The illustrated horse doctor : $b being an accurate and detailed account of the various diseases to which the equine race are subjectedMayhew, Edward
Science
The illustrated horse doctor : $b being an accurate and detailed account of the various diseases to which the equine race are subjected
Mayhew, Edward
Horses -- Diseases
When this stage of the malady appears, the best thing is to anticipate the
evident wish of the animal. The teaching of schools, which instructs young
men to meddle with the strength of an infuriated horse, is mere prattle.
However, if the disease, as it seldom happens, is perceived approaching,
something may be attempted. Before the violence commences, the horse is
generally dull. It does not obey the rein or answer to the lash. It is
heavy beyond man's control. It snores as it breathes. The lids drop; the
head sinks; the body is cold; the membrane of the nose is leaden in color;
and, from being the obedient, watchful, and willing slave, its entire
nature appears to have changed. It does not attend to the goad, and the
voice of the driver may bawl in the harshest key, but the sound which used
to excite seems unheard and is unheeded.
The remedy for the earlier stage is copious blood-letting. Open both
jugulars and allow the current to flow till the countenance brightens or
the animal sinks. Bleed again and again, if necessary. Give purgatives
of double strength, and repeat them every three hours, till the bowels
are copiously relieved or the pulse changes, or the general appearance
indicates improvement. Afterward, administer sedatives, always as
infusions. A scruple of tobacco, half a drachm of aconite root, or a
drachm of digitalis should have a pint of hot water poured upon it. When
the liquid is nearly cold, it should be strained, and the dose may be
repeated every half hour, until its operation is witnessed in the more
quiet behavior of the animal.
In the generality of cases, however, no opportunity for such treatment is
presented. The disease is most common in the agricultural districts, and
is usually seen where carters indulge their passion in the butt-end of
the whip employed upon the horse's head. The cause is, however, carefully
concealed, and, after the violent stage has set in, the original wound is
generally mistaken for some self-inflicted injury. Thus, the horse, even
in the most horrid of deaths, with a generosity characteristic of its
nature, contrives to shield the being whom it served and loved, from the
consequences of his inhumanity.
Should the animal, by such means, recover, treat it gently; do not excite
it; for phrenitis is apt to return. Even recovery is not always to be
wished for. The depletion, imperative for the cure, too often engenders
the weakness which no care can eradicate; and the animal survives only to
change from the willing servant into a troublesome valetudinarian.
ABSCESS WITHIN THE BRAIN.
[Illustration: A HORSE DYING FROM ABSCESS WITHIN THE BRAIN.]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account