colt has not been weaned, attention should at once be given the mare,
and if anything is wrong with her, it may be best to take the little
patient away from its mother and feed it on cow’s milk sweetened with
sugar. Give two tablespoonfuls of Castor Oil on the tongue; this will
remove the irritant within the bowels. The following prescription is a
very reliable remedy: Protan, three ounces; Pulv. Ginger, four drams;
Zinc Sulphocarbolates, four grains. Mix and make into twelve powders;
give one powder on the tongue every four hours, effecting a cure within
a few days. Do not pull the tongue, or hold the head too high. Permit
the animal to swallow slowly. Remember that sanitary surroundings are
essential in the treatment of all diseases.
CRACKED HEELS.
CAUSE.—There is little doubt in my mind that ammonia, which is so
plentifully found in ill-kept stables, is the chief cause of cracked
heels. The action of ammonia on the skin renders it soft and pulpy, and
diminishes its strength by separating the layers of which it is composed.
SYMPTOMS.—When inflammation is set up in the part, the secretion of
natural oil is interfered with and cracks usually occur in the place
where the skin becomes wrinkled when the pastern joint is bent. The
discharge from cracked heels has an offensive smell. In early stages
there is extreme heat and swelling, there is pain and lameness, which
usually disappear as the case becomes chronic.
TREATMENT.—Keep the affected parts clean as possible, if there is extreme
inflammation present. Apply hot poultice made from bran or flaxseed meal.
When the inflammation subsides, apply Zinc Ointment twice daily. Before
each application of the ointment, wash with Warm Water and Castile Soap.
Feed carrots, green grass, if possible, also hot bran mashes or steam
rolled oats each morning. Sometimes it is well to give a physic, and
I would recommend Aloin, one and one-half drams; Ginger, two drams. A
physic has very good effect in reducing the swelling of the legs.
DENTISTRY.
The art of animal dentistry has been abused by the owners of stock
allowing the services of irresponsible men in the veterinary profession,
who do not look to the betterment of the animal’s condition. The owner
of the animals, not being able to see the condition of the animal’s
teeth for himself, is persuaded into having the animal’s teeth worked
on regardless of whether it is needed or not. The quack or transient
veterinarian will pull and crack healthy, sound teeth, and lacerate the
poor animal’s mouth.
HOW TO EXAMINE AN ANIMAL’S TEETH.—Perhaps the best method that can be
applied in examining an animal’s teeth or mouth is by the use of a mouth
speculum. There are several different makes on the market, and some can
be purchased very reasonably and will give excellent service.
UNNATURAL CONDITION AND IRRITATION., ETC., OF THE TEETH.—After studying
the anatomy thoroughly you will be able to see at once any abnormal
condition of the teeth or mouth, which are as follows:
DENTITION begins at or soon after birth, and continues until the horse
is five years old, and the animal suffers more or less during that time.
The lower animals do not appear to suffer so much in getting their first
teeth, but do suffer when getting their permanent ones, even more,
perhaps, than the human being. Hence, we have dentition fever in the
horse from three or four up to five years old—there is a weak pulse,
impaired appetite, a staring coat, the bowels sometimes costive, and
sometimes there is diarrhoea; he is not able to work, and it is hard to
say what is the matter, unless the system is affected by the irritation
set up by the teeth, for all of the organs appear to be in a healthy
state. Such symptoms indicate that the temporary teeth are not being
displaced in a proper way. The same applies to cattle. The food passes
improperly digested, which may be due to the state of the teeth. It is
well in such cases to examine the mouth, and if you find some tooth not
properly displaced, the gums swollen, remove it—which you can sometimes
do with the thumb and finger, or you may have to use the forceps, which
we believe the best. Then give a laxative, feed on soft food, and the
animal will soon recover.
IRREGULAR TEETH.—The gums are sometimes irritated in connection with the
molar teeth. This irritation extends and affects the pharynx and larynx,
and perhaps a severe cough is the result, called a dentition cough. It
is often the result of but a slight irritation at the back part of the
gums—this cough may not be very severe, but it is troublesome—or the gum
may become badly swollen. The best treatment is to scarify it. We find
tumors in the upper and lower jaw, perhaps from the imperfect development
of the teeth, or from slight injury, irritation, etc. They may or may
not be malignant, and are likely to extend and involve the alveoli and
bone. If not malignant, and only upon the surface, it is called epulis,
and is not very common. If not malignant remove it, and it may do well
for some time; it will return, extend and become a hopeless case. The
horse frequently suffers from sharp, projecting teeth, which occurs
more commonly in old horses, from wearing down the teeth in an uneven
manner. They will be sharper on the inner edge of the lower jaw and the
outer edge of the upper jaw, which may be from faulty formation. In such
cases the animal has difficulty in eating, grinds his food, ejecting it.
Perhaps when driving him he carries the head to one side from the bearing
of the bit not being the same on both sides. If the teeth are sharp in
the lower jaw they lacerate the tongue; if in the upper they lacerate
the cheeks. The best remedy for this is the tooth rasp, and there is no
necessity for using the mouth speculum. After rasping, feed upon soft
food for a day or two. There are more difficult cases where the teeth
project to some extent, generally in old horses, due to malformation
of the jaw. Sometimes the upper jaw extends over the lower, and a part
of the tooth is not worn down properly, and after a time it interferes
with mastication, and the animal suffers considerably from irritation.
The same appears in the front teeth of the upper jaw, but it is not
so serious as the back tooth. The animal may be reduced to a walking
skeleton, almost; although the appetite appears good, the food is thrown
out. You can detect by examining with the hand, and if it is the last
molar tooth it is advisable to place a twitch on the horse’s nose, and
using the mouth speculum, then remove the projecting portion of the
tooth by means of the molar cutter. After using the molar cutters smooth
the cut surface of the tooth with a tooth rasp and feed properly, and he
will improve rapidly.
ULCERATED OR CARIES OF THE TEETH.—The lower animals do not suffer from
this as much as man, for two reasons: their teeth are complicated, and
the mode of living. Sweets have a bad effect upon the teeth. Horses
rarely suffer from toothache, but they frequently suffer from carious
teeth. Caries may commence either on the table surface, root or fang, or
even in that which surrounds the teeth; or it may result from a slight
injury, as getting a stone, etc., between the teeth when masticating, or
it may begin in the fang from improper development of the dentine, which
receives its nourishment from the tooth-pulp, and when this is gone, the
tooth does not receive proper nourishment, etc.
SYMPTOMS.—In the early stages they are not very plain, but become better
developed after a time. The animal will show some irritation while
eating. Although he is hungry, and goes ravenously to eating, he will
all at once quit masticating, and either holds the food in the mouth or
throws it out unchewed. This may be due to a slight irritation of the
teeth. He acts something similar to the human being, and these symptoms
may be present for some time before well-marked symptoms appear. But
in, it may be, six months or a year, certain distinct symptoms appear.
If it is in the table surface, the tooth is brittle and wears down more
readily and the tooth opposite to it grows longer; he quits or rejects
the food, and a peculiar stench or fetor is present. The animal falls
off in condition in most cases. When it is in connection with the root
or fang it is different. As it extends it involves the other tissues,
sets up irritation in the upper sinus of the head, if it is in the lower
jaw, as well as the symptoms given, you will, perhaps, notice a slight
enlargement which extends down the lower portion of the jaw; sinuses form
and pus is discharged. Exercise care and judgment and you need make no
great mistakes. I know of horses being destroyed for glanders when only
affected with ulcerated teeth.
TREATMENT.—Remove the tooth—and this is not very easily done, but there
are various ways. Open the mouth by means of a mouth speculum, and, if
practical, use the forceps. The trouble with the forceps is, they are
apt to break the tooth when they are closed upon it too tight. There is
a root forcep which can be used in the lower jaw, as the teeth in that
are more easily removed than those in the upper jaw; or you may remove by
trephining, and then, by inserting a punch, it can be driven out. When
you attempt to remove a tooth and it breaks down, it will, in many cases,
come away of itself without further treatment. The first and second
molars are more difficult to punch out than the others. After treatment
keep the animal quiet; feed upon soft food that does not require much
mastication. There is a difference in treating the cavity. Some recommend
filling it with gutta percha to prevent the food from passing into the
sinus. It will sometimes pass into both sinuses; but generally there is
no necessity for filling it. If you trephine, it is more needful than
in pulling. If food passes into the sinuses then it will be necessary
to fill the hole. Sometimes in parrot-mouth the incisors of the lower
jaw grow and irritate the mucous membrane of the opposite jaw when it is
necessary to use incisor cutters or rasp them down.
WOLF OR SUPERNUMERARY TEETH.—Wolf teeth are comparatively small in size
and have only one root and are found just in front of the upper molar
teeth. Sometimes they do harm, but that is an exception and not the rule.
They can be easily removed with a pair of small forceps or they may be
punched out in some instances, but I prefer that you use the regular
wolf tooth forcep as it looks much better to the onlooker. I think they
interfere with the eyes, causing them to become watery and inflamed, due
to the tooth exerting some influence upon the ophthalmic division of the
fifth nerve.
SUPERNUMERARY TEETH.—Tooth substance may develop in almost any part of
the body. These are called supernumerary teeth and are commonly found in
the testicles, ovaries and sinuses of the head, etc.
FOREIGN BODY LODGED IN THE MOUTH.—A foreign body sometimes gets lodged
in the mouth, as a piece of wood, wire from the feed, etc., and possibly
becomes imbeded between the molar teeth, and the animal is not able to
get it out. There will be difficulty in masticating; a flow of saliva;
the animal stands with the head poked out, as if suffering from sore
throat. He will partially masticate, then try to swallow, and perhaps
eject the food. These symptoms are present in sore throat, and it is
necessary to make a careful examination; you are not likely to mistake
just one case, but if there is some other disease prevalent that presents
similar symptoms, then you are liable to make a mistake. As stated
before, exercise care and judgment and you need make no great mistakes,
this applies to all diseases, etc., that you are called upon to treat.
CURB.
CAUSE.—Faulty conformation of the hind legs; that is to say, if a animal
has crooked legs, a slight sprain from slipping or jumping will produce
Curb. In cases where an animal has well proportioned limbs, and is
afflicted with Curb, it is caused by a rupture of the small ligament or
cord situated just back of the hock.
SYMPTOMS.—A swelling will be noticed on the back part of the hock.
At first the animal is lame and the enlargement is hot and painful.
After a few days’ rest the inflammation will partially subside and the
enlargement can be plainly seen. When the animal is walked about he may
be very lame at the start, but this will disappear as he is moved.
TREATMENT.—When the curb is hot and painful, it is well to apply ice
packs or cold water to the part. When the inflammation subsides, apply
Red Iodide of Mercury, two drams; Lard, two ounces. Mix and rub in
well for twenty minutes; repeat every forty-eight hours until three
applications are made. If the Curb is of long standing it is more
difficult to treat, in which case the above treatment should be repeated
again in two or three months. Do not use the animal in drawing heavy
loads, or drive on slippery roads, for six months. Give the blister time
to strengthen the ruptured tendons. A high-heeled shoe is often valuable
in relieving tendons of their tension.
DIARRHOEA.
CAUSE.—Sudden change of food, frozen food, soft food, unwholesome food,
stagnant water, or drinking large quantities of water at one time,
purgative medicines, or it may be associated with blood diseases, lung
and intestinal affections, or produced by micro-organisms. Many horses,
particularly slack loined, slight, “washy” animals, purge if worked
or excited, as may be observed among race horses when taken to a race
course. Diarrhoea may also be due to worms, or it may be merely an effort
on the part of nature to expel some irritant matter from the bowels or
from the blood, in which case it should on no account be prematurely
checked.
SYMPTOMS.—Frequent loose evacuations of the intestines, with or without
pronounced abdominal pain; generally, loss of appetite, animal looks
gaunt and the hair rough.
TREATMENT.—Keep the animal quiet, comfortably stabled and warmly
blanketed. Give pure water to drink, often, but in small quantities. If
the animal will eat, feed moderately on clean food, as rolled oats and
dry bran. Also, give the following prescription: Protan, three ounces;
Zinc Sulphocarbolates, ten grains; Creosote, one dram; Powdered Ginger,
two ounces; Powdered Gum Catechu, six drams; Powdered Gum Camphor,
one-half dram. Mix and make eight powders. Place one powder in gelatin
capsule and give with capsule gun, or the same sized dose dissolved in
a pint of water and used as a drench. However, be very careful when
drenching an animal. _It is dangerous._ This prescription will not only
check the diarrhoea, but will tone the muscular fibres of the intestines
which aid in throwing off these irritant matters from the system. If
the horse shows colicky pains, administer the same treatment as that
recommended for colic. It is well to give the following treatment in the
convalescing stages of diarrhoea: Pulv. Gentian Root, four ounces; Ferri
Sulphate, four ounces Pulv. Nux Vomica, four ounces; Pulv. Fenugreek
Seed, eight ounces. Mix and give one heaping tablespoonful three times
daily in feed. This facilitates digestion by stimulating the flow of
gastric juices.
DISTEMPER.
CAUSE.—Distemper is placed among the germ diseases, and is produced by
the Streptococcus of Schutz. It is contagious and a number of animals in
the same stable may become affected at the same time. It is supposed to
attack an animal but once, but it may be contracted a second time. May
occur at any time of the year.
SYMPTOMS.—The animal will first appear dull, and show loss of appetite,
and the hair will look dull and rough. There will be a watery discharge
from the nose, and in a day or so a lump will appear between the jaws;
the animal keeps his head in a peculiar position; saliva runs from its
mouth; the pulse will be a little faster than normal. The breathing will
become more rapid and the lump between the jaws will get larger. This
lump, or tumor, may form in other parts of the body, on the shoulder, in
the groin, lungs or intestines. It usually causes death if it cannot be
absorbed. This is called irregular distemper. A determined effort should
be made to draw the lump, or tumor, to a head as soon as possible.
TREATMENT.—Place the horse in a clean, well-ventilated and lighted stall,
excluding all drafts, blanket the animal, hand rub the legs and bandage
them; give inhalations of steam from Hot Water and Turpentine. A good
method for heating water for this purpose is to place hot stones or
bricks in the water and Turpentine. This will relieve the hard breathing.
Remember a horse cannot breathe through his mouth, therefore, liquid
drenches are dangerous. A paste made from Potassi Chlorate, two ounces;
Potassi Nitrate, two ounces, dissolved into a pint of warm molasses
and given well back on the tongue in tablespoonful doses every two or
three hours is very beneficial. A liniment made from equal parts of Aqua
Ammonia Fort., Turpentine and Sweet Oil should be applied every morning
over the enlargement that appears in the region of the throat. If the
enlargement fails to come to a head, use a clean knife for lancing
purposes.
After an attack of distemper your horse is generally run down in
condition. Give the following: Potassi Nitrate, four ounces; Pulv.
Gentian Root, four ounces; Pulv. Anise Seed, eight ounces. Make into
thirty-two powders and give one powder three times daily in feed.
DROPSY.
(_Of the Belly, Chest, Sheath, Udder and Legs_)
CAUSE.—Poor circulation; kidneys not working properly; lack of exercise;
diseases of the lungs, liver, heart, womb or sheath. Mares heavy with
foal often have dropsical swellings.
SYMPTOMS.—Swelling seldom contains fluid, although sometimes a sticky
serum oozes through the skin; fingers pressed against the swollen parts
leave impressions.
TREATMENT.—Avoid giving physics in this condition when possible,
especially to mares with foal. Feed laxative food, as hot bran mashes,
green grass, carrots, potatoes, etc.; also the following mixture: Potassi
Iodide, two ounces; Potassi Nitrate, four ounces; Chloride of Potash,
two ounces. Mix and make into sixteen powders. Place one powder in their
drinking water three times a day. Exercise the animal as much as possible
and you will derive good results from this treatment within a week or so.
I may add that in the above affection it is a bad practice to apply hot
applications, as the chances are it would produce a sloughing of the skin.
ECZEMA.
CAUSE.—Anything that interferes with the healthy action of the skin, as
checked sweating, irritation from dirty blankets or harness, or from
accumulation of dirt on the skin through want of grooming, errors in
feeding, overheat, or by infection. In some cases the cause seems to be
constitutional; in others, local. Though the disease is not parasitic in
character, it is probable that when once contracted the diseased parts
may become infected.
SYMPTOMS.—Slight dryness and eruptions that may affect the head, ears,
neck, shoulders, flanks, inside of thighs and root of the tail, followed
by vesicles or pimples which burst and discharge, or the contents may be
absorbed. The animal will rub against the stall, manger, or any other
object he can reach, until the parts are very sore, or if worked, he will
rub himself violently when unharnessed.
TREATMENT.—Give Fowler’s Solution of Arsenic, one tablespoonful morning
and night on their feed; also give a physic consisting of two drams of
Aloin and two drams of Pulverized Ginger in gelatin capsule. Give at one
dose. One physic is all that is necessary to cool out the blood, which
will assist materially in treating Eczema. Also, apply Zinc Ointment
twice daily over the vesicles or pimples which will appear on the skin.
Also, feed easily digested food if possible, such as carrots, apples,
grass, hot bran mashes and steamed rolled oats, and keep the animal clean
and groom carefully with clean combs and brushes.
EYE DISEASES.
_Inflammation of the Membrane of Nictitans_
CONJUNCTIVITIS, or Inflammation of the superficial structure of the eye.
CAUSE.—Direct or indirect injury to the eye, as a blow from a whip, dust,
sand or chaff in the eye, or it may be due to extreme cold, heat, or foul
air.
The membrane of nictation is an accessory eyelid common to all domestic
animals, the purpose of which is to remove foreign substances from the
eye in much the same manner as we use the hand.
SYMPTOMS.—Conjunctivitis and inflammation of the membranes of nictitans
are very much the same. A partial or complete closure of the eye, and
a watery discharge due to overstimulation of the lachrymal glands, the
fluid being secreted so abundantly that it is impossible for the tear
duct to carry it away; hence, there will be a continuous overflow of
tears down the horse’s face. The formation of a film or scum over the eye
need not cause alarm if the eye shows no sign of puncture.
TREATMENT.—Examine the eye carefully and remove any foreign body with
clean cloth or feather and apply the following: Yellow Oxide of Mercury,
three grains; Lanolin, one ounce. Mix well together and apply to the eye
three or four times daily. Avoid the use of liquid medicines, as they are
hard to apply, and the animal throws them out by shaking the head.
FISTULOUS WITHERS.
CAUSE.—Fistulous Withers are seen mostly in horses that have a thick
neck as well as those that are very high in the withers, or among saddle
horses, those that are very low on the withers, the saddle here riding
forward and bruising the parts. They are often caused by ill-fitting
collars or saddles, by direct injury from blows, and from the horse
rolling upon rough, sharp stones. In this location, the ulcer of the
skin or a simple abscess, if not properly and punctually treated, may
terminate into Fistula. The pus burrows and finds lodgment deep down
between the muscles, and escapes only when the sinuses become surcharged
when, during motion of the muscles, the pus is forced to the surface.
SYMPTOMS.—These of course will vary according to the progress made by the
Fistula. Following an injury we may often notice soreness or stiffness
of the front legs, and upon careful examination of the withers we will
see small tortuous lines running from the point of irritation downwards
and backwards over the region of the shoulder. The stiffness of the limbs
may disappear at this time, and heat and soreness of the parts may become
less noticeable, but the swelling of the shoulders continues to enlarge.
The swelling may often have the form of a running ulcer, or its contents
may dry up and leave a tumor, which gradually develops the common
characteristic of a fistulous tumor. When the enlargement has an opening,
we should carefully examine the pus cavity, as upon this condition will
wholly depend our treatment.
TREATMENT.—Keep the animal as quiet as possible, as any movements of the
limbs cause the pus to spread between the lines of the muscles and form
larger abscesses or tumors. When the bone becomes diseased, it is very
difficult to effect a cure, especially where the pus burrows back of
the Scapula (Shoulder Blade). In case the abscess is newly formed, and
close to the surface, syringing out with a solution made from Bichloride
of Mercury, five grains to one ounce of water, generally causes the
white fibrous tissue to slough away and the parts to heal rapidly. If
the abscess is deep, and the bones become diseased, the pus will have a
very offensive odor, and I would recommend free use of a knife and bone
chisels to remove all diseased portions of bone or muscle.
FILARIAE.
(_Thread-like Worm_)
CAUSE.—Drinking stagnant water, or eating hay gathered from swamps or
marshy land. When full grown, the worm measures from two to six inches
in length; the tail is more or less curved. They are found in the lung
cavity, the heart sac, and the intestinal cavity, from which they
sometimes descend into the sac containing the testicles. Animals said to
have a snake in the eye have been exhibited as curiosities; in all cases
the simulated snake was nothing more than the Filariae.
SYMPTOMS.—Colicky spells; poor appetite, indigestion, pot-belly, rough
coat; swelling of the sheath, legs, and the lower surface of the belly.
TREATMENT.—Prevention is the only treatment, for when the worms once
enter the digestive canal, it is impossible to remove them.
FOUNDER.
(_Laminitis_)