started up 
 quickly she will throw out a large quantity that accumulated 
 while standing. The tail and hind legs are kept in a filthy con- 
 dition, and the hair all over the body is rough and staring and 
 the e>es often have a sunken, hollow look, giving a run-down 
 appearance to the animal in general. 
 
 Treatment.— It will be necessary to have a catheter or a 
 small rubber tube that can be inserted into the neck of the 
 womb through which water and medicine can be forced with a 
 syringe. The womb should be washed out with warm water 
 twice a day, and each time a little of the following should 
 be injected: Sugar of lead, one ounce; sulphate of zinc, six 
 drachms ; carbolic acid, two drachms ; mix, A tablespoonful of 
 the following should be given in bran or oats three times a day : 
 Nitrate of potash, gentian and sulphate of iron, of each, six 
 ounces ; mixed. The mare should be fed liberally and turned 
 out in a yard every day for exercise, but should not be worked 
 until she has had time to recruit her strength. 
 
58 THE farmer's ready reference. 
 
 Rupture of the Perineum. 
 
 This is a rupture of the tissues that separate the vagina 
 from the rectum. It generally is the result of accident in par- 
 turition, but it may happen in the act of service. Very few 
 cases can be treated successfully even by the experienced ; hence 
 it is useless for the novice to attempt it. Owners of such mares 
 frequently become victims of *' medicine sharks" who go about 
 the country performing miracles and gulling the people. "A 
 hint to the wise is sufficient." 
 
DISEASES OF THE EYE. 
 
 Simple Ophthalmia. 
 
 The eye may suddenly appear weak and unable to bear the 
 light, as a result of catching cold ; the lids are kept closed and 
 the tears run down over the cheek. It may also be caused by a 
 blow on or near the eye, even though it did not touch the eye- 
 ball. It is not generally serious. 
 
 Treatment.— Bathe the eye twice a day with water as hot 
 as can be borne with the hand, and protect it from the light for 
 a few days until the inflammation is relieved and it is likely to 
 be all right. If the eye appears to have a film over it touch it 
 twice a day with a little of the following : Nitrate of silver, four 
 grains ; distilled water, one ounce ; mix. 
 
 Puncture of the Eyeball. 
 
 Puncture of the eyeball sometimes happens by accident 
 while the horse is grazing in the dark among weeds or brush. 
 And it frequently happens that a gash is cut across the cornea 
 on barbed wire or some other sharp object. If the puncture is 
 small, and if it only pierces the anterior chamber of the eye, 
 allowing only the aqueous humor to escape, the puncture will 
 close and the humor will be reproduced ; but if the puncture 
 reaches into the posterior portion of the eye, allowing the 
 vitreous humor to escape, or if part of the cornea should be torn 
 away, the eyesight will be destroyed. But in either puncture or 
 gashing of the cornea, even if the sight is restored, there will 
 always remain a small scar at the point of injury. 
 
60 THE farmer's ready reference. 
 
 Treatment.— Examine the wound carefully and if any part 
 of the foreign body remains in the wound it must be removed. 
 The eye should be bathed for half an hour twice a day with cold 
 water ; a piece of old muslin is better to use in bathing than a 
 sponge After bathing each time apply around and in the eye a 
 little of the following : Nitrate of potash and sulphate of zinc, 
 of each, forty grains ; fluid extract of belladona, four drachms ; 
 rain water, one pint; mix. The animal should be kept in a 
 moderately-dark stable and fed on light diet. If a spongy 
 growth begins to protrude from the wound a little dry calomel 
 may be blown into it. If the eyeball remains white after the 
 wound is entirely healed apply twice a day with a camel's-hair 
 pencil, or with the point of a small feather, a little of the follow- 
 ing : Nitrate of silver, four grains ; distilled water, one ounce ; 
 
 mix. 
 
 Specific Ophthalmia. 
 
 This disease is frequently known among horsemen as "" moon 
 eyes." It is a constitutional affection which attacks the inner 
 structures of the eye ; it is due to hereditary influence, and 
 although the first attack may have been caused by some local 
 injury or some other known cause, yet that is no evidence that 
 the predisposition to, the disease was not lurking in the system 
 and the attack would have come on at some time either with or 
 without an apparent exciting cause. 
 
 Symptoms.— The first attack may be very slight ; the eye may 
 have appeared only a little weak with a slight watery discbarge 
 for a few days and then got all right again. Another attack 
 may come in a month, or in six months, and it will be a little 
 worse and last a little longer. After several attacks the eye will 
 begin to look milky while sore, but if you stand close to the 
 horse just back of the eye and look forward through it you will 
 see that the aqueous humor is clear and the cloudy part is back 
 
THE farmer's ready REFERENCE. 61 
 
 of it. - Sometimes well-advanced cases will present a yellowish 
 deposit in the lower part of the eye. 
 
 Treatment.— The disease is incurable and will sooner or 
 later terminate in blindness— sometimes in cataract and some- 
 times ill amaurosis. However, treatment can be palliative, and 
 if begun in time may prolong the eyesight several years. Very 
 heavy feeding especially on corn, should be avoided at all times 
 with such an animal. When the attack comes on give a dose of 
 aloes sufficient to open the bowels ; give forty grains of quinine 
 and four drachms of nitrate of potash in feed or on the tongue 
 three times a day for a week. Bathe the eyes for half an hour 
 morning and night with very warm water, then apply the fol- 
 lowing : Nitrate of potash and sulphate of zinc, of each, forty 
 grains ; rain water, one pint ; mix. 
 
 Bleeding Fungus. 
 
 Sometimes as the result of an injury, in connection with 
 some constitutional tendency, a spongy growth will appear in 
 the eye and continue to grow until it protrudes in an unsightly, 
 bleeding mass over the cheek ; it appears to be of a somewhat 
 cancerous nature and if only partly removed will grow all the 
 faster. It may become so extensive as to produce caries of the 
 bone. 
 
 Treatment.— The only mode of treatment the writer ever 
 found to be effectual is to remove the entire mass of diseased 
 tissue, including the eyeball if diseased. If there is much 
 bleeding saturate a bunch of cotton with tincture muriate of 
 iron and press it into the cavity, leaving it there until the next 
 day when it should be removed and another piece saturated with 
 a solution of chloride of zinc, one drachm to the ounce of water, 
 and pressed into the cavity. This should be repeated next day, 
 and then it should be cleansed once a day thereafter with car- 
 
62 THE farmer's ready reference. 
 
 bolized water, and carbolized vaseline applied and the orifice 
 again filled with cotton to keep out the dirt. 
 
 Torn Eyelids. 
 
 Sometimes, by accident, the eyelids become torn. Never 
 cut the loose parts away if they can possibly be saved ; it leaves 
 the eye wiihout protection. Cleanse them and bring the edges 
 together with a few stitches and they will soon unite again. 
 
DISEASES OF THE SKIN. 
 
 Eczema. 
 
 There is a severe itching of the skin, generally of the shoul- 
 ders or of the hind quarters; numerous small blisters are 
 formed on the skin and are broken open by the frantic rubbing 
 of the animal, especially on going into the stable after being 
 warmed up at work. 
 
 Treatment.— Give the horse internally a heaping table- 
 spoonful of the following twice a day : Epsom salt, sulphur and 
 cream of tartar, of each equal parts, mixed. Feed on oats and 
 bran, but no corn. Turn out on grass if convenient. Bathe the 
 affected parts twice a day with hypo-sulphite of soda, two 
 ounces ; carbolic acid, two drachms ; water, one quart ; mixed. 
 
 Prurigo. 
 
 When horses are highly fed on corn or other heating food 
 there is often a severe itchiness of the skin which makes the 
 animal almost frantic at times ; he will bite his sides and rub 
 himself against the side of the stall until the skin becomes bare 
 and raw in places. There are no blisters or pimples at first, but 
 just a severe irritation of the minute terminal nerves of the skin 
 due to an over-heated, surfeited condition of the system from 
 high feeding. 
 
 Treatment.— Change the feed if possible ; give no corn ; 
 feed oats and bran and give carrots, potatoes, and any other 
 vegetables that he will eat of a cooling nature. Give a heaping 
 tablespoonful of Glauber's salt in the feed twice a day. Wash 
 
64 THE farmer's ready reference. 
 
 the body of the horse all over to remove the dirt from the skiD, 
 
 then sponge him all over with strong vinegar. The apj-lication 
 
 of the vinegar should be repeated every day or two unt.l the 
 
 irritation ceases. 
 
 Urticaria. 
 
 This is an irritation of the skin which occurs among colts 
 and young horses, generally in spring or early summer months ; 
 but may appear at any season of the year. It has been attributed 
 by some to change of weather and by others to something in the 
 diet ; the exact cause, however, is unknown. It comes on very 
 suddenly. An animal all right in the morning may be covered 
 with little nodules at noon. The nodules are broad at the base 
 and rise up from a quarter to a half inch high, resembling a 
 swelling from a bee sting. They may be only on some part of 
 the body or may cover head and neck as well, and sometimes 
 the eyes are closed with the swellings. It is not serious, and 
 often passes off as suddenly us it came on. 
 
 Treatment.— Bathe the swellings with salt water and give 
 
 a heaping teaspoonf ul of nitrate of potash three times a day, or a 
 
 tablespoonful of Epsom salt twice a day till the skin is all clear 
 
 again. 
 
 Summer Sores. 
 
 Small lumps or pimples the size of a pea or larger come on 
 the skin on any part of the body or limbs ; these itch, and, by 
 rubbing, a raw sore is produced which increases in size, becomes 
 hard or caked, and a bloody serum oozes out. Because of severe 
 itching the horse continues to rub and bite the sore until a 
 surface several inches in diameter is often involved. These 
 sores are due to a parasite [Filaria irritans) which must be 
 destroyed before permanent healing can take place. 
 
 Treatment.— Shower the part for half an hour with cold 
 water, then gponge it over thoroughly with chloroform until 
 
THE FAKMER's ready REFERENCE. 65 
 
 every part has been saturated, after which apply a coating of 
 the following: Calomel, one ounce; tannic acid, one ounce; 
 vaseline, four ounces ; mix. This entire treatment must be 
 repeated faithfully every day until the sore is all healed. The 
 animal must be prevented from biting the sore. 
 
 Lice. 
 
 Any and all animals are liable to be troubled with lice, and 
 more especially those that are thin in flesh. Where only one or 
 two are to be treated a mixture of one part oil of tar, two parts 
 sulphur and four parts of lard well rubbed in about the head, 
 mane and along the spine once a week for three weeks will 
 elfect a cure ; but if a large number are to be treated the wash 
 prescribed for mange will be cheaper and more readily applied. 
 
 Hen Lice. 
 
 Where chickens are allowed to roost or build nests about the 
 stable, horses are apt to become infested with hen lice, and will 
 rub and bite themselves wildly, while nothing can be seen except 
 on the closest inspection. Any of the preparations for horse 
 lice or mange will kill them, but the stable must also be cleansed 
 or they will be as bad as ever in a day or two. 
 
 Ringworm. 
 
 Ringworm is due to a vegetable parasite ( Trichophyton tonsu- 
 rans) which manifests its presence by small, round spots of bald 
 scurfy skin, frequently about the head and face, but may come 
 on any part of the body. It is contagious to man or beast and 
 should not be neglected. 
 
 Treatment.— Wash off the scabs and apply tincture of 
 iodine once a day for three days. Repeat at the end of a week if 
 necessary. 
 
68 THE farmer's ready reference. 
 
 Warts. 
 
 Warts are small, rough, scaly tumors or abnormal growths 
 formed by a thickening of the skin ; they may come on any part 
 of the body or limbs, but are often seen in great numbers about 
 the nose and eyelids. If they are very small and numerous, as 
 is often the case about the nose, they can often be removed by a 
 daily application of castor oil with plenty of hand-rubbing. 
 But if they grow singly the best plan is to take a sharp knife 
 and cut them out, including a narrow strip of healthy skin all 
 around the wart to insure getting all the roots. Flat warts 
 may sometimes be removed by touching once a day with nitric 
 acid, but do not let it get on the healthy skin. 
 
 Bleeding Warts — Recurrent Tumors. 
 
 There is a species of tumor commonly called "bleeding 
 wart " that grows on the lower or less fleshy part of the leg of 
 the horse as the result of some deep-seated injury, frequently 
 from a neglected wire cut where the covering (periosteum) of 
 the bone has been injured. If not taken in its early stages it is 
 very difficult to control, as cutting out, unless every particle is 
 removed, only seems to make it grow more rapidly. 
 
 Treatment.— Remove the tumor with a knife to the level 
 of the skin, then make enough paste to cover the tumor, as fol- 
 lows : Take chloride of zinc, and just enough water to dissolve 
 it ; add enough wheat flour to form a paste ; spread this over 
 the surface of the tumor ; lay on a piece of cotton to keep it from 
 spreading and apply a bandage around the whole for twenty-four 
 hours, then remove it. Keep the part oiled and in a week or less 
 the dead tissue will drop out, when, if any of the roots remain, 
 the process should be repeated. When it is all out the wound 
 can be healed by a daily application of the following wash : 
 Chloride of zinc, three drachms ; rain water, one pint ; mix. 
 
THE farmer's ready REFERENCE. 67 
 
 Melanotic Tumors. 
 
 Melanosis is a disease peculiar to white or gray horses ; 
 sometimes, though not often, seen in others. It manifests itself 
 in black, hairless tumors resembling rubber. Tliey may occur 
 on any part of the body, but are oftenest seen about the root of 
 the tail and around the anus. If small they may be dissected 
 out ; if large, and deep in the muscles, let them alone. 
 
 Mange. 
 
 Mange, sometimes called'' Texas itch," because many horses 
 coming from Texas were infested wi h it, is due to a parasite 
 which burrows in the skin. The parasites are of three varieties, 
 viz.: the sarcoptes, dermatocoptis and dermatophagus. 
 
 Symptoms.— There will be intense itching of the skin, 
 increasing the more it is rubbed. Small blisters or pimples will 
 form, and, when broken by rubbing, will discharge a gluey sub- 
 stance that dries on the skin. The hair will be rubbed off and 
 the skin thickened. 
 
 Treatment. — Make a wash of unslacked lime, one pound ; 
 sulphur, two pounds : water, two gallons ; slake the lime in the 
 water first, then add the sulphur and boil and stir until thor- 
 oughly combined. Select a warm day and first wash the animal 
 with warm water and soap ; when nearly dry apply the wash 
 with a large swab or mop, rubbing it well into the skin. It 
 should be repeated in a week. It generally takes about three 
 applications to effect a cure. Where a large number of animals 
 are affected, a tank, such as that used for dipping sheep, can be 
 used. The disease is contagious and all harness and blankets 
 used about it should be washed in hot water and soap and then 
 sponged with a five per cent solution of carbolic acid. 
 
 Scratches. 
 
 Horses that are working in the mud and slush from rain and 
 
68 THE farmer's ready reference. 
 
 snow in cold weather, and are not properly dried, are apt to have 
 the legs about the heels and fetlocks to become rough and sore 
 and crack open ; sometimes the legs swell up and become 
 painful. 
 
 Treat^ient. — Wash the parts with warm water and castile 
 soap and dry them, then apply three times a day a wash made as 
 follows : Sugar of lead, two ounces ; sulphate of zinc, one ounce ; 
 carbolic acid, three drachms ; water, one quart. Turn the 
 animal out in a dry yard for exercise, and feed on light diet. 
 
 Grease Heel. 
 
 When a case of scratches has been neglected for a long time 
 the blood becomes impure ; the legs swell badly and a greasy, 
 fetid matter oozes out through the pores of the skin and the 
 horse often becomes quite lame. 
 
 Treatment.— Give the horse a dose of aloes sufficient to 
 physic him, then give a heaping teaspoonful of nitrate of potash 
 in bran mash three times a day. Apply a poultice of linseed 
 meal dusted over with powdered charcoal once a day till the 
 sores have a healthy appearance. If there is any proud flesh 
 touch it with lunar caustic. When the sores are healthy apply 
 the wash prescribed for scratches. The horse should be fed on 
 cooling, laxative diet, and exercised, in a dry yard, enough to 
 take the swelling down. If the case proves obstinate give the 
 following internally : Iodide of potash, two ounces ; Fowler's 
 solution of arsenic, eight ounces ; water, eight ounces ; mix. 
 Dose, two tablespoonf uls in a little water or on the feed twice a 
 day. It is often very tedious to treat. •* 
 
DISEASES OF THE LYMPHATIC 
 SYSTEM. 
 
 Lymphangitis. 
 
 This is also sometimes known as weed, Monday morning 
 fever, etc. It occurs oftenest among heavy work horses that 
 are working hard and being fed highly. They are sometimes 
 allowed to stand in the stable idle for a day or two and the full 
 amount of feed given ; a larger amount of nutritive material is 
 formed than can be taken up by the absorbents and the result is 
 an attack of the disease. 
 
 Symptoms.— After a day or two of complete idleness the 
 horse will be found with one hind leg badly swollen and very 
 tender to pressure, especially along the line of the lymphatics on 
 the inside of the leg. It may occur in both hind legs, and it is 
 possible, in the fore legs. The appetite is generally gone, the 
 pulse very full, and the horse shows signs of suffering. 
 
 Treatment. — Give a dose of aloes according to the size and 
 strength of the horse ; and give half-ounce doses of nitrate of 
 potash three times a day. Bathe the swelled leg with very warm 
 water for half an hour, then rub on a liniment made of tincture 
 of arnica, fluid extract of lobelia and distilled extract of witch 
 hazel, equal parts. As soon as the inflammation passes off the 
 horse should be turned out for exercise. 
 
 Anasarca. 
 
 This disease is characterized by dropsical swellings of the 
 
70 THE farmer's ready reference. 
 
 limbs and lower part of the body. When it comes under the 
 belly some call it "" water farcy;" an-l it is called '' stocking" 
 when in the legs. It is due to a debilitated condition of the 
 system. The walls of the blood vessels become relaxed and 
 allow the thin, watery part of the blood to ooze out and settle in 
 the cellular tissue underneath the skin. 
 
 SY3IPT03IS — The legs will be swelled after standing in the 
 stable over night, but it is not so extensive as in lymphangitis, 
 and is not painful ; and it will pit upon pressure with the fingers 
 Swellings often form under the belly, sometimes to the thickness 
 of a couple of inches. It passes away with exercise and returns 
 again when the horse stands over night. 
 
 Treatment.— A purgative is not generally advisable ; but 
 the bowels must be regulated by giving soft, digestible food. 
 Give, morning and night, a dose composed of nitrate of potash, 
 two drachms ; sulphate of iron, two drachms ; nux vomica, one 
 drachm ; and feed liberally to build up the strength. Do not 
 blister the swellings nor apply strong liniment ; but apply cold 
 water with force, as from a hose, for ten minutes, then rub the 
 parts dry with a cloth and give plenty of rubbing with the hand 
 or with a brush. Give moderate exercise every day. 
 
 Swelling of the Sheath. 
 
 This is very common and is due to the same cause. Exer- 
 cise will generally effect a cure. 
 
 Horses that have run in the pasture until late in the fall and 
 are then stabled should be fed up gradually and have exercise 
 every day throughout the winter if not at regular work. 
 
WOUNDS AND THEIR TREATMENT. 
 
 In this land of barbed wire fences, wounds in horses are of 
 common occurrence. They occur on all parts of the body and 
 limbs. As they generally take place while the animal is running 
 at large in the pasture they are often not discovered until all 
 bleeding has ceased ; but if bleeding seriously when found the 
 proper proceedure would be to take the vein or artery up and 
 tie it, or twist it. [f that cannot be done, saturate a piece of 
 cotton with tincture muriate of iron and bind on ; or, if no iron 
 is at hand, bind on the cotton alone and apply pressure. Bleed- 
 ing in any part of the body can often be stopped by allowing a 
 stream of cold water to fall two or three feet and strike on top of 
 the loins for a few minutes. The bandage should be left on 
 twenty-four to forty -eight hours to insure against bleeding when 
 it is removed. When there is no bleeding the wound should be 
 cleansed by pouring on warm water, then it should be dressed 
 with one part turpentine and three parts sweet oil to hasten the 
 formation of pus, as the swelling will then go down. It can 
 then be healed by an application twice a day of the following : 
 Sugar of lead, one ounce ; sulphate of zinc, six drachms ; carbolic 
 acid, two drachms; rain water, one quart. Do not keep it 
 bandaged, but each time after dressing it dust the raw surface 
 over with dry wheat flour. If proud flesh starts, check it with 
 burnt alum. Very few wounds need stitching up. They heal 
 from the bottom better and scar less if left open. After two or 
 three days, when the muscles have become set, all loose parts 
 should be neatly trimmed away. Do not keep a horse with a 
 
72 THE farmer's ready reference. 
 
 sore tied up in a stable, but give him a box stall at night and 
 turn him out in a yard in the day time. Standing makes the 
 wound grow feverish and swell. Wounds from snags, or other 
 sharp-pointed objects, should always ba well examined to see 
 that nothing is left in the bottom. 
 
 Fistula and Poll Evil. 
 
 As these two diseases are of exactly the same nature only 
 differently located, they will be treated under the sama heading. 
 When the disease affects the withers it is fistula, or "• fistulous 
 withers ; " and when situated on the top of tha he id it is known 
 as poll evil. The disease has always been attributed to a bruise 
 or local injury ; but, after an extensive and varied experience 
 in treating it, the writer is of the opinion that there is some 
 parasitic agent connected with it, and he is glad to learn lately 
 that there are others who concur in the same opinion. 
 
 Symptoms.— In either location the disease may begin with a 
 stiffness of the part affected witiiout any appireut swelling. 
 The horse may be dumpish and off his feed for a few days and 
 then seem all right for some time before the swelling appears. 
 Finally the parts are swollen, hard at first, but after a time 
 growing soft and filled with pus. It may remain swollen a year 
 before it breaks, or it may break at any time. Sometimes the 
 tumor grows very large. 
 
 Treatment. — If taken before the formation of pus, re- 
 peated blistering with biniodide of mercury, one part, to lard, 
 six parts, and the administration internally of one to two 
 drachms of iodide of potassium twice a day, may ward it off. 
 But if pus forms, the tumor should be split open on both sides, 
 parallel with the mane When the bleeding has ceased, fill the 
 cavities full of lumps of sulphate of copper ; grease the hair 
 below it and let it alone for a week, when the dead tissue can be 
 
THE farmer's ready REFERENCE. 73 
 
 removed. This burning out should be repeated until the sore 
 becomes healthy, when an outlet for pus should be made at the 
 bottom, and the sore dressed once a day with chloride of zinc, 
 two drachms ; water, one pint. The iodide of potassium should 
 also be given the same as when the sore is not open. Many 
 cases require long and siiillful treatment and some are incurable. 
 
 Calcareous Degeneration. 
 
 This is a species of tumor that has small calcareous or limy 
 bodies interspersed through it. These bodies are from the size 
 of a millet seed to that of a hazel nut, and form sores if located 
 where they receive pressure from the harness. The remedy is 
 to dissect the deposits out and then treat as an ordinary wound. 
 
 Callouses. 
 
 Callouses about the shoulders or other parts, the result of 
 undue pressure, are best treated by splitting the skin and remov- 
 ing the hard tissue with the knife, then healing the wound. 
 
LAMENESS AND DISEASES OF THE 
 
 FEET. 
 
 While some forms of lameness are so prominent as to be 
 plainly visible at a glance, there are others which require the 
 closest scrutiny to locate. Again, there are some who seem to 
 have an innate faculty for discovering the affected part, while 
 there are others who can never become proficient, even with the 
 closest study and observation. There are a few points, howeVer, 
 which, if borne in mind, may serve as a guide, viz.: If a horse 
 is standing, always examine him before he is moved, but do not 
 give an opinion until after you have seen him moved. Move 
 him on the trot, not on the gallop. If he is lame in front he will 
 elevate his head with the lame foot and drop it with the sound 
 one. If he is lame in the shoulder he will drag or swing the 
 lame leg instead of picking it up quickly and placing it down 
 carefully. If lame behind he will elevate the hip on the lame 
 side, but the leg will also fail to come as far forward as the 
 sound one. A horse lame in or below the hock joint rests his 
 foot a little forward of the other ; if lame above the hock he will 
 rest it even with or back of the other. Disease of bone grows 
 better as it warms up in traveling ; diseased tendon or muscle 
 grows worse. If a horse is already warmed up it is well to let 
 him cool oft" before examining him. 
 
 A few general directions in the treatment of lameness will 
 also save many words hereafter. If a horse is seriously lame, 
 remove his shoes, if shod. As in most cases of injury or sprain 
 
THE farmer's ready REFERENCE. 75 
 
 there is inflammation, the first step necessary is to reduce it by 
 the application of either hot or cold water. li a woiu.d is 
 swollen and painful, hot water is generally preferable to cold 
 >^ut If there is not much pain, cold water gives the best satis- 
 faction ; and especially if a joint is the seat of injury, except in 
 ca^e of rheumatism, and then hot water should always be used 
 The best method of applying the water is to wrap the part to be 
 fomented in several thicknesses of cloth, as an old blanket and 
 then keep it wet for several hours. Hot water should always be 
 as hot as the hand can bear it. To use it only luke-warm is a 
 waste of time. If cold water can be applied with force, as with 
 a hose. It has a good effect. When neither cloths nor force 
 can be used, salt may be added to the water, or vinegar and salt 
 mav be used instead of water and s.dt. It should be applied hot 
 but should not be boiled in mixing. Occasionally a case of 
 lameness will subside after the inflammation has been removed 
 and no other treatment be needed; but most cases r^^quire 
 additional treatment, either to complete the cure or to prevent 
 a return of the lameness. 
 
 As some of the blisters, liniments, etc., will be used in a 
 number of different cases throughout the treatment of lameness 
 the mode of preparation will not be given each time, but in order 
 to save space, only the name of the remedy and the manner of 
 application will be given, and the formula, method of preparing 
 and instructions for general use will be found in the article 
 headed, Medicines, and How to Mix Them, near the beginning 
 of this work. 
 
 Sweeny. 
 
 Sweeny, sometimes called -shoulder slip," is of common 
 occurence in young horses, especially when put to work bv the 
 side of an older and stronger horse. It is due to injury of the 
 
76 THE farmer's ready reference. 
 
 muscles which pass down over the outside of the shoulder blade ; 
 occasionally other muscles are involved. 
 
 SYMPT03IS. — The animal sometimes tries to favor the in- 
 jured shoulder in pulling; when out of the harness there is a 
 dragging or swinging motion to the leg ; when weight is put 
 upon the leg in walking, there is a bulging out of the shoulder 
 joint In the course of a week the muscles of the shoulder will 
 begin to waste away. 
 
 Treatment.— If there is undue heat about the shoulder, 
 shower the affected part several times a day with cold water 
 until the inflammation subsides; then, if the muscles have not 
 commenced to shrink, apply the following twice a day down the 
 shoulder blade and around the joint : Distilled extract of witch 
 hazel, tincture of arnica and spirits of camphor, equal parts, 
 mixed. If the muscles are shrunken apply the ammoniacal 
 liniment to the same parts twice a day, rubbing it in well until 
 the skin becomes sore, then stop a few days, when the liniment 
 should be repeated. Give complete rest until all lameness 
 ceases, then light driving will not hurt him. 
 
 Capped Elbow. 
 
 Sometimes it happens that the horse while lying down in 
 the stall will bruise the point of the elbow so severely as to cause 
 a soft, puffy tumor to form. If attended to at once it will gen- 
 erally yield to copious applications of hot or cold water ; but if 
 allowed to remain for some time it will be necessary to open it, 
 and the best way is to pass a seaton through it from top to 
 bottom. Some digestive should be used on the seaton, as can- 
 tharidine ointment or turpentine and oil. If the tumor becomes 
 hard, it is best to dissect it out, and this will require some skill. 
 In any case it will be necessary to remove the cause to prevent 
 a return of the tumor. 
 
THE farmer's ready REFERENCE. 77 
 
 Elbow Joint Lameness. 
 
 This form of lameness is not of very frequent occurrence, 
 but is very serious when it does occur. It may result from a fall, 
 but is generally the result of getting the foot fast and twisting 
 the joint. The horse will be very lame, will scarcely use the leg, 
 and backs with great diflftculty; the joint will also be swollen 
 and painful. 
 
 Treatment.— Give complete rest ; reduce the inflammation 
 
 with cold water, then apply the ammoniacal liniment or a blister 
 
 of cantharides made of one part of powdered cantharides and six 
 
 parts of lard or vaseline The horse must be given ample time 
 
 to recover before going to work, or there is danger of a return of 
 
 the lameness. 
 
 Knee Joint Lameness. 
 
 Injury to the knee joint may occur in various ways. As a 
 sprain it may be from stepping in a hole ; but bruises and cuts 
 of the knee often happen from falling on rough, frozen or rocky 
 ground, and from striking the knee against some hard object 
 when running. 
 
 SY3fPT0MS.— If a sprain, there will be heat, swelling and 
 stiffness of the joint ; and in walking there will be a shoving 
 motion of the leg as if trying to bend the knee joint as little as 
 possible. Bruises and cuts are apparent and need no other 
 explanation 
 
 TREAT3IENT — If a Sprain, reduce the swelling as much as 
 possible, then apply a blister made of one part biniodide of 
 mercury and six of lard or vaseline. Bruises and cuts should 
 have an application two or three times a day of White Lotion. 
 This not only heals the cuts, but it also removes the soreness 
 from the contused parts. If the cut should happen to be deep 
 enough to open the synovial sac and allow the escape of the 
 "' joint water," see Open Joint. 
 
78 THE farmer's ready reference. 
 
 Knee Sprung. 
 
 This is not a disease, but only a symptom of some disease, as 
 sore tendons, bruised heels, corns or some other affection, to 
 relieve which the horse stands with his knees bent forward. 
 Examine for the cause and, when ascertained, see treatment 
 under its pmper heading. 
 
 Splint. 
 
 A splint is a bony enlargement located between the large 
 bone [metacarpal) of the leg below the knee and one of the small 
 splint bones located on the back part of the large bone. It is 
 generally located on the inside of the leg and is then due to con- 
 cussion from traveling on hard roads ; but it may come on the 
 outside of the leg from an injury, as a blow or a kick. Its 
 seriousness depends upon its location. If it is near the knee 
 joint the lameness is often severe ; but if not located near a joint 
 the lameness is generally trifling. 
 
 Symptoms. — In walking the animal may not limp much, but 
 will show it plainly in trotting. The lameness is most severe 
 before the enlargement begins to show, but there will be heat in 
 the part and the horse will flinch upon pressure with the fingers. 
 When the enlargement begins to grow it can be easily seen as 
 well as felt. 
 
 Treatment. — If discovered before the enlargement begins, 
 shower daily with cold water, and if the lameness continues after 
 the inflammation has been reduced, apply the biniodide of 
 mercury blister, repeating in four weeks if the lameness con- 
 tinues. If there is an enlargement accompanied by lameness, 
 the treatment will be the same ; but if there is no lameness, only 
 the blister need be applied, and that will do very little good, as 
 the enlargement cannot be reduced much. 
 
THE farmer's ready REFERENCE. 79 
 
 Pastern Joint. 
 
 This includes both the fetlock joint and the joint immedi- 
 ately below it. Sprain of these joints is not very frequent. It 
 may be known by lameness, heat and swelling of the parts; and 
 the animal will also point the foot to relieve it from the weight 
 of the body. 
 
 Treatment.— Is just the same as in other joints, viz : Hot 
 or cold water applications, liniments, blisters and complete rest. 
 
 Wind Galls. 
 
 These are puffy tumors and may come on any part of the 
 limbs where a tendon plays through a sheath. They are an 
 undue enlargement of some part of the sheath which becomes 
 tilled with synovial fluid. Si)me recommend puncturing wind 
 galls and allowing the escape of the fluid ; but this is not always 
 advisable ; a puncture near a joint might result seriously. 
 
 Treatment.— -Bathing with cold water and pressure by 
 bandages, followed by blister, will be the safest. Old, long- 
 standing cases are incurable with any treatment. 
 
 Quarter and Toe Crack. 
 
 These two are the same in character, the different names 
 only indicating the part of the foot affected. They are due to a 
 dry and brittle condition of the hoof. They may be only very 
 slight, causing little or no lameness ; but sometimes they pene- 
 trate to the sensitive part of the foot and cause serious lameness. 
 
 Treatment.— The crack should be carefully cleaned out 
 with a hoof-knife, cutting away the edge of the wall on each 
 side of the crack, but not wounding the sensitive tissue in the 
 bottom. A cut should then be made at a right angle with and 
 across the top of the crack reaching into the quick, to prevent 
 the crack from extending further up the hoof. A warm, flax- 
 
80 THE farmer's ready reference. 
 
 seed meal poultice should then be kept on the foot, changing it 
 once a day for a week. At the end of a week the poultice can be 
 omitted and a cantharidine blister applied around the coronet ; 
 and the crack should be kept tilled with an ointment made of 
 pine tar, one part, and tallow, two parts. The horse must be 
 given complete rest and should not be put to work until the new 
 growth is well under headway. 
 
 Corns, 
 
 Corns are bruises of the sensitive part of the sole of the foot 
 in the angle formed by the junction of the bar and the wall. 
 They are the result of undue pressure from the shoe, sometimes- 
 caused by improper shoeing, but. just as often caused by leaving 
 the shoe on the foot too long, with a mistaken idea of saving 
 expenses. 
 
 Symptoms.— Lameness, especially on hard ground ; the 
 h(jrse will point the foot when standing. Tak-:i up the foot and 
 tap it with a hammer or try it all around with a pair of pinchers 
 and the horse will show signs of pain when you touch the tender 
 spot. If you remove the shoe and clean out the angles, the 
 bottom of the hoof in the angle is generally tinged with blood. 
 
 Treatment.— Remove the shoe and dress down the heel ; 
 clean out the angles and cut down carefully ; if there is pus, cut 
 away enough of the sole to give it free exit. But if it is dry, do 
 not cut to the quick, but only thin it down. Cut away the wall 
 slightly to let the frog down on the ground. If pus has formed, 
 after evacuating it hold the foot up and fill the angle full of 
 muriatic acid or muriate of antimony. Apply a warm linseed- 
 meal poultice every day till the tenderness is removed, then fill 
 the angle with cotton saturated with pine tar to keep out 
 foreign matter ; the tar is also beneficial to the foot. After the 
 sole at the seat of the corn has become somewhat hardened the 
 
THE farmer's ready REFERENCE. 81 
 
 bhoe may be replaced, but the foot should be so dressed as to 
 relieve the corn of all pressure, or it will return again. Horses 
 that are subject to corns will be greatly benefitted by allowing 
 them to go withi ut shoes as much as possible, and even then 
 the heels should be dressed down occasionally to let the frog 
 upon the ground, and the angles should also be cleaned out. 
 
 Seedy Toe. 
 
 Seedy toe is a dry, brittle condition of the hoof in which it 
 crumbles away in very small particles. It is sometimes called 
 '' dry rot." It is due to a faulty secretion of the h'of, the result 
 of other diseases. 
 
 Treatment.— Endeavor to get the foot in a healthy con- 
 dition by poulticing, soaking, blistering the coronet and by 
 applications of oil of tar to the wall, etc. It will require some 
 time to replace the diseased part with healthy hoof. 
 
 Sprain of the Back Tendons. 
 
 Sprain of the back tendons of the leg {flexors perforatus and 
 perforans) may occur from hard driving, especially on uneven 
 ground, or it may come from heavy pulling. Allowing the toe 
 of the foot to grow long, thus increasing the leverage, will make 
 sprain of the back tendons more liable to occur. 
 
 Symptoms.— There will be heat and swelling, and the horse 
 will show signs of pain if the tendons are pressed with the 
 fingers. There will be lameness when traveling and it will be 
 just the same on soft ground as on hard ground. 
 
 Treatment.— Have the animal shod with high heels and 
 no toe calks, and apply cold water several times a day until all 
 inflammation is removed. A blister made of equal parts of the 
 biniodide of mercury and cantharidine blisters combined should 
 be applied and repeated again in three or four weeks. Complete 
 
82 THE farmer's ready reference. 
 
 rest should be given the horse, not only while lame, but for sev- 
 eral months, to allow the tendons to grow strong before he is put 
 to work again. If blisters fail to relieve ihe lameness, the firing- 
 iron should be applied ; but this requires some experience to 
 perform properly and should only be entrusted to a competent 
 veterinarian. 
 
 Sprain of the Suspensory Ligament. 
 
 This ligament lies between tlie flexor tendons and the back 
 part of the bone of the leg from the knee downward. A sprain 
 of the suspensory ligament is more serious than a sprain of the 
 back tendons. Symptoms and treatment are the same as for 
 the back tendons Firing and long rest will sometimes effect a 
 cure in these cases when everything else has failed 
 
 Navicular Disease. 
 
 Navicular disease, sometim-es called coffin-joint lameness, 
 occurs among horses that are used for hard and fast driving 
 upon the roads. If it is of long standing it is incurable. 
 
 Symptobis.— It is not always easily diagnosed by the inex- 
 perienced. There will be lameness, sometimes only on starting, 
 then it will disappear : if you hold the foot up and tap with a 
 hammer on or near the frog the horse will flinch : if the disease 
 is of long standing the affected limb will have a neat, clean 
 appearance and the hoof will be smaller than its mate. 
 
 Treatment.— If the lameness is of only recent occurrence 
 a cure may sometimes be effected. Remove the shoe and apply 
 hot poultices to the foot until the hoof is thoroughly softened, 
 then rasp down the wall, making the toe the lowest, and dress 
 out the sole. Fix a tub or tank with cold water and stand the 
 horse in this five or six hours each day for two or three weeks. 
 After this has been done apply the biniodide of mercuiy blister 
 
THE farmp:r's ready reference. 83 
 
 to the coronet often enough to keep it just moderately sore for 
 two months. Shoeing with swelled heels to relieve the foot of 
 frog pressure will sometimes prove beneficial. 
 
 Hipped. 
 
 Hipped or '' down in the hip " is when the point of the hip 
 {a7iterior illiac spine) has become broken off, making that side 
 of the hips have a drooping appearance. It is generally the 
 result of a fall or a blow from running through a stable door and 
 striking against a post. Treatment is not often necessary 
 unless an ulcer forms and then the only course is to cut down 
 upon the loose l>one and remove it. If there is no ulcer the parts 
 may be bathed occasionally with cold water to prevent inflam- 
 mation. 
 
 Sprain of the Hip Joint. 
 
 The hip joint, although not so liable to injury as some other 
 parts, occasionally becomes injured from slipping upon icy roads 
 or from stepping upon some rolling object ; it is sometimes quite 
 serious and, in cases, incurable. 
 
 SYMPT03is.-It is not always easily diagnosed. In trotting 
 the step will be rather shorter than natural and the entire leg 
 will be brought forward with a slightly outward swing, as if 
 consisting of one piece. There may be soreness in the joint and 
 signs of pain upon pressure, but this is uncertain, as some horses 
 will flinch when there is no soreness. After it has gone on for 
 some time there will be wasting of the muscles over the joint. 
 
 TREATiiiENT.-There must be complete rest in a roomy box 
 stall ; or, if it is in the summer, he may be turned out to pasture 
 as he will require a long rest to grow sound. The muscles over 
 and around the hip joint should have an application of ammoni- 
 acal liniment, well rubbed in, two or three times a day till the 
 skin becomes sore ; then a little clean lard should be rubbed on 
 
84 THE farmer's ready reference. 
 
 and left for a few days until the soreness is all gone from the 
 skin, when the liniment should be repeated. The biniodide of 
 mercury blister is used by some instead of the liniment, but I 
 prefer the liniment. If liniment and blisters fail to relieve the 
 lameness, either a deep seaton should be inserted or sub-cutan- 
 eous cautery may be employed, but neither of these operntions 
 should be undertaken by anyone but a competent veterinarian. 
 
 Stifled. 
 
 The term " stifled," as applied by common usage, has refer- 
 ence only to the patella or cap on the front part of ihe stifle joint. 
 The patella slips from its position in front to the outside of the 
 joint. It may happen from slipping in traveling; but it most 
 frequently takes place when the horse is standing in the stable. 
 It is due to weakness of the ligaments which hold the patella in 
 place. It frequently follows some debilitating disease, as stran- 
 gles, influenza, etc. 
 
 Symptoms cannot pass unseen, as the animal walks with 
 great difficulty as long as the dislocation continues. The stifle 
 joint cannot be flexed, the leg extending slightly backward and 
 only brought forward with an outward swing without bending 
 the stifle joint, making progress very slow. 
 
 Treatment.— First, get the patella into its proper position. 
 Sometimes this can be done by simply drawing the leg forward 
 with one hand and working the patella with the other ; but 
 usually it is necessary to place a rope around the ankle and have 
 an assistant draw forward on it while the operator endeavors to 
 get the patella in place. Stand just back of the stifle facing the 
 horse and, with the palm of the hand, push or strike lightly 
 against the patella, and it will go into position with a sharp 
 click and the leg can be brought forward and flexed without 
 
THE farmer's ready REFERENCE. 85 
 
 difficulty. A strap can then be fastened bj' one end to the 
 animaFs fetlock and the other to a collar or strap around the 
 shoulders allowing the foot to go back even with the other one, 
 but no farther. Another way to keep it in place is to buckle a 
 strap around the affected limb just above the hock, making it 
 just tight enough to keep the animal from putting his weight on 
 the leg. The ammoniacal liniment should be well rubbed in on 
 the inside and front of the stifle joint, but not on the outside. 
 Apply it every two hours until the skin is well thickened up and 
 tender, then the appliances to hold the leg forward can be 
 removed. As soon as all irritation leaves the skin the liniment 
 can he applied again if necessary. 
 
 Sprain of the Stifle Joint. 
 
 Sprain of the stifle joint proper may come from slipping and 
 falling, or it may come from pulling in deep, sticky mud. 
 
 Symptoms.— The horse stands with the leg flexed and the 
 stifle dropping forward and downward. There will be lameness 
 in both walking and trotting, and the leg moves stiff and stilty, 
 as if too long for its mate. 
 
 Treatment.— Reduce the inflammation with either hot or 
 cold water, and then apply the ammoniacal liniment three times 
 a day to both inside and outside of the stifle joint. The horse 
 must have complete rest from work until entirely recovered. 
 
 Sprain of the Flexor Metatarsi. 
 
 This muscle is situated at the outer edge of the front part of 
 the hind leg between the stifle and the hock joint. A severe 
 sprain and even a rupture sometimes takes place from slipping 
 in heavy pulling. 
 
 Symptoms.— The lameness is very great and accompanied by 
 the most excruciating pain. The animal cannot bring the leg 
 
86 THE FARMER^S READY REFERENCE. 
 
 forward and in attempting to walk breaks down in the lame leg 
 at every step, the pain causing profuse sweating and trembling 
 of the entire body. When the animal raises the foot from the 
 ground the leg swings backward, causing the skin on the back 
 part of the thigh to be thrown up in loose folds. 
 
 Treatment.— Endeavor first to allay the pain. Give one or 
 two ounces of laudanum in three times its bulk of water. You 
 cannot drench unless you can do it while the animal is down. 
 Bathe the front part of the thigh with hot water, then apply 
 laudanum, fluid extract of lobelia, camphor or anything else at 
 hand to relieve the pain. After twenty-four to forty-eight hours 
 when the pain has subsided apply a cantliaridine bhster down 
 the front of the leg from the stifle to tlie hock, but do not make 
 it too severe. The blister may need to be repeated in two or 
 three weeks. Give the animal complete rest in a box stall ; do 
 not tie it up. Mild cases recover in a month or two ; very 
 severe cases may take a year or more. 
 
 Bone Spavin. 
 
 A bone spavin is a bony enlargement on the inner part of 
 the hock joint. There are several things to be taken into con- 
 sideration before deciding as to the curability of a bone spavin. 
 If the enlargement is low down, not of long standing and only 
 lame at starting and ceasing after becoming warmed up, the 
 prospect to cure it is favorable. But if it is located high up, 
 involving the entire joint, or is of very long standing and the 
 horse old, or if the lameness does not grow less after being 
 warmed up, then there is little prospect of making a cure. 
 
 SY3IPT0MS. — If the enlargement is of good size it can be 
 plainly seen. In trotting there will be dropping of the hip, and 
 the step on the lame side will be shorter than on the other; if 
 the animal is working let it stand for several hours and then 
 
THE farmer's ready REFERENCE. 87 
 
 start off lively; there will be lameness, probably touching the toe 
 first then easing down on the foot and after going a short dis- 
 tance the lameness will almost or entirely disappear. When 
 standing the foot is rested forward of the other, and sometimes 
 with the heel resting against it. There is not much soreness or 
 pressure 
 
 Treatment —If taken in the beginning, sometimes com- 
 plete rest in the stable with a biniodide of mercury blister ap- 
 plied once in three weeks for several applications will cure it; 
 but few confirmed cases of bone spavin can be cured short of 
 the free use of the tiring iron in the hands of an expert. In 
 either the blister or the use of the firing iron the horse should 
 remain in the stable for the first month and then have at least 
 two more months to run idle before putting to work. 
 
 Bog Spavin. 
 
 A bog spavin, so called because it is soft, is a puffy tumor 
 situated on the hock joint just above and a little to the front of 
 the seat of bone spavin. It is an over-distention of the capsular 
 ligament with synovial fluid generally caused by a sprain. 
 Many horses of the heavy breeds with large beefy hocks are pre- 
 disposed to it and often it does not seem to hurt them. It does 
 not always cause lameness but when it does it is generally more 
 serious than in bone spavin, as it is more likely to involve the 
 upper part of joint. 
 
 Treatment.— If there is heat and swelling about the hock 
 Joint reduce it with cold applications, then follov^^ with the treat- 
 ment prescribed for bone spavin. If there is no lameness, but 
 only a puffy tumor without heat or swelling, and the tumor is of 
 long standing it will do no good to treat it. 
 
 Thoroughpin. 
 
 This generally accompanies bog spavin, but not always. It 
 
88 THE farmer's ready reference. 
 
 is a soft putty tumor on each side of the hock near the back part. 
 
 It seldom produces lameness. Treatment is the same as for 
 
 bog spavin. A bog spavin and thoroughpin truss may be 
 
 applied. 
 
 Occult Spavin. 
 
 Sometimes there will be lameness, with all the symptoms 
 which characterize bone spavin, but there will be neither the 
 bony enlargement of bone spavin nor the soft, putty tumor of 
 bog spavin. This is called an occult or ''blind spavin." The 
 treatment to be employed is that prescribed in bone spavin. 
 
 Curb. 
 
 A curb is a sprain of a ligament {calcaneo-cuboid) at the back 
 part of the hock. It frequently occurs in attempting to back a 
 heavy load, especially in deep mud or snow. It also comes from 
 jerking the bridle-bit and throwing a horse back upon his 
 haunches. Some hocks are loosely built and naturally rounding 
 on the back part ; such are more liable to curb than those of a 
 more compact form 
 
 Symptoms.— There will be more or less enlargement at the 
 back part of the hock and it will be hot and painful upon 
 pressure. There will also be lameness and the horse will be 
 inclined to walk upon the toe. 
 
 Treatment.— The first thing to do is to have a shoe put 
 upon the foot of the lame leg with heel calks three-quarters of ah 
 inch or more high and no toe calks ; this is to relieve the injured 
 part of all tension and is imperative The next step is to apply 
 cold water to the part until all inflammation is removed In 
 some very mild cases this is all that is necessary ; but if lame- 
 ness or the enlargement either one continues, apply the biniodide 
 of mercury blister. Allow the high-heeled shoe to remain on 
 
THE farmer's ready REFERENCE. 89 
 
 for tour or five weeks or until all lameness ceases. If necessary, 
 
 repeat the blister. 
 
 Capped Hock. 
 
 This is an enlargement on the point of the liock, the result 
 of external injury. Its most common cause is kicking against 
 the side of the stall in the stable. At first the enlargement is 
 soft Hud tilled with bloody w^ater, but it allowed to continue for 
 a long time it becomes hard and calloused. 
 
 Treatment. — If taken at first when it is hot and painful, 
 foment for an hour or more with hot water, then wipe dry and 
 bathe thoroughly with the following : Tincture of arnica, aqua 
 ammonia and distilled extract of witch hazel, equal parts, mixed. 
 When the pain has been relieved, change to cold water, applying 
 it only once a day, but apply the liniment three times a day. If 
 absorption does not take place, the tumor may be punctured and 
 tlien syringed out daily with carbolic acid, four drachms, and 
 water, one pint. If after a time it becomes hard and calloused, 
 the only resort is to have it dissected out, but this will require a 
 veterinarian. 
 
 Acute Founder or Laminitis. 
 
 Founder (?ammiiis) is an inflammation involving the sensi- 
 tive part of the foot contained inside the horny wall. It is 
 sometimes the result of hard driving and pounding on the hard 
 roads ; but it also comes from gorging with food, drinking too 
 much water while warm, or, as a sequel to some other disease, 
 etc. 
 
 Symptoms.— The symptoms of acute founder are well 
 marked and need not be mistaken. There will be full bounding 
 pulse, rapid breathing, high temperature, and an anxious look 
 about the eyes, indicating the most intense suffering. But the 
 most prominent symptom is the manner of standing and walk- 
 
90 THE farmer's ready reference. 
 
 mg. The fore feet will be set forward and the weight of the 
 body will be thrown back upon the hind feet to relieve the fore 
 feet. The horse wiil not back, and if made to move forward, 
 supports almost the entire weight of the body upon the hind feet, 
 and moves with great difficulty. He will stand in the position 
 described, letting himself back a little further all the time until 
 at last completely worn out, he drops down and remains most of 
 the time in a recumbent position. 
 
 Treatment.- If the horse is lying down, remove the shoes 
 (it cannot be done while standing). Give a full dose of aloes at 
 once and give half-ounce doses of nitrate of potash every four 
 hours for twenty-four to thirty- six hours, then continue the same 
 dose three times a day for a week After removing th^ shoes, 
 put flaxseed-meal poultices on the feet ; have them as hot as can 
 be borne without burning, and keep them so by the addition of 
 hot water every half hour. As soon as the bowels have moved 
 freely and the extreme pain has subsided the bottoms of the feet 
 should be trimmed, dressing away the wall to let the frog and 
 sole down on the ground and relieve the pressure from the wall. 
 The poultices should be continued until the horse can walk 
 fairly well on his feet, then omitted, and a sharp cantharidine 
 blister should be applied around the coronet. After the bowels 
 have been opened the horse should be fed moderately upon soft 
 feed. Sometimes founder comes from driving a horse when the 
 bowels are loose and causing scouring ; in that case a dose of 
 raw linseed oil, witli an ounce or two of laudanum added, should 
 be given instead of the aloes. 
 
 Chronic Founder or Laminitist 
 
 When a case of acute founder has been neglected or im- 
 properly treated, or when there have been repeated attacks, the 
 
THE farmer's ready REFERENCE. 91 
 
 sensitive structures of the feet become permanently changed 
 and we have chronic founder orlaminitis. 
 
 Symptoms.— The hoofs become dry and brittle and the horse 
 walks with ashon, mincing step, and if the disease is well 
 advanced he tries to throw his weight upon the heels of the 
 affected feet. If the bottoms of the feet are examined there will 
 often be found a partial separation of the wall from the sole. 
 
 TR1SAT3IENT.— Treatment can only be palliative. Remove 
 the shoes and poultice the feet to remove the soreness, then 
 apply the cantharidiiie blister around the coronet and turn the 
 horse out on wet ground for a week or two if possible. In shoe- 
 ing, the sole of the foot should not be cut away to allow the shoe 
 to rest entirely upon the wall. A bar shoe to bring pressure 
 upon the frog generally gives the best satisfaction. 
 
 Pumiced Foot. 
 
 So-called ''pumiced foot " is a condition in which the sole 
 drops down or becomes convex because of the pressure of the 
 coffin bone in its descent. It is the result of severe and repeated 
 attacks of laminitis, undue cutting of the wall and sole in shoe- 
 ing, etc. 
 
 Treatment can only be applied in a palliative way. Cold 
 water may be applied in any way to control the inflammation, 
 and either a wide, concaved-seating shoe or a w^ell-fitted bar shoe 
 should be applied. Such a horse may do service at slow work on 
 the farm but will never do to drive on the roads. 
 
 Nail Punctures and Bruises. 
 
 Horses are always more or less liable to injuries to the feet 
 from nails and sharp stones. Nail punctures are most liable to 
 occur to horses driven upon the streets and alleys of cities, 
 while cuts and bruises from sharp stones happen oftenest on 
 
92 THE farmer's ready reference. 
 
 country roads and in work upon the farm As the liability to 
 such injuries is so great, the foot should always be examined 
 before a decision is given, no matter what other symptoms of 
 lameness may be exhibited. 
 
 Treatment —If there is a shoe on the foot, remove it; 
 dress out the sole until the point of injury is found, then remove 
 any foreign body that may be there and also remove enough of 
 the sole to make a free outlet for the discharge ; apply a little 
 turpentine to the wound, then place the foot in a flaxseed-meal 
 poultice for a day or two until the tenderness is removed, then 
 omit the poultice but clean out the opening through the sole 
 once a day and fill it with cotton saturated with pine tar. 
 When the sole has formed over tlie wound again the shoe can be 
 put on and the animal will be ready for work. More serious and 
 permanent injuries result from neglect in wounds of the foot 
 than from any other class. Seemingly slight, at first, they are 
 given little attention, probably forgotten. Sometimes the lame- 
 ness may be very slight for a few days then grow suddenly 
 worse; the foot becomes hot and painful ; pus forms and, hav- 
 ing no outlet, burrows under the horn until the entire sole of the 
 foot frequently has to be removed and the animal is unable to 
 work for weeks Neglected nail punctures often produce quittor. 
 And tetanus, or lockjaw, is more liable to follow from neglect 
 of wounds of the feet than from wounds on any other part of 
 the animal. 
 
 Quittor. 
 
 Quittor may be defined as fistula of the foot. It is a fistulous 
 opening formed in the sensitive part of the foot between the 
 internal structures and the horny wall. It may come from nail 
 punctures, bruises or any other wounds of the foot, especially it 
 neglected and the pus allowed to burrow. 
 
THE farmer's ready REFERENCE. 93 
 
 Symptoms.— It begins with a hard and painful swelling at 
 the top of the hoof, which breaks open in time and discharges 
 pus. Sometimes the entire coronet will swell and openings will 
 form in different places; pipes form and the openings will not 
 heal. 
 
 TREAT3IENT.— Remove the shoe and cut in from the bottom 
 of the foot to ascertain if the pus cavity reaches low down. If 
 an exit for the pus can be found below, the sinuses may not have 
 to be opened above. But if nothing can be reached from the 
 bottom, probe the sinuses from above and open them up care- 
 fully, cutting through the walls of the hoof if necessary, only 
 take good care not to divide the coronary ligament at the top of 
 the hoof. When they are all open, syringe into them once a day 
 till all unhealthy growth is destroyed, a little of the following : 
 Chloride of zinc, one drachm; water, one ounce ; mix. If the 
 dead tissues do not slough out readily apply poultices for a day 
 or two ; powdered charcoal dusted over the poultice will add to 
 its cleansing effect. When the sore is healthy dissolve four 
 drachms of chloride of zinc in one pint of water and use as a 
 daily dressing and it will heal readily. 
 
 Thrush. 
 
 Thrush is an irritation that takes place first in the cleft of 
 the frog and the deep fissures at the sides of the frog and, if 
 allowed to run on, the entire frog becomes undermined and dis- 
 eased. It is most common in the hind feet and is generally due 
 to standing in wet and filthy stables. It can be easily recognized 
 by the fetid smell when the foot is cleaned. 
 
 Treatment.— Remove the shoe ; clean the foot thoroughly 
 and remove any loose parts of frog that may cover a diseased 
 part. If the case is only an ordinary one, dissolve one ounce of 
 sulphate of copper in one pint of water and saturate the affected 
 
94 THE farmer's ready reference. 
 
 part with it once a day for two or three days, then press the 
 
 crevices full of cotton saturated witl) pine tar. In severe cases 
 
 it may be necessary to so;ik the foot two or three hours a day for 
 
 a couple of days in the following : Sulphate of copi»er, one 
 
 pound; warm water, five gallons; then saturate the affected 
 
 part once a day with the following : Chloride of zinc, four 
 
 drachms ; water, one pint ; and as soon as the parts begin to 
 
 harden, the zinc should be omitted and the tar and cotton used 
 
 as before. 
 
 Gravel. 
 
 Sometimes when horses are barefooted and the sole of the 
 hoof worn thin, small gravel will break through the sole and 
 work up along the inside of the horny wall. If not removed the 
 gravel will continue to work upward until it comes out above 
 the hoof and may terminate in quittor if not attended to. 
 
 Symptoms.— In the beginning there will be lameness, as 
 from a nail puncture or bruise of the sole. If the sole of the 
 foot is pressed with a pair of pinchers the tender part may be 
 located and, if not gone too far, the gravel may be found and 
 removed ; but, if not removed, in a week or two a slight swelling 
 and tenderness may be seen at the top of the hoof. 
 
 Treatment. — If the gravel can be located at first and 
 removed from the bottom, poultice the foot and treat as for 
 bruise or puncture. But if the swelling begins to show at the 
 top keep the foot in warm poultices to hasten the outlet at the 
 top. When it breaks syringe it out carefully with carbolized 
 water and endeavor to get it open below where the gravel 
 entered. If this can be kept open it will soon heal. But if not 
 it will have to be treated the same as quittor. 
 
 Canker. 
 
 Canker is an obstinate disease which may follow a neglected 
 
THE farmer's ready REFERENCE. 95 
 
 case of any of the diseases in which the sole or wall becomes 
 broken or destroyed, and tlie sensitive parts become involved. 
 Filth also is a very active factor in producing it. It sometimes 
 starts from grease heel. 
 
 Symptoms — A spongy, fungus growth springs up from some 
 old wound about the foot, making the horse lame. It is hard to 
 control and if cut away soon grows out again. It sometimes 
 grows up in leaves or flakes and bleeds very easily. 
 
 Treatment.— Cut away all that can be reached with the 
 knife and control the bleeding by searing with a hot iron or by 
 applying tincture of iron and binding it up in cotton till next 
 day. When all bleeding has been stopped take chloride of zinc 
 and add Just enough water to dissolve it ; apply it freely, and 
 saturate cotton with the zinc solution and bind on the part, 
 keeping it there for twenty-four hours. When the fungus 
 growth has been completely destroyed, dust the sore once a day 
 with calomel and cover with cotton saturated with pine tar and 
 apply pressure. If the fungus growth begins to start up again 
 dust it over with powdered blue vitriol If you are persevering 
 you may succeed in curing it, but it will take time. 
 
 Calks. 
 
 Where horses are kept shod, and especially when working 
 on the farm in soft ground, they are liable to injuries from the 
 shoe calks. These are often quite severe and, if neglected, may 
 become serious. They should be cleansed with warm water and, 
 if swollen and painful, a warm poultice should be applied until 
 relief is obtained. It may then be syringed out two or three 
 times a day with White Lotion. This is better while the sore is 
 open and raw, as it will not gather dirt as a greasy ointment 
 would do. 
 
96 THE farmer's ready reference. 
 
 Ringbone. 
 
 Ringbone is the name given to an enlargement or bony 
 growtli wliicli forms about tlie pastern. Sometimes it is located 
 at the upper and f-ometimes at the lower joint when it is the 
 more serious. As the enlargement often extends almosc around 
 the limb it has received the name of ringbone. It may come 
 from a sprain or anything else that could cause irritation in the 
 joint. It may result from inflammation caused by a wire cut 
 near the joint ; and in some instances it is due to hereditary 
 influence. 
 
 SY3IPT03IS.— If there is an enlargement it is plain to the eye ; 
 and sometimes there will be enlargement without lameness. 
 But there are cases in which the enlargement is very small, yet 
 the animal is quite lame, and it will require careful scrutiny to 
 locate it. There will be unusual heat about the joint, and pain 
 upon pressure to the parts with the fingers; there will be lame- 
 ness when first starting out which will grow better and may 
 disappear on warming up ; but it will return as soon as the 
 animal is allowed to stand long enough to cool oft", But there 
 are cases in which the lameness does not decrease by warming 
 up, and such cases are generally incurable. 
 
 Treatment. — In many cases it is not satisfactory. If there 
 is simply enlargement without lameness, treatment is not only 
 unnecessary but useless, as the enlargement cannot be removed. 
 If the lameness is noticed in the beginning, before the bony 
 deposit has begun to form, apply cold water to the part two or 
 three hours a day till inflammation has been removed, then 
 apply the Biniodide of Mercury Blister once every three or four 
 weeks until three applications have been given. The animal 
 should be in the stable and walk as little as possible during 
 treatment. If there is no improvement under this treatment the 
 
THE FAKMER's ready REFERENCE. 97 
 
 only resort is the firing iron in the hands of a competent veteri- 
 narian. 
 
 Side Bones. 
 
 These are enlargements just above the top of the hoof near 
 the back part of the quarter. They are the ossification, or 
 changing into bone, of the lateral cartilages that surround and 
 extend back from the wings of the coffin bone. There may be 
 one on each side of the foot or it may be only on one side. They 
 may also be on one or both feet. There will be lameness, but it 
 is not so serious as ringbone. 
 
 T^REAT3iENT.— The shoe must be removed and the hoof cut 
 away underneath the enlargement ; if the frog strikes the ground 
 all the better. If there is much inflammation reduce it with cold 
 water, and it would be well to stand the feet in cold water for 
 several hours each day for several days until the unnatural heat 
 is all gone. Then apply the Biniodide of Mercury Blister and 
 repeat in three weeks. Give the horse complete rest. 
 
 Contraction. 
 
 Contraction is not a disease itself but is only the result of 
 long favoring of the foot from some disease. Corns, navicular 
 disease, disease of the tendons or any other disease that causes 
 the foot or leg to be favored or rested often will in time cause 
 contraction of the hoof. 
 
 Treatment consists in locating and removing the cause, 
 whatever it may be, and bringing the foot into natural use, and 
 it will assume its proper size as the new growth appears. 
 
 Cocked Ankles. 
 
 Cocked ankles, also called knuckling, is only a symptom of 
 disease in some part of the leg or foot. Sore heels, sore tendons, 
 rheumatism in the joint and other diseases will cause knuckling, 
 
98 THE farmer's ready reference. 
 
 and the true cause should first be found and then treatment for 
 it can be found under its proper heading. 
 
 Dislocations. 
 
 Dislocation of a joint in the horse is not of very common 
 occurrence, although it may happen sometimes. When it does 
 take place it is generally serious, as the violence required to 
 cause a dislocation of the joint is generally so great as to rupture 
 the ligaments surrounding it. In all cases of dislocation we 
 advise calling a veterinarian as promptly as possible, as a knowl- 
 edge of the anatomy of the parts to be treated is necessary to 
 success. If no veterinarian can be found, the animal may be 
 secured and the reduction of the dislocation attempted, govern- 
 ing the operation as the case demands, as no special rules can be 
 laid down that would be of material benefit to the inexperienced. 
 When the parts are brought into position they may be held in 
 place by bandaging as in fracture. 
 
 Fractures. 
 
 Horses are always more or less liable to fractures of bones, 
 both of limbs and body. They occur from falls, from kicks from 
 other animals and from running against solid bodies, etc. 
 Fractures are of different degrees of severity, and upon this and 
 their location depends the degree of success in treatment. If 
 only the bone is fractured with little or no displacement, that 
 much is favorable, but if the bone is badly shattered, the skin 
 and muscles torn and splinters of bone piercing through, the 
 case is hopeless. As the treatment of fracture requires the skill 
 of an experienced practitioner to ensure anything like success, 
 space will not be taken here for more than a few general hints. 
 Fracture is easily recognized by the extreme lameness and by the 
 grating sound produced by the bones when the limb is moved 
 
THE farmer's ready REFERENCE. 99 
 
 with the hand. When a fracture is known to exist, a veteri- 
 narian should be called at once if it is desired to save the animal. 
 If it must be attempted by a novice, then get some strips of 
 muslin, some starch, some splints and also some cotton. Get 
 the ends of the bones into position, then smear the skin and hair 
 with starch and wind the bandage around it, applying the starch 
 to the bandage as it is wound on the limb ; level any uneven 
 places up with the cotton by putting it between the layers of the 
 bandrige, and when four or five layers of the muslin have been 
 put on, place one of the splints on each side and one behind, but 
 none in front, and apply more of the bandage and starch. TLe 
 horse may be placed in slings or not as he seems to do best. 
 Some horses do better out of slings. If the limb swells, the 
 bandage should be slit in at the end where the swelling is worst. 
 The bandage should be left on six weeks in an ordinary case, and 
 then cut away carefully. 
 
 Open Joint. 
 
 Sometimes when a wound is near a joint the synovial sac is 
 opened and the synovial fluid (joint water) is allowed to escape 
 and then it becomes more serious. If the sac has only been 
 punctured with some sharp-pointed instrument, and the bone 
 has not been injured, it is not so serious as when the sac has 
 been laid open to some extent and the surrounding tissues badly 
 lacerated. If the irritation is sufficient to cause the formation 
 of pus in the joint, the articular cartilage becomes destroyed and 
 the only hope of a cure lies in anchylosis (union of the bones) and 
 making the joint stiff. Sometimes, where there is great lacera- 
 tion of the tissues, sloughing sets in, fever runs high, the 
 appetite fails and the poor animal suffers such pain that it is an 
 act of mercy to kill it and put it out of misery. 
 
 Treatment.— If there is a punctured wound and open joint 
 
100 THE FAEMER's ready REFERENCE. 
 
 is suspicioned, which will be from the flow of synovia, do not 
 probe the wound to ascertain its depth, as this will only increase 
 the irritation, but treat it only on supposition rather than 
 destroy all chance of a cure by trying to learn the facts. Sponge 
 the wound with carbolized water (one teaspoonful of acid to the 
 pint of water) then mix together equal parts of flour and ground 
 flaxseed and mix into a jioultice with boiling water. When thi-s 
 gets cold spread it on a cloth and bind on the wound ; keep the 
 animal as quiet as possible and change the poultice once a day. 
 But if the wound is lacerated and pus begins to form, treat 
 as follows : Take carbolic acid, one drachm ; glycerine, two 
 drachms ; add flour enough to form a stiff paste. Cleanse the 
 wound by injecting water over it carefully with a syringe, then 
 make a plug of the paste and put it in the opening of the joint, 
 then apply the poultice as before, only omit the flour and make 
 it of pure ground flaxseed. This poultice and plug both must be 
 changed twice a day until the pus ceases and clear synovia alone 
 flows from the joint, when the plug of paste should be omitted 
 and the flour added to the poultice again and applied as before 
 until the opening is entirely closed. The horse must be kept as 
 quiet as possible ; he should not be led out. but feed and water 
 should be carried to him. 
 
 Final Hints. 
 
 All cases of lameness or injury should be attended to at 
 once. A little (felay often precludes all possibility of a cure. 
 Complete rest from labor should be given ; give the run of a box 
 stall or small yard away from other animals. Pain increases 
 thirst ; do not let an animal suffer for water. 
 
MISCELLANEOUS SUBJECTS. 
 
 Castration. 
 
 Although we are strougly in favor of the employment of 
 either a veterinarian or a " professional castrator" to perform 
 tids operation instead of giving the job to anyone who may have 
 the ''cheek "to attempt it, especially when some one else fur- 
 nishes the subject for the experiment, yet, as it is not always 
 possible to obtain an experienced operator, we will give a few 
 simple rules by which the owner may be able to do his own work 
 in a case of necessity, together with hints from our own experi- 
 ence in regard to the proper age and time of year at which to 
 perform the operation. 
 
 At What Age to Castrate. 
 
 There is a great difference of opinion as to the age at which 
 a colt should be castrated. Some writers, in high authority, 
 advocate castration at any time a^ter the colt has become 
 straightened up after birth or as soon as the testicles can be got 
 hold of. Whilst others favor letting the colt run until two or 
 even three years of age in order to obtain better development. 
 We have castrated at all ages from the sucking colt of one month 
 to the old stallion, and while we admit that the younger the colt 
 the less the pain attending the operation, yet there is one serious 
 objection to the operation at that age. It is well known that 
 many young colts, either at birth or soon after, are affected with 
 scrotal hernia— rupture of the inguinal region, allowing some 
 part of the entrails to descend into the scrotum, which will be 
 
102 THE farmer's ready reference. 
 
 treated under Rupture in Foals, and as we always examine the 
 parts thoroughly before beginning the operation, we have found 
 many cases in wliich, although there was no rupture, the parts 
 appeared so weak as to be in danger of breaking through with 
 the slightest struggling possible during the operation ; or, if not 
 then, it would certainly take place during the weakened condi- 
 tion from the slight inflammation that must necessarily follow 
 the operation Castration at weaning time, providing the 
 season is favorable, does not meet with this objection, as the 
 parts have grown stronger, liut, unless there is some good 
 reason for having the operation performed early, we consider the 
 age of one year the best, and it should be done not later than 
 two years old unless for some good reason. The development of 
 the colt should always be taken into consideration as follows ; 
 Beginning at the age of one year, if the fore and hind quarters 
 are equally developed, any time up to the age of two years will 
 do. If the fore quarters are heavy, the neck full and the hind 
 quarters light, the sooner it is done tlie better. But, if the hind 
 quarters are square and heavy and the fore quarters light and 
 the neck low, the operation had better be deferred until the fore 
 parts are more fully developed. 
 
 Season. 
 
 The writer has successfully castrated horses in almost every 
 month in the year. Work done in January, with no more than 
 ordinary care and stabling, gave good satisfaction. Work done 
 during the hot weather of August was equally successful. Yet 
 we think the spring and early summer months the most favor- 
 able season for the operation. While on the other hand we think 
 the most unfavorable time to be in the fall after the hot sun of 
 an unusually-dry summer has converted the pools of stagnant 
 water into beds of muck— regular cess-pools of filth and disease— 
 
THE farmer's ready REFERENCE. 103 
 
 and then a copious rainfall drenches tlie parched earth, the pools 
 become tilled with fresh, cool, but nevertheless infectious water, 
 inviting to stock but disease-producing withal. The once harm- 
 less dead and dry vegetation, now moistened by the rain, begins 
 to decay, and the atmosphere becomes rife with miasma from 
 the putrefying mass. 
 
 It is a well-know^n fact that in the human family typhoid 
 and malarial fevers are more prevalent at certain seasons and 
 during some years than at others. We also know that a ten- 
 dency to gangrenous and septicemic complications makes the 
 treatment of wounds more difficult at certain times than at 
 others. And it is also well known by men wiio have followed 
 castrating for a number of years that, without any apparent 
 cause, some seasons the colts fail to do well. With these unde- 
 niable facts staring us in the face, I have set about to tind the 
 cause, and I have observed that a season of showers interspersed 
 with hot, sultry sunshine at any time of the year is unfavorable 
 to the healing of wounds from any cause, and when the poison- 
 ous efluvia from decaying vegetation is added, the danger is ten- 
 fold worse. 
 
 Health, 
 
 The condition of the animal as regards health is important. 
 No animal should be castrated when it is affected with disease. 
 The most prevalent disease among colts during the castrating 
 season is strangles or colt distemper. He who castrates a colt 
 with distemper invites trouble ; and he generally gets it. Neither 
 should it be done when a colt is very thin in flesh. 
 
 The Operation. 
 
 If the bowels are not loose from running on grass the colt 
 should have soft feed for a few days previous to the operation, 
 and nothing for six hours preceeding it. With plenty of assist- 
 
lOJ: THE FAKMER's ready REFERENCE. 
 
 ance at hand, east and tie kim securely, roll him p -rtly on his 
 back and have an assistant to hold the hock of the uppermost 
 leg out of the way. Examine for the testicles and take the one 
 first that seems hardest to get. Grasp the testicle with the left 
 hand and with a sharp knife cut half an inch frnm and parallel 
 with the center line of the tcrotum. Cut the coverings carefully 
 until the testicle comes out, but do not cut the testicle. Take 
 care to make the incision in the scrotum of good length and 
 well forward to prevent closing too soon. It is always best to 
 expose both testicles before removing the first. There are 
 different methods of preventing hemorrhage, each of which has 
 been successful when properly manipulated. The old method of 
 clamping has been used successfully for years. The testicle 
 should be drawn down moderately and the clamps placed well 
 up on the cord and closed with care to have sufiicient pressure 
 on the artery to stop the blood. When both sides have been 
 thus secured the cords should be severed with the kuife two or 
 thiee inches below the clamp. 
 
 Another method of securing the cord is by ligature. In this 
 way of operating, a strong, waxed lint u thread is used to secure 
 the artery instead of the clamps. 
 
 But when properly used we consider the ecraseur the most 
 humane treatment with which to secure the artery, as well as 
 the most likely to be attended with success. But with this, as 
 with the other methods, the proper way to learn to use it is from 
 a successful operator m person and not from printed instructions; 
 hence we will only give a few hints in regard to its use which 
 may be of value even to those who have had some experience 
 with the instrument. 
 
 In the first place we have never seen a new ecraseur that 
 did not have the inside of the chain, and sometimes the edges 
 of the slot too sharp i it cuts clean without crushing, and bleed- 
 
THE farmer's ready REFERENCE. 105 
 
 ing ensues The remedy is to dull the edges with a small file. 
 
 The instrument must be kept clean ; clots of blood must not 
 be allowed to remain between the links of the chain. Wash in 
 clean water after each operation and if convenient use carbolic 
 acid in the water. 
 
 In the operation turn the cord around until the artery is 
 next the slot ; draw down the edges of the last covering of the 
 testicles in the chain around the cord, then draw the chain up 
 carefully until it crushes the artery but does not cut it ; now- 
 slack the chain and slide it half an inch toward the testicle, 
 then draw it up again until the cord is cut through. This double 
 crushing makes the cord doubly secure and bleeding is im- 
 possible. 
 
 After either mode of operating a little carbolized sweet oil 
 may be poured into each side of the scrotum and the animal 
 released. 
 
 We have not written to such length expecting to teach men 
 to operate, but to enable stockowners to guard against un- 
 scrupulous men with more gall than knowledge of the business, 
 who, every spring, '' go about as a roaring lion seeking whom they 
 may devour." They castrate in all kinds of weather ; they 
 operate alike on sick and well, telling the owner that it will do a 
 colt with distemper good to bleed him a little ; "■ it will give him 
 a new start." And it generally does it— on his last journey. 
 
 Employ only some one whom you know ; and whether he be 
 a graduated veterinarian or only a professional castrator, let him 
 be a man of experience and also with a reputation for honesty 
 and square dealing. 
 
 Bleeding After Castration. 
 
 Sometimes it happens that an animal will bleed after the 
 operation. A small stream of dark blood will generally soon 
 
106 THE farmer's ready reference. 
 
 stop itself, being from veins. But if the stream is large and 
 bright red it is from the artery and should be stopped. The 
 best plan is to cast the animal and tie the artery ; but, if not 
 possible, till the scrotum with cotton saturated with tincture of 
 iron, if you have it, or roll it in a mixture or salt and soot and, 
 when the scrotum is full of cotton, put in a stitch or two to keep 
 it there till twenty-four to forty-eight hours after when the 
 stitches should be cut and the cotton left to work out itself. A 
 stream of cold water allowed to fall a distance of two or three 
 feet upon the animal's loins will often act like a charm and 
 might be used in connection with the cotton. 
 
 Swelling After Castration. 
 
 After a colt has been castrated he must be allowed plenty of 
 exercise and be made to take it if he acts stiff. If the swelling 
 increases bathe the scrotum with hot water ; inject the cuts 
 with turpentine, one part, and sweet oil or clean lard, two parts, 
 mixed ; then move him around slowly at first, but increasing to 
 a lively walk as he warms up. As soon as healthy pus begins to 
 flow the swelling generally goes down. 
 
 Scirrhus Cord. 
 
 This is a condition in which the cord, from undue irritation, 
 grows to an unusual size and protrudes from the wound in the 
 scrotum in the shape of a tumor. The only remedy for it is to 
 cast the animal and remove the growth. But as the operation re- 
 quires more than ordinary skill it is not necessary to describe it. 
 
 Breeding. 
 
 In treating this subject we shall be compelled, for want of 
 space, to confine ourselves to giving only a general outline, and 
 recommend those who desire to go into the finer details to that 
 most excellent work, Sanders' Science of Breeding. There is no 
 
THE farmer's ready REFERENCE. lOT 
 
 other one thing which so affects the value and usefuhiess of live 
 stock upon the farm as does the selection of those to be used for 
 breeding purposes ; and a more judicious selection would en- 
 hance the value of the stock on many a farm today. 
 
 As to the best breed to raise, it is a matter of choice to each 
 individual according to the use for which he intends them and 
 the demands of the market. But whatever be the breed, select 
 only sound, healthy stock. Never breed a mare because she is 
 lame and unable to earn her keeping by work. Many, if not all, 
 defects in the dam are transmitted to the offspring. Never 
 breed a mare until near maturity. It is a habit of some farmers 
 to breed tillies at two years of age, and then often to some in- 
 ferior stallion because he is cheap. No mare should be served 
 until three years old and not then unless well developed. Never 
 breed an old, broken down mare. Select only such as are fully 
 matured, well developed, vigorous and of kind disposition, and 
 mate with a stallion selected v\ ith the same care, and you may 
 expect a favorable result. 
 
 Care of Mare. 
 
 The period of gestation in a mare has been placed at eleven 
 months, although occasionally one will go a few days over twelve 
 months. A mare should not be confined in the stable, but if not 
 at work should be allowed to run out at least a part of each day. 
 Moderate work will do no harm, but she should be fed liberally 
 and sheltered from the storms. 
 
 Although better loose at all times, she may be tied up until 
 within a month of foaling time, when she should be left loose in 
 a box stall alone. Mares, if left alone, generally deliver their 
 foals without trouble ; but in case of a failure an experienced 
 person should be called, as no printed directions would enable 
 
103 THE farmer's ready reference. 
 
 an inexperienced person to operate with safety to the mare and 
 foal both. After foaling, feed on light diet for a few days. 
 
 Care of Foal. 
 
 The foal should not be disturbed until it has had time to get 
 dry and become accustomed to its new life, and it will generally 
 get up and try to suck. If it should not be able to stand after 
 an hour or two, a little assistance may be given. The first milk 
 of the dam when taken freely has a medicinal effect in cleansing 
 the little fellow's bowels; but if no passage is seen by the end of 
 twenty-four hours, inject into the rectum a tablespoonful of 
 glycerine, repeating it every fifteen minutes until there is a full 
 passage. ^Ve have saved life with injections of glycerine when 
 the colt w ould not have lived long enough for a dose of oil to 
 operate. It can be repeated every day until a regular action of 
 the bowels is established. 
 
 In case it becomes necessary to feed a young colt by hand, 
 only new^ milk from a cow lately fresh should be used, and as 
 the milk of the cow is not as sweet as that of the mare, a little 
 sugar should be added. 
 
 Rupture in Foals. 
 
 As this is of frequent occurrence, which w^e know from the 
 number of men who come to us each year for advice, and, as men 
 are often wrongly advised by " boss doctors" looking for a job, 
 we will repeat the advice we have always given, although nature 
 almost invariably cheated us out of a job. In rupture, either of 
 the scrotum or the navel, unless there is pain from strangulation 
 of the intestines, our plan is to let it alone ; and w^e feel safe in 
 saying that fully three-fourths of such cases will dissappear by 
 the end of a year, thus saving the colt the pain and the owner 
 the expense and risk of an operation. If, at the end of a year, 
 
THE farmer's ready REFERENCE. 109 
 
 there has been no decrease in the size of the sac, then we advise 
 an operation on a rupture in either of the localities mentioned, 
 liut there is a difference in the manner of operating. 
 
 If the rupture is at the navel the colt must be turned upon 
 its back and the contents of the sac returned through the open- 
 ing into the abdominal cavity ; the loose skin should then be 
 drawn up and a strong cord tied several times around it as close 
 as possible to the abdominal wall, and drawn tight enough to 
 stop the circulation. If the cord is passed through the skm with 
 a large needle it will prevent slipping, and in about ten days the 
 sac will drop off and the part will heal over. 
 
 In rupture of the scrotum the operation is that of castration 
 in case of a rupture, and should not be undertaken by any one 
 without some knowledge of the parts. The colt should be cast 
 and tied as for ordinary castration ; turn him upon his back> 
 return the intestines, then open the sac all except the last 
 covering of the testicle. This should be stripped carefully by the 
 fingers directly up to the opening of the abdominal wall and 
 there secured by tying as in rupture of the navel ; then the cord 
 of the testicle can be severed two inches below. When both 
 testicles have been removed the colt should be allowed to rise. 
 Treat the same as in ordinary castration. 
 
 Glanders— Chronic and Acute. 
 
 Glanders is a specific contagious disease due to the entrance 
 into the blood of a living gevm— Bacillus mallei. This disease is 
 communicated from one animal to another by inoculation or 
 actual contact with the virus only, and not, as many suppose, by 
 simply standing in the same stable with, but at some distance 
 from, a glanderous horse. The old theory that glanders some- 
 times originated spontaneously from filthy stables, severe and 
 neglected cases of distemper and nasal gleet have long ago been 
 
110 THE farmer's ready REFERENCE. 
 
 discartied as incorrect. While it is true that any debilitating 
 disease will render the system more susceptable to the contagion, 
 yet when a case of distemper or any other disease terminates in 
 glanders, it is evident that the patient has become inoculated by 
 coming in actual contact with the virus of that disease. 
 
 The ways of contagion are numerous. It is often communi- 
 cated through public watering troughs, hitching posts and from 
 running at large upon the commons. It is not necessary that 
 the virus be taken up by the healthy animal as soon as it has 
 been discharged by the diseased one, but it may become dried 
 upon hitching posts and upon the manger in the stable and 
 remain for several weeks and then be taken up by a healthy 
 animal and be capable of producing the disease. 
 
 Symptoms.— As the disease is most commonly seen in the 
 chronic form, the symptoms are not generally well marked in 
 the beginning. It may make its appearance in the form of a 
 mild attack of catarrhal fever, with only a slight, thin mucous- 
 like discharge from one or both nostrils ; in a short time this 
 discharge takes on a whitish, glary appearance, becomes gluey 
 and adheres to the nostril, partly clogging it up if not wiped 
 away. The sub-maxillary glands between the branches of the 
 lower jaw first become swollen and painful, but instead of sup- 
 purating as in distemper, they become hardened and remain so 
 throughout the disease. Although a close observer might notice 
 the unthrifty condition, the animal might be able to work on for 
 months or even several years without showing any more definite 
 symptoms and at the same time be capable of communicating 
 the disease to other horses. After some time small, ragged ulcers 
 form on the mucous membrane of the nostrils and the symptoms 
 are very apparent This is known as the chronic form. 
 
 In the acute form the symptoms are the same except that 
 they are developed more rapidly, the disease generally running 
 
THE farmer's ready REFERENCE. Ill 
 
 its course and endincr in death in from one to three months. 
 Mules nearly always take the acute form. 
 
 Farcy. 
 
 Farcy, or as it is commonly called, button farcy, is simply 
 another form of glanders, which, instead of affecting the 
 Internal organs or the mucous membrane, characterizes itself 
 by small tumors commonly called farcy buds. These buds gen- 
 erally make their appearance on the inside of one or both hind 
 legs, but may appear on any part of the body. If a bud is cut 
 open it discharges a sticky, amber-colored fluid which corre- 
 sponds to the nasal discharge in glanders. 
 
 As it is a most difficult thing for even an expert to diagnose 
 
 a case of glanders with any certainty in the first stages, it is 
 
 utterly impossible to give any rule by which the inexperienced 
 
 might be able to form a correct idea of the disease ; hence, we 
 
 advise calling a competent veterinarian to examine the case in 
 
 person whenever there is a nasal discharge the nature of which 
 
 is not known. 
 
 Locoistn^ 
 
 There are two plants, commonly known as '' loco " or '' crazy 
 weed," which, when eaten for some length of time, produce the 
 peculiar condition called " locoism " or more commonly,'' locoed." 
 These terms, like many other oddly-sounding words and phrases 
 of the West are of Spanish origin. The word '' loco " in the 
 Spanish tongue signifies fool ; hence, the literal translation of 
 the phrase '' loco weed " is fool weed. Botanically, one of the 
 plants is called Astragalus MolUssiinus, the other Oxytropis Lam- 
 herti, both belonging to the natural order Leguminosoe. It is not 
 during the summer months when the range is covered with 
 green grass that animals first learn the habit of eating loco ; but 
 after the pasturage has become closely eaten and dry and the 
 
112 THE farmer's ready REFERENCE. 
 
 ground is covered with snow, then the feed being scarce, the 
 half-starved animals wandering about in search of something 
 with which to satisfy the pangs of hunger, are tempted to eat 
 the bunches of " loco weed." The center of the bunch, being 
 well protected by the outer leaves, is tender and juicy, even in 
 midwinter, and also has a peculiar sweetish taste, wiiich, once 
 learned, seems to be relished by the animal and is never for- 
 gotten. However, an animal when first beginning to eat the 
 weed will not, as a rule, leave other food to search for it, but 
 will only eat it as it accidentally finds it in the way. 
 
 I have seen horses that had been eating it in this casual way 
 for a month or more, and were then taken up and fed upon hay 
 and grain, which never exhibited any of the symptoms of the 
 disease whatever. And I have also seen horses that had become 
 affected to quite an extent— even so much that they would not 
 lead, but would run backward instead— taken up and fed upon 
 hay and grain, but given no medicines, and in time recovered 
 suflScieutly to be broken to harness and become good workers in 
 the team, but would never learn to lead by the halter and were 
 never safe under the saddle. 
 
 Then I have seen others in which the habit of eating "• loco " 
 had become so confirmed that the appetite seemed to crave it in 
 preference to any other food. Such an animal will, at first, 
 generally feed apart from, but within sight of, its companions ; 
 it will follow a short distance behind them as they travel to water; 
 wait till they driAi and start back, then approach the water 
 cautiously, drink and follow back to the grazing grounds. But 
 after a while it will abandon the herd entirely, search out the 
 patches of "■ loco," where it will remain, only leaving when 
 forced by thirst to go to w^ater ; then it will start oft" in a dazed 
 sort of a way, walking with feeble and uncertain step, returning 
 to the same place again as soon as it has quenched its thirst. 
 
THE farmer's ready REFERENCE. 113 
 
 The poor victim continues in this routine, gradually growing 
 thinner in flesh until it finally dies, apparently more because of 
 mal-assimilation than starvation, unless, as frequently happens, 
 it falls into a pit or runs over a bluff and breaks its neck. 
 
 The active principle, whatever it is, of the plant seems to 
 affect chiefly the brain, but to some extent the entire nervous 
 system. What that active principle is or under what conditions 
 it must be eaten has never yet been ascertained. One of the 
 peculiar effects of the plant upon the animal eating it is the 
 dilatation of the pupil of the eye, as after administering bella- 
 donna or its alkaloid atropine. 
 
 Treatment.— In extremely bad cases treatment is useless ; 
 but in only moderately-affected cases the symptoms can be so 
 palliated as to render the horse capable of doing good service in 
 the team for several years. Place the animal in a stall where all 
 is quiet ; give a suflScient dose of Barbadoes aloes to operate 
 moderately ; give laudanum in drench, or morphia hypodermic- 
 ally, often enough to correct the dilatation of the pupil of the 
 eye ; give bromide of potassium in doses of two or three drachms 
 each often enough to quiet the symptoms of nervousness, adding 
 an equal quantity of chloral hydrate to each dose if the bromide 
 does not have the desired effect. As soon as the foolish actions 
 of the animal begin to subside it should be given, twice a day as 
 a tonic, a dose composed of two drachms each of gentian and 
 foenugreek, one drachm of sulphate of iron and one drachm of 
 nux vomica. Feed liberally and give pure water to drink. Turn 
 the animal out in a yard every day for exercise, and after it has 
 become tractable it may be put to light work. The degree of 
 success in managing such a horse will depend much upon the 
 coolness and patience of the driver. A '' locoed " horse and a 
 "" locoed " driver should never be allowed in the same team. 
 
114 THE farmer's ready REFERENCE. 
 
 Age of the Horse. 
 
 As the teeth furnish the best means of determining the age 
 of the horse, a f ( w w(jrds upon that subject will not be out of 
 place. The horse lias two sets of teeth, the temporary or milk 
 teeth, twenty-four in number, which are shed to give place to 
 the permanent ones, which are forty in number in the horse; the 
 mare, being minus the tusks or canine teeth, has only thirty-six. 
 As it is only with the incisors we have to deal in determin- 
 ing the age of the horse, we will confine our remarks to them 
 'Aone. If the young foMl is born at its proper time, it has at 
 birth, or within a few days after, four temporary incisors, two 
 above and two below: called the central incisors. At about the 
 age of one month four more teeth appear, one on the outside of 
 each of the centrals ; these are called the lateral incisors. At 
 about the age of eight months the third set, or corner incisors, 
 make their appearance. At the age of two and one- half years 
 the central incisors are shed and by the time the animal is three 
 years old they will have been replaced by the permanent teeth. 
 The lateral incisors are shed at three and a half and replaced at 
 four; the coiner teeth are shed at four and a half and replaced 
 at five, when, in the male, the canine teeth will have appeared 
 and the animal is said to have a full mouth. 
 
 From this time on the aae can only be determined by the 
 wear, shape and general appearance of the teeth, to do which 
 requires considerable experience in order to become an expert. 
 As the grinding surfaces of the incisors wear away, their inner 
 walls will come into wear and the cups gradually become more 
 shallow in the same order in which the temporary teeth were 
 shed and replaced by the permanent ones. By observation it 
 will be seen that, as the permanent teeth make their appearance, 
 only the anterior or outer walls come into w^ear at first, but at 
 
THE farmer's ready REFERENCE. 115 
 
 the age of six years the posterior or inner walls of the central 
 incisors will be up level and in wear and the cups will have 
 grown more shallow if they have not entirely disappeared. At 
 seven years old the laterals beconcie likewise and at eight the 
 corner ones are the same. 
 
 Although the upper teeth wear more slowly than tlie lower 
 ones, yet they must, to some extent, serve as a guide to the 
 horse's age from this time on ; and the same changes will take 
 place in them that the lower ones have already undergone, 
 beginning with the centrals at nine, the laterals at ten and the 
 corners at eleven. The teeth will also have changed their shape 
 to some extent ; they will have grown more narrow from side to 
 side and wider from front to back. But these changes will not 
 be the same in all horses ; some teeth wear more rapidly than 
 others. On most horses there is a groove on the outside of the 
 upper corner incisor which makes its appearance at the upper 
 part of the tooth nearest the gum at about ten years of age, and, 
 as the tooth continues to rise from the alveolar proc( ss, extends 
 down the tooth as follows : At the age of twelve and a half the 
 groove extends down one-lourth the length of the tooth ; at 
 fifteen, one-half ; at seventeen and a half, three-qarters ; and at 
 twenty-one, the entire length of the tooth. While it must be 
 admitted that these marks will be somewhat cf a puzzle to the 
 average farmer or horseman, yet with a little careful observation 
 and practice almost any one may be able to determine the age of 
 a horse nearly enough for all practical purposes. 
 
PART SECOND. 
 
 Diseases of Cattle, 
 
 THEIR CAUSES; 
 
 THEIR SYMPTOMS; 
 
 THEIR TREATMENT, 
 
INTRODUCTORY HINTS. 
 
 With the cattle industry occupying the important position 
 which it now does in the wealth and resources of the country it 
 would be mere folly to place this work in the hands of the 
 farmer without saying something upon this subject; but , as a 
 lengthy treatise upon the subject would only tend to confound 
 and mystify the average reader, the remarks given here will be 
 confined to the most common diseases of cattle, such as lie with- 
 in the power of the farmer to treat, together with a few caution- 
 ary hints upon some contagious diseases which have an impor- 
 tant bearing upon the health of the human family. 
 
 Action of Medicines in Cattle. 
 
 Owing to the sluggish nature of cattle some drugs do not 
 have the same effect upon them that they do upon horses. Aloes, 
 even in large doses, have little or no effect while Epsom salts are 
 an effective purge. Oil is also excellent as a mild purge or laxative; 
 in the absence of oil, lard may be used instead. None of the prep- 
 arations of mercury should be used by the novice as their action 
 is sometimes violent and injurious. 
 
 All medicines are best given in liquid form and should be of 
 considerable bulk, owing to the great capacity of the digestive 
 apparatus. The dose also is, as a rule, double the size of that 
 given to the horse and, in some medicines, even larger. 
 
 Signs of Disease. 
 
 In cattle, as well as in horses, it is necessary that the at- 
 
120 THE farmer's ready reference. 
 
 tendant should know the signs of health before he can learn 
 to distinguish the symptoms of disease. 
 
 A staring coat and dry, harsh skin; a dull, sunken eye; a 
 cough; a poor or a capricious appetite; a dry muzzle and sus- 
 pended rumination are all indications of interference with the 
 functions of some part of the animal organism, while the oppo- 
 site of these conditions affords good grounds for considering the 
 animal in good health. 
 
 Pulse, Temperature and Respiration. 
 
 As each expansion and contraction of the heart as it pumps 
 the blood throughout the system causes a beat or pulsation 
 which can be perceptably felt wherever an artery passes near 
 the surface an idea of the circulation can be obtained by '■''taking 
 the pulse." The places where the pulse may be taken are at the 
 angle of the lower jaw as in the horse, about the middle of the 
 first rib, or on the under side of the root of the tail; or in fact it 
 may be taken at any point where an artery nears the surface, 
 especially if it passes over a bone. The number of pulse beats 
 per minute in cattle is from 45 to 55 and should be regular, full, 
 round and soft. 
 
 The temperature in cattle is also somewhat higher than in 
 horses, being from about 100 degrees to 101 degrees Fah., and 
 anything above this may be looked upon as indicative of some 
 functional derangement. The respirations, in health, are from 
 10 to 15 per minute which may easily be seen from the heaving 
 of the sides of the chest. But in examining for disease it should 
 be remembered that surrounding circumstances exert a power- 
 ful influence upon the condition of an animal. Thus anything 
 which tends to worry or excite, and especially being chased by 
 dogs, will increase the frequency of both the pulse and respira- 
 tions and will sometimes even cause an elevation of temperature. 
 
THE farmer's ready REFERENCE. 121 
 
 Hence the necessity of always having a sick animal in some 
 quiet place separate from the others and of approaching it as 
 gently as possible when an examination is to be made 
 
 The proportioning of doses according to age can be learned 
 from the chapter on "'•Administering Medicines" in the first part 
 of this book. Also where a remedy is recommended without giv- 
 ing its manner of preparation the formula will be found complete 
 under ''Medicines and how to Prepare Them." 
 
 Prompt Action Necessary. 
 
 Owing to the sluggish nature of cattle and their disposition 
 to ''give up" in disease, early and prompt treatment is very es- 
 sential; and to nurse a sick cow properly often requires more 
 patience and perseverance than to nurse a sick horse. 
 
DISEASES OF THE RESPIRATORY 
 ORGANS. 
 
 Catarrh or Common Coid. 
 
 Catarrh or cold is the result of exposure to cold or wet 
 weather. Standing in damp, filthy stables or in a current of 
 cold air are prolific sources of the disease. 
 
 Symptoms. — There will be poor appetite, staring coat, dry 
 muzzle and a watery discharge from eyes and nostrils. The 
 mucous membrane lining the nostrils will be red and inflamed, 
 and sometimes this condition will extend to the throat and 
 larynx and then there will be swelling of the throat and difficult 
 breathing and sometimes a cough. 
 
 Treatment.— Place the animal in a warm, but well-venti- 
 lated stable, and if the weather is cold put on a blanket. Give a 
 pint of lard or raw oil at once. Give the following drench every 
 four hours until the muzzle becomes moist and there are signs 
 of improvement. Sweet spirits of nitre, two ounces; nitrate of 
 potash, four drachms; sulphate of cinchonida, one drachm; 
 water, one pint. When there is well-marked improvement this 
 may be reduced to three times a day. Steam the nostrils occa- 
 sionally with boiling water to which an ounce of turpentine has 
 been added. If the throat is sore or there is a cough apply the 
 ammoniacal liniment, rubbing it in well three or four times a 
 day, until the skin becomes sore. Give plenty of cold water to 
 drink and feed on soft food as bran mash, boiled oats, vegetables 
 and good, clean, sweet hay. 
 
THE farmer's ready RE-FERENCE. 123 
 
 Pneumonia or Inflammation of the Lungs. 
 
 Pneumonia is inflammation of ihe lung substance and may be 
 in one or both lungs. It is often caused by exposure to cold or 
 wet, or by sudden changes of the weather; it may follow a severe 
 case of catarrh. 
 
 Symptoms.— One of the first symptoms is a chill or shivering, 
 but this often passes unnoticed. The appetite fails, rumination 
 ce:ises, the muzzle becomes dry, and the nostrils are dilated. 
 The breathing becomes more rapid and difficult and if the ear is 
 held against the side of the chest there will be an absence of the 
 natural respiratory murmur, and instead will sometimes be heard 
 a dry wheezing sound or, if the pleura is involved, there will be a 
 rasping sound as of two pieces of dry leather being rubbed to- 
 gether. The pulse will be strong and full at first but as the 
 disease progresses it will grow small, weak and wiry an d gradu- 
 ally increase in frequency. The temperature may be from 103 
 degrees to 105 degrees Fah., which can only be determined by the 
 use of the thermometer. The animal stands with its fore legs 
 wider apart than usual. Unlike horses, cattle sometimes lie 
 down in pneumonia always resting upon the sternum; they 
 evince signs of pain and do not remain in a recumbent position 
 long at a time. 
 
 Treatment.— In this disease prompt action and good nurs- 
 ing are of the greatest importance; the patient must be shielded 
 from cold and wet. Give four drachms of nitrate of potash and 
 one drachm of the sulphate of cinchonida every four hours until 
 the fever begins to abate then give the same dose three times a 
 day. If the patient is thin in flesh or appears weak, give with 
 each dose two ounces of sweet spirits of nitre or three ounces of 
 Mindererus' spirit. If the bowels are not already loose give 
 from one to three drachms of calomel in the beginning of the 
 
124 THE farmer's ready reference. 
 
 disease. These medicines are best given in gruel. Rub the 
 sides of the chest thoroughly with ammouiacal liniment three 
 or four times a day, or until the skin becomes tender. Give the 
 animal all the cool water it can drink and feed on laxative, 
 nourishing diet. If treatment is begun in the early stages the 
 chances for recovery are good. 
 
 Pleurisy. 
 
 Pleurisy is the term used to designate inflammation of the 
 pleura or membrane lining the chest and covering the lungs. It 
 is often complicated with pneumonia and then becomes more 
 serious. 
 
 Symptoms. — The symptoms are somew^iat similar to those 
 of pneumonia, except that the breathing is more painful ; the 
 elbows will stand out more than usual; the ribs will appear 
 fixed and the breathing will be done by the abdominal muscles. 
 There is generally a short, painful cough which sounds as if the 
 animal was trying to suppress it. There will be a crease, called 
 the " pleuritic ridge," running from the flank downward and for- 
 w^ard along the lower ends of the ribs toward the elbows ; the 
 animal will walk with difficulty, as though stiff in the shoulders, 
 giving a short, quick grunt at each step. In the beginning, if 
 the ear is held to the side of the chest, a rasping sound will be 
 heard ; but, after a few days, this will be absent owang to the 
 effusion of fluid into the thoracic cavity. 
 
 Treatment. — The treatment prescribed in pneumonia will 
 be equally effective in pleurisy if begun in time. If there is no 
 improvement after several days, effusion takes place, the chest 
 begins to fill with w^ater, producing the condition known as 
 hydrothorax, when there is little hope for the patient except in 
 the hands of the most skillful practitioner. 
 
DISEASES OF THE DIGESTIVE 
 ORGANS. 
 
 Choking. 
 
 Cattle are very liable to choke, especially when fed on roots, 
 nubbins of corn, chopped pumpkins, or any other hard food. 
 
 Symptoms.— The animal will stop eating, stand apart from 
 the others, drool freely and sometimes gulp as if trying to 
 swallow. Tlie obstruction may also be seen and felt from the 
 outside of the throat and neck. Sometimes when an animal has 
 remained choked for some time there will be severe bloating 
 which may have to be relieved by puncturing, as described under 
 Bloating. 
 
 Treatment— If the obstruction is up near the throat, 
 place a gag in the animal's mouth and endeavor to reach the 
 offending object and draw it out through the mouth. But, if 
 the choke is low down or cannot be reached with the hand, a 
 probang must be inserted and the object pushed down into the 
 stomach. If the choke should be of bran or other ground food, 
 or of oats, do not pass the probang, as it will only pack and make 
 the matter worse. In this case a little oil may be poured down ; 
 or better, a half pint of water in which has been dissolved a 
 heaping teaspoonful of saltpetre, and then try to start the choke 
 by working on the outside with the hands. If a choke cannot 
 be removed by any other means it may be done by laying the 
 walls of the esophagus or gullet open with a sharp knife, but 
 
126 THE FAEMER's ready REFEREIS'CE. 
 
 this will require the skill of a surgeon, and need not be described 
 
 here. 
 
 Bloating. 
 
 Bloating is of very common occurrence in cattle, especially in 
 districts where red clover is raised for pasture. Allowing 
 animals to graze upon clover in the morning while the dew is on, 
 or even when it is wet from rain, will often cause severe bloating. 
 Frozen roots or vegetables of any kind, grass when covered 
 with frost, half- wilted tops of garden vegetables are all likely to 
 cause trouble. 
 
 Symptoms —The symptoms cannot be mistaken. The left 
 flank will be most prominent, being often raised above the level 
 of the backbone, and having a drum-like sound when struck 
 with the hand When the stomach becomes greatly distended 
 it presses forward upon the diaphragm and lungs so much 
 as to interfere with the breathing; and if not relieved the animal 
 reels, falls and dies of sulfocation. 
 
 Treatment.— In moderate cases, w^here death from suffo- 
 cation is not imminent, a heaping tablespoonful of pulverized 
 charcoal mixed with water and given as a drench, and repeated 
 in half an hour, is sometimes very effectual. Four drachms of 
 carbonate of ammonia, given in a quart of water every half 
 hour will often stop the formation of gas. But in urgent cases 
 puncturing in the flank is the only resort. This is best done 
 with trocar and canula, which every stock raiser should have 
 and know how to use. In the absence of a trocar, a long, 
 slender-bladed knife may be used. The point at which to 
 puncture is high up on the left flank at an equal distance from 
 the last rib, the point of the hip, and the transverse process of 
 the vertebrae. An incision half an inch long should be made in 
 the skin, the point of the trocar inserted and pushed downward 
 and slightly inward and forward. The trocar should then be 
 
THE farmer's ready REFERENCE. 127 
 
 withdrawn, leaving the canula in the opening until all the gas 
 
 has escaped and its formation ceased. The trocar should then 
 
 be inserted and the canula removed and a little carbolized oil 
 
 rubbed on the wound. The animal should Ihen have a pound of 
 
 Epsom salt dissolved in half a gallon of w^ater and given as a 
 
 drench. 
 
 Indigestion. 
 
 Indigestion in the chronic form is of frequent occurrence 
 among milk cows, especially in towns and cities where large 
 quantities of corn chop and other heating food-stuffs are fed. 
 Mouldy or course innutritious hay, or wintering around straw 
 stacks will also cause it. 
 
 Symptoms.— Staring coat, sunken eyes, loss of appetite, 
 hollow flanks, dry, flaky, mucous-covered droppings, and some- 
 times they will be blood-stained and are always small in quan- 
 tity. The muzzle will be dry at times and at others moist. The 
 breathing is generally increased and the animal grunts and 
 frequently moans, especially when moved. 
 
 Treatment.— The first step is to cleanse the bowels. If 
 there is diarrhoea give a quart of raw oil If there is no diarrhoea 
 give one pound or more of Epsom salt dissolved in half a gallon 
 of warm water, repeating the dose if the first does not operate in 
 twenty-four hours. When the bowels have been opened give 
 the following dose twice a day until the bowels become regular : 
 Bicarbonate of soda, powdered charcoal and powdered gentian 
 root, of each half an ounce. Feed on oil cake, bran mash, roots 
 or any other easily-digested, laxative food. If in summer give 
 green grass ; if in winter give good, sweet hay for roughness and 
 allow plenty of good water at all times. 
 
 Constipation. 
 
 Constipation in cattle is always more or less associated with 
 
128 THE farmer's ready reference. 
 
 indigestion, aiul the same treatment will apply to both. If the 
 case is an obstinate one, a lialf a pint to a pint of raw oil every 
 day or two will assist in keeping the bowels open. 
 
 Diarrhoea. 
 
 Diarrhoea sometimes becomes a very serious affection in 
 cattle. It may c<)me from chronic indigestion or it may be due 
 to an overfeed of grain ; it also frequently happens from eating 
 some irritating or poisonous substance. 
 
 Symptoms. — The symptoms are very apparent. The dis- 
 charge from the bowels is very profuse ; it is often very dark in 
 color and has a fetid odor. In the beginning there is gen- 
 erally great thirst, but no appetite for food. If the disease 
 continues for some time the animal becomes so prostrated 
 that it cannot rise to its feet, and the discharge becomes thin 
 and watery. 
 
 Treatment. — It will do no good to give astringents to 
 check the discharge until the bowels have been cleansed of all 
 irritating substance ; hence, one and a half pints of raw oil and 
 two ounces of laudanum should be given at once, and if there is 
 much pain, an ounce of laudanum and four ounces of raw oil 
 may be given every two hours until the pain ceases. An ounce 
 of hyposulphite of soda should be given every three or four 
 hours, either in a quart of water or slippery elm tea. After the 
 oil has operated, take four heaping tablespoonfulls of wheat 
 flour and make into thin gruel by boiling over a slow tire ; give 
 this at one dose and repeat every six hours until the bowels 
 begin to check. Feed on light, nourishing diet for a few days 
 until the stomach has had time to recover from the shock. 
 
 Gastric Delirium. 
 
 This is a peculiar affection which I have frequently met 
 with in Kansas, and to which I apply the above name for want 
 
THE farmer's ready REFERENCE. 129 
 
 of a better one. I have never seen the disease in other than 
 cows while giving milk. Some have called it ergotism, but with 
 this theory I cannot agree. I have not seen a description of 
 anything just like it in any of the works on veterinary science. 
 So far, I have only met with it in the spring and early summer 
 months; and from this I have attributed it to some impropriety 
 in the winter and spring diet, or surroundings, prior to turning 
 out to grass. It may be due to feeding on mouldy hay or grain. 
 At any rate, the stomach seems to be the seat of the disease, 
 and the brain, acting in sympathy with it, becomes delirious. 
 
 Symptoms.— The symptoms vary somewhat in different 
 individuals and in different stages of the disease. The first 
 symptom generally noticed is a refusal of food, or feeding 
 scantily ; there will be decrease in the quantity of milk ; the 
 eyes will have a dull stare, and sometimes the animal appears 
 dazed. I saw one cow that constantly licked her fore legs. 
 Another gnawed the board fence— like a horse often does. As 
 the disease progresses, the patient becomes more delirious and 
 pushes with its head against a w^all, fence or any other object 
 with which it may come in contact. 
 
 Treatment.— Give a dose of Epsom salt sufficient to open 
 the bowels (a pound or more to an ordinary cowO dissolved in 
 half a gallon of warm water. Half an ounce of bromide of 
 potassium should be given with the salt and the same dose 
 repeated every four or six hours until the delirium subsides. In 
 severe cases, cloths wet in cold w^ater should be kept on the 
 head. If the first dose of Epsom salt does not open the bowels 
 in twenty-four hours a second dose should be given. For after- 
 treatment an ounce of hyposulphite of soda may be given in 
 drinking water two or three times a day. 
 
130 THE farmer's ready reference. 
 
 Depraved Appetite. 
 
 Sometimes cattle are seen chewing old bones, licking a stone 
 wall, eating earthy matter, etc. This generally indicates some 
 gastric derangement and will nearly always yield to the treat- 
 ment prescribed for indigestion. Some cows get into the habit 
 of eating horse dung, probably due to starvation at first, unless 
 it originates from the filthy habit which some dairymen have of 
 feeding their cows upon the cleanings from livery stables, 
 simply because they can get it for the trouble of hauling. 
 
DISEASES OF THE EYE. 
 
 I 
 
 Injuries. 
 
 Cattle are liable to receive iDJuries to the eyes from brush 
 and weeds while grazing ; also from chaff and other substances 
 getting into the eye, causing it to become inflamed and throw 
 off a watery discharge. 
 
 Treatment.— Examine the eye carefully to remove any 
 foreign body that may be there. If there is much pain, bathe 
 the eye for ten or fifteen minutes night and morning with water 
 as hot as can be borne with the hand. If the irritation is only 
 slight, cold-water bathing will be all that is necessary. In very 
 severe cases the animal should be kept in a dark stable in the 
 brightest part of the day. 
 
 Bleeding Fungus. 
 
 This is a cancerous growth which sometimes affects the eyes 
 of cattle. A fungus growth grows in the eye and tissues around 
 it, protruding from the orbital fossa and sometimes crowding 
 the eye out with it. There is a constant discharge and a fetid 
 odor from it. 
 
 Treatment.— The only remedy is to remove the entire 
 growth, eye and all tissues involved ; scrape the bone clean and 
 then apply powdered sulphate of copper to all raw surface and 
 fill the cavity with cotton. In twenty-four hours the cotton 
 should be taken out and the wound washed and dressed once a 
 day thereafter with the following ointment : Pine tar and lard, 
 of each, four ounces ; acetate of copper, half an ounce ; mix. 
 
132 THE farmer's ready reference. 
 
 Contagious Ophthalmia. 
 
 Contagious ophtbalmia in cattle is comparatively a new 
 disease in Kansas, only having made its appearance about five or 
 six years ago. It does not sweep the entire country, but is 
 rather enzootic in its habits, although when it enters a herd it 
 continues until all have had it. It is an inflammatoiy condition 
 involving some of the inner structures of the eye and the eye- 
 lids. 
 
 Symptoms. — There will be a watery discharge from the eye ; 
 the lids will be kept closed. As the disease progresses, the eje- 
 lids will become swollen; the cornea will have a whitish color, 
 and the animal will grow dumpish and lose its appetite. In very 
 severe cases the swelling continues until the eye-ball is ruptured 
 and its contents discharged, precluding all possibility of restor- 
 ing sight. 
 
 Treatment.— Place the patient in a dark, cool stable ; four 
 ounces of Epsom salt should be dissolved in a quart of water 
 and given as a drench twice a day ; if the bowels become too 
 loose, give only once a day. In mild cases, bathing twice a day 
 with cold water may reduce the inflammation ; but, if there is 
 much swelling, bathe twice a day with hot water, and each time 
 wipe the skin dry and apply a little of the following, all around 
 and in the eye : Nitrate of potash, forty grains ; sulphate of 
 zinc, forty grains; fluid extract of belladonna, four drachms; 
 water, one pint. If the eye-ball ruptures, syringe it out with 
 the same lotion. 
 
PARASITIC DISEASES. 
 
 Actinomycosis— Lumpy = Jaw. 
 
 Actinomycosis, or lumpy-jaw, is characterized by swellings 
 on the jaws. The swelling may be on either upper or lower jaw 
 and may be somew^hat soft at first, but soon grows hard, as the 
 disease affects the bone. It is due to the parasite oxtinomysis^ a 
 vegetable fungus supposed to be on the fodder or other food and 
 enters the animal organism through some abrasion of the skin. 
 It sometimes affects the tongue, causing it to thicken up and 
 become hard, in which condition it is the so-called '' woody- 
 tongue." The general health of the animal does not appear to 
 be much affected by the disease as long as the animal can masti- 
 cate its food, but after a time the jaw^ becomes affected to such 
 an extent that the animal can scarcely eat, then it soon becomes 
 emaciated. Theorists differ as to whether the flesh of such an 
 animal is fit for food. The safest plan is to let it alone. 
 
 Treatment.— There have been many methods of treatment 
 prescribed and some " sure cures "(?) advertised. But the only 
 thing most of them affect, with any certainty, is the owner's 
 pocket book. The best treatment known for this disease at the 
 present time is that recommended by the Bureau of Animal 
 Industry, which is as follows : Give a daily dose of iodide of 
 potassium, allowing fifteen grains for each one hundred pounds 
 of the animal's weight. This may be dissolved in w^ater and 
 given as a drench, and should be continued until symptoms of 
 iodism are produced, w^hich will be in from ten to fourteen days. 
 
134 THE faemer's ready reference. 
 
 The animal will become lanfj^uid and disinclined to move about; 
 the appetite will fail and there will be a discharge from the 
 eyes and nostrils. In some subjects, not all, there will be a 
 vesicular eruption of the skin ; there will be abstinence from 
 water, and elevation of temperature. When these symptoms 
 occur, the iodide should be withheld for a few days until the 
 appetite returns and the other symptoms subside , when the 
 treatment should be repeated as before. The treatment should 
 be continued in this manner until the enlargement begins to 
 decrease in size, which may be two or three months. 
 
 Tuberculosis. 
 
 Tuberculosis, or pulmonary consumption, is an infectious 
 disease due to the bacillus tuherculosis which, through various 
 channels, invades the animal's body. The most important con- 
 sideration, with regard to animal tuberculosis, is the bearing 
 that it has upon the health of the human family. That animal 
 and human tuberculosis, or consumption, are identically the 
 same has become an established fact; and it is also the belief of 
 the most scientific investigators that animal, and especially 
 bovine, tuberculosis is, to an enormous extent, responsible tor 
 the same disease in the human race. 
 
 The disease may be communicated from the animal to the 
 human being in various ways. The milk of diseased animals is 
 known to be one of the most prolific sources of communication. 
 The flesh, though not always, has been known to contain the 
 bacilli, and, as many people eat their meat '' rare done," it thus 
 becomes a source of danger. The discharge from the nostrils 
 and from abscesses of diseased animals falling upon the ground 
 or upon stable floors, becoming dry and being taken up as fine 
 dust by the moving air, may be inhaled by other cattle and also 
 by human beings. Milk, containing the bacilli, spilled upon 
 
THE FARMER^S READY REFERENCE. 135 
 
 floors of dwellings aud dairy rooms, in this manner becomes a 
 source of communication by inhalation, even to those who do 
 not drink it. 
 
 A most serious aspect of this subject is the fact that this 
 disease is not easily detected in its lirst stages ; its progress is 
 often slow at first, the animal being apparently in fair health 
 for a year or two after the disease has begun its work. A case 
 which came under my own observation was that of a cow 
 belonging to Dr. S. D. Koss of Manhattan, Kansas The subject 
 was a high-grade Jersey cow, kept to supply the family with 
 milk. Some time during the spring of 1892 the writer was called 
 in and found the cow slightly indisposed, as if from a cold. 
 There was affected breathing, and a slight wheezing sound in 
 the lungs. Tuberculosis was mentioned at the time, but as we 
 had no microscope and did not then know the use of tuberculin, 
 no test was made ; and, as after a few doses of stimulants and 
 tonics, the cow seemed to recover, nothing more was 
 thought of the case until two years after, when your humble 
 servant was again called to deliver a calf from the same cow. 
 The cow was very thin in flesh, and Dr. Ross stated that she had 
 not been doing well for a month or two. The calf was dead, 
 but was soon delivered, and when the placenta was taken away 
 its uterine surface was found thickly studded wath nodules and 
 small ulcers. Having access this time to a microscope, the 
 writer prepared several specimens, in each of which were count- 
 less numbers of the bacilli of tuberculosis. 
 
 Symptoms.— The symptoms are often so slight at first as to 
 be almost unnoticed, or may be mistaken for a common cold. 
 The animal may be slightly off its feed for a few days; the 
 muzzle may be dry, and, if a cow, there may be a decrease in the 
 quantity of milk. Good nursing, with a few doses of medicine, 
 
136 THE farmer's ready REFEREirCE. 
 
 soon checks the disease, and ihe animal is all light for a while. 
 These attacks become more frequent and each one leaves the 
 system in a worse condition until finally the symptoms never 
 abate eutirely. The hair will begin to look i ough ; the appetite 
 will be capricious ; the breathing will be affected ; the animal 
 cannot stand exertion ; the ear placed against the side of the 
 chest will detect a wheezing or whistling sound ; there may be a 
 cough and, as the disease progresses, there may be a discharge 
 from the nostrils with a fetid odor ; as the symptoms become 
 more aggravated, there will be great emaciation ; there will be 
 complication with bowel troubles, and some times tubercular 
 tumors or abscesses form about the head and neck and other 
 parts of the body. 
 
 But, though these symptoms are sufficient to excite sus- 
 picion, the only true test is with the microscope, or by the 
 hypodermic injection of tuberculin, both of which methods 
 require experience. The disease is incurable, and as soon as its 
 existence is proven, the affected animal should be destroyed and 
 the carcass burned. The milk of tuberculous cows should nob 
 even be fed to pigs. The writer has seen several well-marked 
 cases of the disease in swine. 
 
 Eruptive Aptha, or Pseudo=Foot=and=Mouth Disease. 
 
 This disease first made its appearance in the State of Mis- 
 souri a few years ago and was thoroughly investigated by Dr. 
 Paul Paquin, State Veterinarian of Missouri at that time, and 
 found to be due to some vegetable parasite. Through a miscon- 
 struction of some statement made by the doctor, a report became 
 widely circulated that the cases were of the true foot-and-mouth 
 disease, and considerable excitement prevailed for some time ; 
 but this false report was corrected by the Secretary of Agricul- 
 
I 
 
 THE farmer's ready REFERENCE. 137 
 
 ture at Washington, D. C , (if I mi-itake not) and the excitement, 
 as well as the disease, soon became quiet. 
 
 Nearly every season since, there liave been a few cases in 
 Missouri and Kansas (and probably other Western States), but 
 it has never become serious, and if any animal ever died with 
 the disease it must have been because the owner neglected to 
 furnish proper food for it while its mouth was sore, and it 
 starved to death. The disease is simply an eruption of the 
 mucous membrane of the mouth and of the skin of the body; 
 and although the two diseases have many symptoms in common, 
 yet it lacks the virulence of the foot-and-mouth disease of 
 European countries. 
 
 Symptoms.— Small blisters form on the tongue and inside of 
 the lips; these burst open, forming sm-.Il sores, and sometimes 
 the lips become dry and cracked. The animal eats readily if 
 food is placed well back on the tongue, but cannot take it up 
 because of the soreness of the mouth. The jaws are kept mov- 
 ing and the saliva flows freely. Small eruptions appear over the 
 body; and about the udder and other parts where the hair is 
 thin, the skin becomes of a reddish color. The soreness on the 
 skin extends down to the feet and sometimes cracks form 
 around the hoofs, and, in severe cases, the hoofs come off. The 
 animal often gets very lame and is inclined to lie down a great 
 deal. 
 
 Treatment.— If there is diarrhoea, give a dose of raw oil ; 
 if no diarriioea exists, give a dose of Epsom salt sufiicient 
 to open the bow^els moderately ; give hyposulphite of soda in 
 the drinking water to the amount of three ounces in twenty- 
 four hours. Swab the mouth three times a day with the follow- 
 ing : Alum, one ounce ; water, one quart ; mix. Sponge all 
 sores on the body and feet with a solution of sulphate of copper. 
 
138 THE farmer's ready reference. 
 
 one ounce, to water, one quart. Keep the patient in a cool, 
 shady place, and feed on gruel, bran mash, boiled oats and other 
 soft food. 
 
 While I know of no instance wherein the disease has been 
 communicated to man from handling diseased animals, yet 
 it will be a wise plan not to get any of the saliva from the mouth, 
 or the discharge from the eruptions on the skin, in any sores that 
 may be on the hands. 
 
PARTURITION AND ITS SUBSEQUENT 
 
 DISEASES. 
 
 Parturition. 
 
 Although cattle in their wild and untrammeled state, guided 
 by natural instincts, scarcely ever have any trouble during the 
 process of parturition, the changes in their mode of life, conse- 
 quent upon domestication, have rendered timely assistance fre- 
 quently necessary to a safe delivery. Hence, every one who has 
 the care of cattle should be somewhat familiar with the proceed- 
 ings in a case of natural presentation and delivery. 
 
 The period of gestation in the cow is, approximately, about 
 nine months. Some cows, and especially heifers with first calf, 
 go a week or two over, or a week or two under the regular time 
 without causing any material difference in the offspring. A rec- 
 ord of the date of service should always be kept as a guide to 
 the time about when parturition can be expected to take place. 
 As the time for calving comes near, the udder tills out with milk; 
 the hips will begin to spread apart, and the muscles on each side 
 of the backbone between the hips and the root of the tail be- 
 come sunken. 
 
 When the time for delivery arrives the cow generally goes 
 away from the others, if allowed to do so. There will be uneasi- 
 ness, lying down and getting up again, as the labor pains come 
 and go. In a short time the water bag makes its appearance, 
 breaks, and the two front feet present themselves with the nose 
 
140 THE farmer's ready reference. 
 
 lying between them. As long as the labor pains continue to 
 come on and the calf is being forced through the passage, even 
 though slowly, it is better, as a rule, not to interfere; but, if it 
 seems to be on a "stand still" and the pains are diminishing, or 
 the cow becoming weak from prolonged lab' 'r, aid may be given 
 by pulling gently on the calf's feet just when the pain comes on, 
 but at no other time. 
 
 If, after the water bag has been presented and broken, the 
 pains subside, or continue for some time without the apDcarance 
 of the calf's feet, the hand and arm should be well oiled and in- 
 troduced carefully into the vagina to ascertain the cause of the 
 delay. If there is a wrong presentation, endeaver to bring the 
 calf into proper position. No special instructions can be of any 
 service on this point; but only a few general hints will be given, 
 leaving the operator to use his own good sense and judgement, 
 according to the circumstances. 
 
 The proper presentaton is of the front feet and head, and if 
 only a part of these are presented and the others lagging, bring 
 them carefully into position. If the two hind feet are engaged 
 in the passage, bring the calf away backwards. If both fore and 
 hind feet be presented at the same time, retain the hind feet, 
 return the front ones, and deliver the calf backwards. When 
 delivery has been effected the cow will generally give the calf all 
 the care that is necessary. 
 
 Parturient Paralysis. 
 
 It frequently happens after a difficult case of parturition, 
 and sometimes where delivery was easy, that there is partial 
 paralysis of the hind quarters. Sometimes a few days of good 
 nursing will bring about recovery; but, if the cow does not show 
 improvement by the second day, a moderate dose of Epsom salts 
 should be given to open the bowels, and one drachm of nux vom- 
 
THE farmer's ready REFERENCE. 141 
 
 ica combined with two drachms of nitrate of potash should be 
 given twice a day. If there is still no improvement after five 
 da\s, increase the dose of nux vomica to two drachms. The 
 spine should also be rubbed three times a day, till sore, with 
 nmmoniacal liniment. Feed nourishing, laxative food and give 
 plenty of fresh water to drink. 
 
 Parturient Apoplexy. 
 This is an affection of the brain and spinal cord and, al- 
 though many different theories have been written in explana- 
 tion of its origin, pathology and treatment, nothing very satis- 
 factory has ever been reached It generally attacks only the 
 best milkers, and the best in flesh. It comes on within four or 
 five days after calving, the earlier, the more likely it is to be 
 fatal. 
 
 Symptoms.— First there will be a slight unsteadiness in walk- 
 ing; the patient will lie down, then get up again, showing un- 
 easiness; there will be constipation and scanty urine. The 
 symptoms may come on very rapidly and in a short time there 
 will be paralysis of the hind quarters and inability to rise when 
 down; the head will be thrown around to the side and there will 
 be a snoring sound in the breathing, and in time the animal will 
 become unconscious. 
 
 Treatment.— I have tried every remedy that I have ever 
 seen prescribed in books or medical journals and the only one 
 that has given any satisfaction is as follows: As soon as possi- 
 ble after the attack begins to come on give six drachms each of 
 chloral hydrate and bri^mide of potassium dissolved in one pint 
 of water, and, each two hours thereafter, give a dose of four 
 drachms each of the chloral aud potassium until three more 
 doses are given, then gradually diminish the dose each time and 
 also lengthen out the time between the doses. Great care must 
 
142 THE farmer's ready reference. 
 
 be exercised to prevent choking while drenching, and just as 
 soon as swallowing is done readily a dose of Epsom salt, sufficient 
 to open the bowels, should be given. Plenty of drinking water 
 should be given at all times, and a little nourishing food as soon 
 as the animal will eat. The animal should be rolled over occa- 
 sionally and be kept well bedded. Cloths wet in cold water 
 should also be kept on the head for the first day or two. 
 
 Garget. 
 
 Garget is of frequent occurrence among good milkers, espe- 
 cially in cities where cows are highly fed. It is often the result 
 of careless milking, but may come from exposure to cold or wet. 
 
 Symptoms.— Part or all of the udder becomes swollen and 
 hard, and is sometimes very painful, The milk becomes thick 
 and curdled and somtimes the secretion of milk is stopped, and 
 only a watery fluid comes from the teat. 
 
 Treatment.— Open the bowels with a doseof Epsom salt, 
 then give half an ounce of nitrate of potash twice a day for a 
 week. Bathe the udder twice a day with hot water, wipe dry 
 and apply the following : Gum camphor rubbed fine , two 
 ounces; fluid extract lobelia, two ounces; olive oil, six ounces; 
 mix. Milk thoroughly clean several times a day. 
 
 Inversion of the Uterus. 
 
 Sometimes inversion of the uterus or ''calf bed" takes place 
 after the calf has been delivered. It can be known by the large 
 bloody-looking, pear shaped mass protruding or hanging from 
 the vagina. 
 
 Treatment.— Remove all straw and dirt from the ruass 
 with warm water, and place a clean sheet under it to keep it 
 from the ground. Oil the hand, insert the closed fist into one 
 of the horns (two openings at the large end of the uterus), and 
 push it as far in as possible; have an assistant to place his hands 
 
I 
 
 THE FARMER^S READY REFERENCE. 143 
 
 against this and hold it while you do the same with the other side. 
 When the entire mass has been returned take a large needle 
 and a strong twine and put four or five stitches across the vulva 
 or mouth of the vagina to prevent the uterus from being ex^ 
 pelled again. If the cow continues to strain, a couple of ounces 
 of laudanum may be given in a pint of water as a drench. After 
 trying all other remedies to prevent the uterus from being 
 thrown out again, I have found nothing else so effectual as 
 blistering the cow along the spine with ammoniacal lininent. 
 The stitches should be left in for six or seven days. 
 
 Retention of Placenta. 
 
 Sometimes the placenta or afterbirth does not come away. 
 A pint of scalded flax seed fed to the cow will often have the 
 desired result. If it does not come away it should not be taken 
 sooner than twenty-four, nor later than forty-eight hours, as to 
 take it sooner might cause bleeding and later than forty-eight 
 hours, decay would begin. 
 
MISCELLANEOUS SUBJECTS. 
 
 Had Itch or Specific Cerebro Meningitis. 
 
 The so-called "mad itch" iu cattle hus long been a mystery to 
 
 cattlemen, as it seemingly attacked cattle in all conditions, fat 
 
 cattle in the feed yards frequently falling victims. Many 
 causes have been assigned for the disease. Frozen pasturage, 
 
 poisonous vegetation, corn cobs and husks which hogs had 
 chewed and covered with saliva, and then dropped upon the 
 ground, were supposed to be eaten by the cattle and cause the 
 peculiar symptoms. But all these theories faded one after 
 another as experimental tests only brought contradictory results. 
 The disease has been described under different names, some even 
 calling it hydrophobia. The name Specific Cerebro Meningitis 
 was suggested by Dr. Paul Faquin; and by reading a report of 
 some investigations made by Dr. Faquin regarding the disease, 
 I find that my own views deduced from observation through 
 several years of practice are not far diiierent from his. The 
 name,"mad itch," suggested by some of the symptoms seems to be 
 the most known among stockmen. 
 
 It is well known that in many pastures cattle get their 
 water supply from ponds; or if there is a stream of water run- 
 ning through the field it goes dry except a few deep holes. 
 Now as the dry, hot weather comes on the water in these ponds 
 or holes grows less in quantity and more filthy from the manure 
 and from the tramping of the cattle until, finally, there is only 
 a filthy, mucky mass left and the cattle go elsewhere for water. 
 
THE farmer's ready REFERENCE. 145 
 
 After a few weeks the rains begin to fall; ihe old watering 
 places are filled with fresh, clear water, and the cattle are turn- 
 ed into the old pasture again and in a few days begin to die. 
 
 Thf re is some mystery the owner cannot comprehend. He 
 does not look to tlie water for the cause, for he knows that it 
 looks better than when the cattle were in the field before. He 
 does not know that during this undisturbed period the old pond 
 was a regular hot-bed for the development of fungi and micro- 
 organic ferments; that in that clear, fresh water, so inviting to 
 thirsty throats on a hot summer's day, lies the death dealing 
 germ that is causing such terrible havoc among his cattle. 
 There have been outbreaks of this disease where no pool of stag- 
 nant water existed; but examination proved the soil to be of that 
 moist, mucky character favorable to the development of disease 
 germs, and, as it dried out, it wasleftfuUof deep indentations 
 from the hoofs of the cattle. When the rain fell, these indenta- 
 tions were tilled with water, and the cattle drank from them, 
 thus taking in the germ as from the water in the pond. 
 
 Sharp frosts and cold weather tend to check the ravages of 
 the disease; but it starts again with warm weather, and, if the 
 cattle are not removed, continues until the summer heat dries up 
 the water. There is no cure for the disease when an animal 
 once takes it. The only hope lies in preventing it. 
 
 SY3IPT0MS.— There will be a dull, and sometimes anxious, 
 look about the eyes; loss of appetite; suspension of rumination; 
 dribbling of frothy saliva from the mouth; shivering of the 
 muscles; sudden jerking of the feet; lying down and immediately 
 getting up; walking with an unsteady gait; shaking of the head, 
 with frequent attempts to scratch the shoulders and sides with 
 the horns; rubbing the head and neck against other objects; 
 sometimes holding the head near the ground, and at other times 
 
146 THE faemer's ready reference. 
 
 holding it high in air. As lime goes on the symptoms become 
 more aggravated; the eyes assume a wild, staring, frenzied ap- 
 pearance; the animal will sometimes give a sudden start, snort, 
 bellow, and run as if attacking some imaginary foe; it will often 
 attack anything that may come in its way, man or beast, in a 
 most threatening and aggressive manner. Thus the animal goes 
 on for several days, when it generally sinks to the ground, either 
 from exhaustion or paralysis, and often becomes comatose before 
 it dies. These symptoms will not all be exhibited in every case; 
 some cases will be mild and, to some extent, controllable; while 
 others will be so frenzied and vicious as to lead the attendant 
 and, sometimes, even inexperienced veterinarians to pronounce 
 it hydrophobia. 
 
 Preventative —When possible, water only from deep 
 wells or running streams. If ponds must be used, clean them 
 often, and, if the disease breaks out, move to higher ground, and 
 change feed and water. 
 
 Infectious Abortion. 
 
 It is a well known fact that outbreaks of abortion among 
 cows frequently occur in certain localities which cannot be 
 traced to any visible or ordinary cause. ISo condition of flesh or 
 health seems to be exempt, but fat and lean alike fall victims to 
 the infection. These abortions generally occur at some time 
 from the fourth to the seventh month of pregnancy and general- 
 ly without any premonitory symptoms. In some instances the 
 abortions of different cows have seemingly occured at regular 
 intervals of a certain number of days, which might point to a 
 necessary period of incubation. Experiments of smearing the 
 vagina of a cow with the mucus from a cow that had just aborted, 
 have produced abortion, thus proving that it can be communi- 
 cated from one cow to another; but the fact that the succeeding 
 
THE farmer's ready REFERENCE. 147 
 
 cases in a stable have often stood far apart from the preceding 
 ones, goes far to prove that actual contact is not necessary to 
 its communication 
 
 As no curative treatment has ever yet given satisfaction, the 
 preventive treatment is the only one to be lecommended. 
 
 First, when an abortion occurs, get rid of the foetus and all 
 its membranes by burning; gather up all straw and other litter 
 that may have become infected, and burn this also. If in a 
 stable, close all doors and burn sulphur until the fumes penetrate 
 every crevice, then whitewash all walls with a strong lime wash 
 to which has been added a pound of salt to each two gallons of 
 the wash, and sprinkle all floors with the same. 
 
 Gonorrhoea. 
 
 Occassionally a bull, from serving a cow suffering with 
 leucorrhoea, will be attacked with an inflammation of the penis 
 and mucous membrane lining the sheath which, if allowed to 
 continue, often causes ulcers on the penis and swelling of the 
 sheath. There is a muco-purulent discharge through which the 
 disease will be communicated to cows if served by the bull while 
 suffering with the disease. 
 
 Treatment —The affected parts should be thoroughly 
 
 cleaned with warm water and, if ulcers exist, they should be 
 
 touched with nitrate of silver. After the first cleansing, wash 
 
 the inflamed part once or twice a day with cold water, and each 
 
 time make an application of the white lotion as described in 
 
 Medicines and How to Prepare Them. When cows become 
 
 affected, syringe out the vagina with warm water and inject the 
 
 lotion. 
 
 Blackleg. 
 
 This is a disease which affects only young cattle, and is due 
 to a micro-organism taken into the system from the soil in some 
 
143 THE farmer's ready reference. 
 
 localities. As many theories have been advancerl regarding the 
 origin of the disease, its treatment and propliylactic measures, 
 we will not discuss the merits or demerits of these different 
 theories here, but enter at once upon a description of the plans 
 most feasible to the farmer for saving his cattle. 
 
 It has often been said that "only fat cattle take the disease." 
 While this is not true, yet it is a fact that only those which are 
 thriving rapidly take it no matter whether fat or lean. And it 
 is also a fact that depletion or a sudden check in the thriving of 
 an animal will check the ravages of the disease, for the time 
 being at least. 
 
 Symptoms— At first there will be loss of appetite and rumi- 
 nation will cease; a slight lameness may be noticed, gradually 
 growing worse until the animal is unable to rise to its feet when 
 down. There will be swelling in the lame limb, and, if the hand 
 is rubbed over this gently, a crackling sound will be heard from 
 underneath the skin. If the skin is split open, the blood will be 
 of a black tarry appearance and too thick to flow. 
 
 Treatment. — After an animal is down and unable to stand 
 upon its feet when helped up, no medicine will save it. But, if 
 found while yet able to walk about, give a dose of Epsom salt, 
 raw oil or melted lard, sufficient to open the bowels, then get 
 upon a horse and keep the patient on a trot for an hour or two 
 unless the bowels open freely sooner. If you succeed in getting 
 a full, free evacuation of the bowels, the chances are you will 
 save the calf. Also as soon as a case of blackleg is found among 
 a lot of young cattle, the entire lot should be taken from the 
 pasture and put in a high, dry yard where they can get neither 
 water nor feed for twenty-four hours. It may also be well 
 enough to give each animal a dose of Epsom salt to open the 
 bowels. The animals should not be returned to the same pasture. 
 
THE FARMER^S READY REFEREISTCE. 149 
 
 but should be kept on higher and drier ground. Many prepara- 
 tions have been recommended as preventatives, but experience 
 has proven tiiem all to be of doubtful value A mixture com- 
 posed of common salt, wood ashes, sulphur and saltpetre, will be 
 found as good as any. It should be kept in troughs in the pasture 
 where the cattle can get it at Will. 
 
 We do not wish It understood that we ignore the theories 
 that have been advanced by learned men in regard to this disease. 
 On the contrary, we appreciate every effort of science to fathom 
 the true cause of, and to discover a preventative against the 
 disease, and, as preventive inoculation in the hands of some of 
 our most noted scientists has produced comparative immunity 
 from the disease, we recommend every farmer to give it a trial 
 when opportunity aifords; but until such opportunity is afforded, 
 we recommend the afore-described treatment, which we have 
 given many trials and have never yet failed to check the ravages 
 of the disease for the time being. 
 
 5nake Bite^» 
 
 Sometimes it happens that animals are bitten by poisonous 
 reptiles. If the Wound is discovered immediately after it has 
 been inflicted, the best plan is to cut it out and touch all raw 
 surface with lunar caustic; but it is not always seen in time for 
 
 this. 
 
 Antidotes.— Dissolve half a pint of common salt in a quart 
 
 or two of water and give as a drench, and bind salt moistened 
 
 with hot water on the wound. Whiskey may be given in half 
 
 pint doses every hour. An ounce of aqua ammonia well diluted 
 
 with water and given every hour is good. The wound may also 
 
 be bathed with ammonia. If great swelling takes place, little 
 
 can be done. .^ ^. 
 
 Cornstalk Disease. 
 
 The disease known by this name is characterized by symp- 
 
150 THE farmer's ready reference. 
 
 toms of indigestion followed by delirium. Various opinions 
 have been advanced in regard to its cause, but no satisfactory 
 treatment has yet been found. It is believed by some to be due 
 to a minute parasitic fungus which grows upon stocks and blades 
 of fodder left standing in the field, while others adhere to the 
 theory of impaction in the stomach. As we are not in possession 
 of anything from late investigations which will throw any light 
 upon the subject, we copy an article written by the author of 
 this work a few years ago on the latter theory and published in 
 the Kajisas Farmer. 
 
 ''This affection has been known for ages past, under the 
 different names of 'dry murrain', Vfardle-bound', 'grass stag- 
 gers', 'impaction of the man) plies', 'wood evil' and 'indiges- 
 tion'. The different names simply indicate the ideas of the dif- 
 ferent individuals iii regard to the nature of the disease, its 
 causes, etc., according to the construction they each placed up- 
 on the peculiar symptoms exhibited by the animals affected. 
 But, by whatever name the disease may be called, the pathology 
 is just the same, namely, a disordered condition of the stomach, 
 an imperfect performance of its functions, and either a partial 
 or a total suspension of the process of digestion. The peculiar 
 construction of the stomach of the ruminant or cud-chewing 
 animal, makes its mode of feeding so intirely different from that 
 of the non-ruminant , that, in order to make the subject 
 more closely understood, a description is necessary. The stom- 
 ach of the ox is very large as compared with that of the horse, 
 and capable of containing a great amount of food. It is divided 
 into four distinct compartments as follows: The rumen or 
 paunch, reticulum or second stomach, the omasum or third 
 stomach, sometimes also called the manyplies, and the abomasum 
 or fourth stomach. The rumen is the largest of the four divis- 
 
THE farmer's ready REFERENCE. 151 
 
 sioiis, and is equal in capacity to all the others combined The 
 esophagus or gullet through which all food and drink passes 
 from the mouth to the stomach, enters the rumen near its 
 junction with the reticulum or second stomach, and continuing 
 along the roof of the second stomach, not as a complete tube, 
 but in the shape of two movable lips attached by one border to 
 the walls of the second stomach, the other border being free, it 
 enters the third stomach by a circular orifice. These lips, when 
 open and passive, allow all food as it is swallowed to pass into 
 the rumen, but, when they are drawn together, they form a 
 channel known as esophageal groove and through which food 
 can pass directly i»tto the third stomach, and thence into the 
 fourth, without stopping in the first or second. At the entrance 
 of the esophagus into the rumen are also numerous small, fleshy 
 points or papiilse, which help to work the food to the place 
 where it should go. 
 
 Kow, when any ruminating animal feeds upon grass, hay or 
 other coarse material, the food passes very rapidly and with very 
 little mastication into the first stomach, where it becomes sat- 
 urated and softened by the fluids supplied by that division, and 
 also by the saliva which is secreted by the salivary glands and 
 poured down the animal's throat, and by a sort of churning 
 process, caused by the contracting and relaxing of the muscular 
 walls of the stomach, it is prepared for the next step in the 
 process of digestion. From the first stomach the food is grad- 
 ually w^orked into the second, where it is worked into pellets or 
 cuds and, by a peculiar spasmodic action, is thrown up by the 
 reticulum, and grasped by the esophagus and returned to the 
 mouth to be remasticated, when it is again swallowed, this time 
 passing along the esophageal groove into the third stomach. 
 This division is made up of numerous folds or leaves, between 
 
152 THE farmer's ready reference. 
 
 which the semi-ground food passes, and again undergoes a tritu- 
 rating or grinding process, and is then passed on to the fourth or 
 true digestive stomach, where the process of digestion is easily 
 completed. But should the food be more of the nature of chaft", 
 or finely broken fodder, a great amount of it passes by the first 
 and second stomachs into the third, where, if the food be of an 
 especially dry and non-nutritive character, it becomes lodged 
 between the manyplies, and not being saturated as it should be 
 with the liquids from the first and second divisions, the fluid 
 secreted by the third division alone is insufficient, and the result 
 is an impaired condition of the stomach and the beginning of a 
 case of impaction. Now, if this is allowed to go on day after day 
 without change of food, the impaction increases, until finally the 
 spaces between the manyplies become entirely filled up, leaving 
 only a small channel through the lesser curvature of the stomach, 
 along the edge of the manyplies, through which only food in a 
 semi-fluid state can pass. The other divisions soon become 
 aliected, through sympathy with this one, and there is complete 
 suspension of the functions of the entire digestive tract. Then 
 the sensory nerves soon begin to transmit the disordered sensa- 
 tions to the brain, hence the train of nervous symptoms, so often 
 seen in such cases. 
 
 When the brain has once become seriously affected, I do not 
 think any treatment can save the animal. But, if the case can 
 be taken when the animal only appears stupid, with impaired 
 appetite, it will pay to treat it. Give Epsom salts, from one to 
 two pounds, according to size of animal, dissolved in half a gallon 
 of warm water, with one pint of molasses added, and follow with 
 two quarts of warm linseed tea, or thin gruel, every two hours, 
 and injections of warm water per rectum, and moderate exercise 
 occasionally. If the medicine does not operate in twenty-four 
 hours, repeat the dose, and continue the other treatment as 
 
THE farmer's ready REFERENCE. 153 
 
 before. But as our object in the beginning was to throw some 
 light on the trouble in cornstalk f^-eding, we will proceed to that. 
 It is a mystery to some why cattle will sometimes feed in one 
 stalk field f<>r weeks without any loss, and then be changed to 
 another, and soon begin to die rapidly. Also that they will be 
 turned into a field and seem to do well for a week, and then 
 suddenly the mortality will begin. And then again, we often 
 hear, that of two neighbors living side by pide, one turns his 
 cattle in the field and lets them remain there, with no loss what- 
 ever; while the other turns liis in only a few hours at a time and 
 tries to take every precaution against loss, as instructed by 
 writers on the subject, yet his cattle will die as if a curse had 
 been set upon them. This, we think will all be clear enough if 
 we will note the difference in the condition of the fields. If the 
 corn is of good, large growth and well matured, the danger is not 
 very great. But if the stalks are small and not matured, the cob 
 soft and spongy, the grains undeveloped, and the ears half cov- 
 ered with smut; blades, stalks and all, bitten by the frost and 
 then dried by the sun and wind until they are capable of being 
 ground up fine enough by a few strokes of the jaw, so that when 
 swallowed, the whole mass will pass at once into the third 
 stomach, and, being very dry and of almost no nutritive value, 
 finds lodgment there from day to day, until the stomach be- 
 comes tilled to such an extent that no medicine will relieve It. 
 
 A few good ears of corn may have been left in the field to be 
 gathered by the cattle, and this will ward off the catastrophe 
 for a few days, and thus account for their not dying when first 
 turned in. In view of these facts, then, we should be able to 
 form some idea of a preventive treatment. 
 
 In the first place, the cattle should have free access to both 
 salt and water, and should be driven to the latter every day, if 
 
154 THE farmer's ready reference. 
 
 they do uot go of their own accord. They should never go into 
 the stalks except with full stomachs; they should not be left in 
 over an hour at a time, and after the first two days leave them 
 out a day, and continue in this way two days in and the third 
 day out for at least two weeks, and when they are out of the 
 stalks do not turn them into an old dry field to go hungry till the 
 time comes to go into the stalks again, but feed liberally on good 
 hay or well cured, green-cut fodder, accompanied by corn, bran, 
 oil-cake, sliced roots or anything else that will form a nutritious 
 and laxative diet, and see that they eat it before they are again 
 allowed to enter the stalk field, and they should still be fed a 
 little grain of some kind, even after they have become accus- 
 tomed to the stalks. If this method of feeding does not prove a 
 complete remedy it will at least lower the death rate, and those 
 that live will be all the better for having had the extra care." 
 
INDEX. 
 
 PAOB. 
 
 Ag-e of the Horse, How to tell 114 
 
 Abortion, Infectious in Cows 146 
 
 Apoplexy, Parturient in Cows 141 
 
 Actinomycosis 133 
 
 Aptha, Eruptive in Cattle 136 
 
 Azoturia 50 
 
 Anasarca 69 
 
 Bronchitis 20 
 
 Broken Wind 22 
 
 Bleeding, Nasal 22 
 
 Bots 35 
 
 Bleeding- Fung-US in Horses 61 
 
 Bleeding Fnngus in Cattle — 131 
 
 Bone Spavin 86 
 
 Bog Spavin 86 
 
 Blind or Occult Spavin 88 
 
 Bruises of the Feet 91 
 
 Breeding 106 
 
 Bladder, Inflammation of 49 
 
 Bloating- 126 
 
 Bloody Urine 50 
 
 Blackleg 147 
 
 Cornstalk Disease in Horses 36 
 
 Cornstalk Disease in Cattle 149 
 
 Cocked Ankles 97 
 
 Castration 101 
 
 At what Age to 101 
 
 Season for 102 
 
 Health of Animal for 103 
 
 Operation of 103 
 
 Bleeding after 105 
 
 Swelling after 106 
 
 Care of Mares 107 
 
 Care of Foal 108 
 
 Catarrh in Horses 17 
 
 Catarrh in Cattle 122 
 
 Choking in Horses 29 
 
 Choking in Cattle 125 
 
 Constipation in Horses 33 
 
156 INDEX. 
 
 PAGE. 
 
 Constipation in Cattle 127 
 
 Capped Elbow T6 
 
 Corns ,. 80 
 
 Curb 88 
 
 Capped Hock 89 
 
 Canker 94 
 
 Calks 95 
 
 Contraction 97 
 
 Callouses 73 
 
 Calcareous Degeneration 7S 
 
 Chronic Cough 26 
 
 Colic, Flatulent 30 
 
 Colic, Spasmodic 32 
 
 Cerebro-Spinal Mening-itis 39 
 
 Chorea 44 
 
 Colt Distemper 17 
 
 Congestion of the Lungs 23 
 
 Disease, How to Recognize in Horses 11 
 
 Disease, How to Recognize in Cattle 1 19 
 
 Doses, Graduation of 14 
 
 Doses, to Measure 14 
 
 Distemper 1 17 
 
 Diarrhcea in Horses 34 
 
 Diarrhoea in Cattle 128 
 
 Diabetes 51 
 
 Dribbling of Urine 52 
 
 Dislocations . . 98 
 
 Depraved Appetite. 130 
 
 Dysentery 34 
 
 Eye, Injuries to. Cattle 131 
 
 Contagious Ophthalmia, Cattle 133 
 
 Simple Ophthalmia, Horse 59 
 
 Specific Ophthalmia, Horse 60 
 
 Puncture of Eyeball 59 
 
 Torn Eyelids 62 
 
 Eczema of the Skin 63 
 
 Enteritis 33 
 
 Epilepsy 35 
 
 Erysipelas 48 
 
 Epistaxis 22 
 
 Fistula of the Withers 72 
 
 Fractures 98 
 
 Farcy Ill 
 
 Founder, Acute 89 
 
mDEX. 157 
 
 PAGE. 
 
 Founder, Chronic 90 
 
 Garget 142 
 
 Gonorrhoea, in Horses ,..v 54 
 
 Gonorrhoea, in Cattle -. 147 
 
 Gravel 94 
 
 Glanders ■, v 109 
 
 Gastric Delirium . . ., 128 
 
 Grease Heel , .^ .. 68 
 
 Hipped 83 
 
 Hj-drocele v . . ^ . 53 
 
 Hen Lice ^.^......v 65 
 
 Heaves 22 
 
 Hydrothorax » ^ , * . * 25 
 
 Heart, the 46 
 
 Inversion of the Uterus •- ...v 42 
 
 Introduction to Part First .. ...... 11 
 
 Introduction to Part Second ^ 119 
 
 Indigestion in Horses 30 
 
 Indigestion in Cattle 127 
 
 Indigestion, Chronic in Horses .:■■ 30 
 
 Inflammation of the Bladder v 49 
 
 Of the Testicles 53 
 
 OftheWomb 56 
 
 Ofthe Udder 56 
 
 Of the Brain 38 
 
 OfaVein 4? 
 
 Ofthe Kidneys ^ 49 
 
 Of the Lungs, Cattle 123 
 
 Of the Lungs, Horses . . 23 
 
 Inco-ordination of Movement .*...; 43 
 
 Immobility • ^ 
 
 Influenza — 19 
 
 Knee Sprung 
 
 Lumpy-jaw • 133 
 
 Laryngitis > 20 
 
 Lightning, Shocked by 40 
 
 Locoism • Ill 
 
 Lice 65 
 
 Leucorrhoea 67 
 
 Lymphangitis 69 
 
 Lampas.... " •••» 29 
 
158 INDEX. 
 
 PAGE. 
 
 Lameness 74 
 
 Knee joint 7T 
 
 Pastern joint 79 
 
 Elbow joint T7 
 
 Melanotic Tumors 67 
 
 Mange - — 67 
 
 Medicines, How to Mix Tbem . 15 
 
 How to Administer Them 12 
 
 Care of 15 
 
 Their Action in Cattle 119 
 
 Mad Itch 144 
 
 Megrims - 35 
 
 Navicular Disease 82 
 
 Nail Puncture 91 
 
 Nasal Gleet 21 
 
 Nursing and Feeding 12 
 
 Open joint -•• 99 
 
 Pleurisy, in Horses 25 
 
 Pleurisy, in Cattle 124 
 
 Purpura Hemorrhagica 26 
 
 Peritonitis 33 
 
 Paralysis - 42 
 
 Paralysis, Parturient in Cattle • 140 
 
 Placenta, Retention of 143 
 
 Patella, Dislocation of 84 
 
 Pumiced Foot 91 
 
 Pneumonia in Horses 23 
 
 Pneumonia in Cattle 123 
 
 Pinkeye 13 
 
 Phymosis - - 53 
 
 Paraphymosis 53 
 
 Perineum, Rupture of • 58 
 
 PollEvil ■ 72 
 
 Pulse, Horse's •• 11 
 
 Pulse, Cattle...... • 120 
 
 Parturition, in Cattle 139 
 
 Prurigo • 63 
 
 Quarter Crack - 79 
 
 Quittor 92 
 
 Rupture in Foals •• 108 
 
 Roaring • 25 
 
 Rheumatism 47 
 
 Ringbone 96 
 
INBEX. 159 
 
 PAGE. 
 
 R^egpiration, Horse ^ n 
 
 Respiration, Cattle . , , . . ^ ]^20 
 
 Ring Worm, HorseS , . . . . , 63 
 
 Ring Worm, Cattle (See Horses.) 
 
 Summer Sores ^ ..;.v..k.s 64 
 
 Scratches i ^ 67 
 
 Swelling of the Sheath v 70 
 
 Strangles ^ , 17 
 
 Sweeny > i » » 73 
 
 Splint I , , X..., 78 
 
 Seedy Toe .,, ....,..., 81 
 
 Sidebonea ■...., ^ 97 
 
 Stringhalt , ., 44 
 
 Shivering ^ ■. 44 
 
 Sunstroke i ....... i ; 39 
 
 Snakebites , I49 
 
 Scirrhus Cord 106 
 
 Sprain of Back Tendons gl 
 
 Of Suspensory Ligament i 82 
 
 Of Hip Joint w i 83 
 
 OfStifleJoint : 85 
 
 Of Flexor Metatarsi , 83 
 
 Stifled ' 84 
 
 Teeth 28 
 
 Tongue , ■. 29 
 
 Tetanus , 41 
 
 Temperature, Horse 12 
 
 Temperature, Cattle 120 
 
 Toe Cracks 79 
 
 Thoroughpin ... 87 
 
 Thrush .; ,,, 93 
 
 Tuberculosis 134 
 
 Urticaria * 64 
 
 Wolf Teeth 29 
 
 Worms .i i, 38 
 
 Warts, Ordinary 66 
 
 Bleeding 66 
 
 Wounds, Their Treatment 71 
 
 WlndGalle 70 
 
DR. S. C. ORR, 
 
 MANHATTAN, KANSAS, 
 
 VETERINARY SURGEON and DENTIST. 
 
 Graduate Ontario Veterinary College, Canada. 
 
 VETERINARY EDITOR TO 
 
 KANSAS FARflER, Topeka, Kansas. 
 HOHE* FIELD and FORUM, Guthrie, Oklahoma. 
 AMERICAN FARHER and FARM NEWS. Springfield, Ohio. 
 
 Proprietor 
 
 Dr. 0rr s UeberinarLj MsdiGipes 
 
 All Diseases of Domesticated Animals Treated. Special At== 
 
 tention Given to Castrating *«^Ridgeling" Horses 
 
 (Cryptorchids) and Spaying Cows. Calls At=* 
 
 tended to any Distance at Reasonable 
 
 Rates. 
 
 Board and Hospital 
 
 Accommodations Furnished 
 
 Patients at Moderate Rates. 
 
 Parties at a distance not caring to incur the expense of a trip 
 often write us to prescribe by mail. A long and varied ex- 
 perience has enabled us to do this satisfactorily in cases 
 Where a little delay is of no consequence. Write 
 symptoms plainly; give age, sex, color, weight 
 
 and breed of animal; enclose fee, $1.00, and 
 
 a prompt reply will be given. Each additionaJ 
 
 letter containing a prescription, 50 cents. When 
 
 writing merely to ask questions, where no treatment is 
 
 required, a stamp should be enclosed for reply. This is but a 
 
 small matter to each individual, but amounts to dollars to us. 
 
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 
 
 002 825 443 A 
 
 iwi; 
 
 ^'t'4'i 'i HA 4 I I it * * ti 'I t * t 4 i^4 
 
 tAA'//// ''''<*.'' 
 
 v';<i<ii;<;'j<;«;ij«»:c€<>wof;«MO^^