The Veterinarian
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Chas. J. Korinek >> The Veterinarian
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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 in 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, secure the services of an
accomplished veterinarian, who will use a clean instrument 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 be 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
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.
Inflammation of the Membrane of Nictitans
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 the services of a competent
Veterinarian 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
CAUSE: Overeating or drinking--in fact, any irritation of the stomach or
intestines is liable to be followed by Founder, owing to the similarity
in the sensitive structure of the foot, skin, and mucous membranes.
Horses with weak feet are predisposed to Founder, but it may also occur
in strong-footed animals. Founder is also produced by driving an animal
on a hot summer day and then placing in the stable where the sweat is
suddenly checked by drafts, etc.
SYMPTOMS: The horse is stiff, and moves with great difficulty; he will
generally, though not always, remain standing. Throws weight upon the
heel of the foot to relieve the toe, and if an effort is made to back
him he will drag his feet. Excessive heat is present at the top of the
hoof, and a throbbing of the arteries may be felt. When the fore feet
only are affected, the horse will relieve them of as much weight as
possible when walking by placing the hind feet well under the body,
which results in a peculiar jumping motion. Founder may occur in all
four feet, but the fore feet are more often affected than the hind ones.
Mares sometimes founder after giving birth to a colt, due to
inflammation of the womb; symptoms correspond to those of common
Founder. Founder may be mistaken for disease of the lungs or kidneys,
owing to the standing position and arched back. Veterinarians have been
known to mistake it for lung fever; the services of such men are
dangerous and should be avoided.
TREATMENT: In all cases of Founder, administer Potassi Iodide, one
ounce; Soda Bicarbonate, four ounces; Potassi Nitrate, four ounces. Mix
and give one tablespoonful in drinking water every six hours. If the
animal will not take it in its water, place in gelatin capsule and give
with capsule gun.
Find out the true cause of the disease, if possible, and perhaps a
physic will be indicated, containing Aloin, two drams; Ginger, two
drams; place it in a capsule and give with capsule gun. If desired
results are not obtained in eighteen hours, repeat the dose until there
is an action of the bowels. Founder following excessive irritation of
the stomach and intestines, or mares heavy with foal, should not receive
physics. Feed food that is easily digested, as carrots, kale, apples,
potatoes, hot bran mashes, or steamed rolled oats, etc.
It is well to elevate the hind quarters and give rectal injections of
Warm Water and Glycerine. Stand in mud or water, or apply bags
containing mud, bran or ice; in fact, anything that will have a cool,
moist effect on the feet.
After the inflammation of the feet has subsided, and the animal walks
fairly well, you should apply a blister containing Red Iodide of
Mercury, two drams; Lard, two ounces, around the top of the hoofs, and
rub in well twice forty-eight hours apart. In some cases of Founder it
is recommended to bleed the animal in the foot. If this is attempted,
good disinfectants should be used, as lock-jaw might follow.
GALLS
CAUSE: Injuries from ill-fitting collars, saddles, harness, hobbles and
scalping-boots.
TREATMENT: Remove the cause. Never wash a Gall with water, as this
prevents its healing, nor use oils or salves, as they accumulate dirt,
dust and germs, which may cause infection. The following application
makes a very valuable dressing for Galls: Boracic Acid, one ounce; Corn
Starch, one ounce; Tannic Acid, one-half ounce; Iodoform, one dram.
Powder finely and place in sifter-top can. Dust on Gall before going to
work and on retiring. This heals and refreshes the Galls and wounds by
forming a smooth surface over the part, which permits it to heal while
the horse works.
GREASE HEEL
CAUSE: Parasitic fungi invading cracked heels.
SYMPTOMS: Offensive discharge from the glands under the skin, and if not
properly treated, red spots will appear, and the yellow discharge will
form a hard crust sticking to the roots of the hair.
TREATMENT: Cleanliness is one of the most important measures. Also, good
nourishing food. If the skin is swollen and tender, poultice with hot
Flaxseed Meal or bran. After the swelling and tenderness have abated,
wash well with good Castile Soap and Warm Water. Dry with clean cloth
and apply the following mixture: Calomel, one dram; Iodoform, one dram;
Boracic Acid, one ounce. Mix well and apply two to three times a day.
Feed green grass, carrots, kale, apples, or potatoes if possible, also
feed hot bran mashes. In all cases of Grease Heel give the following
physic: Aloin, two drams; Pulv. Ginger, two drams. Place in a capsule
and give with capsule gun. A physic has a very good effect on the blood,
which assists materially in healing the cracks and nodules that appear
in Grease Heel.
[Illustration: Photograph of horse.]
BELGIAN STALLION BELVEDERE, FIRST PRIZE WINNER.
Owned by Crawford & Griffin, Newton, Iowa.
GLANDERS OR FARCY
CAUSE: Due to a specific germ called the Bacillus Malleii, or Bacillus
of Glanders. Glanders, or Farcy, is very contagious, and is
transmissible to man as well as animals. Cattle and sheep alone are
immune. The disease may be contracted at watering troughs, stables,
horseshoeing shops, in boats, trains and by harness, bits, curry combs,
bedding, pails, etc., as well as by direct contact with a diseased
animal.
SYMPTOMS: Animal does not thrive although the appetite is good at times;
loss of flesh, and is subject to sweats, the hair looks rough, the
temperature increasing slightly, perhaps two degrees, a cough is
generally present. Legs and abdomen are swollen; discharge from the
nose, sometimes tinged with blood and very sticky, the membranes of the
nose look dusty, and ulcers or spots are visible if closely examined.
The glands under the back of the ears and between the jaws are hard,
lumpy and swollen.
In addition to the above symptoms, Farcy affects the skin by producing
swellings, or nodules, varying from the size of a pea to that of a
hickory nut (called Farcy buds, or Farcy buttons), which are found
inside of the hind legs under the abdomen, on the side of the chest;
shoulder and neck, also around the nose, lips and face. Generally there
is a discharge of greenish-yellow pus, which is very sticky.
Glanders, or Farcy, may be mistaken for nasal catarrh, nasal gleet,
ulcerated teeth, nettle rash, lymphangitis, distemper, etc. Fortunately,
this dreaded disease is not very prevalent in this country, as every
precaution has been taken to stamp it out.
NO TREATMENT: If at any time you have reason to think one of your
animals has the disease, or even a neighbor's, or a transient horse,
exhibits the symptoms, it is your duty to report the fact to the State
Veterinarian at once. You will do this if you have your own welfare and
that of your neighborhood at heart.
HEAVES
(Emphysema of the Lungs)
CAUSE: Fast or heavy work. It may follow Lung Fever or Pleurisy, or the
animal may inherit weakness in the walls of the air-cells of the lungs.
A very common cause is feeding dusty or dirty hay, or bulky food. Horses
that are accustomed to eating ravenously are often victims of Heaves.
SYMPTOMS: Disease may develop slowly or rapidly. When the animal is at
rest, the air is taken into the lungs in a more or less normal manner,
but is expelled by two distinct efforts, the abdominal muscles aiding
the lungs in expiration, as may be seen by the heaving of the flank; the
movement of the ribs in breathing is scarcely noticeable in a heavy
horse. A healthy animal, when at rest, will throw the air from the lungs
in a single effort. The difficulty in breathing is constant and
increases in proportion to the amount of food in the stomach and
intestines. At the beginning of the attack there is a spasmodic cough,
which is more or less intermittent; this develops later into a short,
weak, suppressed cough, as if the animal lacked strength in his chest to
expel a full breath, often accompanied by expulsion of wind from the
anus, which is somewhat protruded.
TREATMENT: Feed good, nourishing food, but nothing that is of a bulky
nature. Feed more grain and less hay, which should be dampened with
water if dusty. Do not feed dusty, musty or bulky food, but give plenty
of potatoes, apples, kale and green grass. Have your druggist make you
up one quart of Fowler's Solution of Arsenic, omitting the Tincture of
Lavender. This is soothing to the organs of breathing, and should be
given two tablespoonfuls three times a day on the feed. After a week or
ten days you might increase the dose slightly. Although this will make
the horse work much better, do not give it with the hope of effecting a
complete cure, as very few cases recover fully from this disease.
HORSE DENTISTRY
This is a very important branch of Veterinary Science, although, if I
were to go into detail on the subject, it would require the writing of
an individual volume. This science requires considerable practice. The
price of special costly instruments would prohibit the average stockman
from doing his own dentistry.
My advice is to secure nothing but the services of a qualified
Veterinarian, who has had privileges of a thorough knowledge of
Veterinary Science.
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 animal, 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 also lacerate
the poor animal's mouth. Be sure the Veterinarian employed for this
purpose is competent.
INFLUENZA
(Pink Eye-Epizootic Catarrh)
CAUSE: Influenza is a specific and infectious fever, which shows a
marked tendency to rapidly spread over a large area of country. It
generally appears suddenly, without, preliminary symptoms, and may
become fully developed in twenty-four hours.
SYMPTOMS: The usual symptoms are those of Catarrh, although the bowels,
lungs and brain complications may be present, either singly or combined.
It always gives rise to great weakness. The distinguishing
characteristics of Influenza from Distemper, Sore Throat, and other
diseases affecting the organs of breathing, are the suddenness of the
attack, rise of temperature, varying from 103 to 106 degrees F., pulse
feeble and fast, and a pinkish, swollen appearance of the inside of the
eyelids. The animal is dull, in some cases almost unconscious. Sometimes
the legs are very stiff and swollen, and there is great difficulty in
moving about.
TREATMENT: Place the affected animal in a clean, well ventilated stall,
avoid drafts, give pure water to drink with chill taken off, in small
quantities but often. Blanket if the weather is chilly, hand rub the
legs and bandage, give Quinine, two drams, in a gelatin capsule with
capsule gun every four hours. In addition to the above, administer the
treatment recommended for Acute and Chronic Coughs.
Feed good, nutritious food that has a laxative effect on the bowels, as
it is dangerous to give horses physic with this disease. Hot bran
mashes, steamed rolled oats and vegetables are very beneficial.
LAMPAS
CAUSE: In young horses it is commonly caused by cutting teeth. In older
animals it is usually due to indigestion.
SYMPTOMS: A puffy swelling and redness of the gums. The animal may have
difficulty in eating.
TREATMENT: In young animals, when cutting teeth, let nature take its
course, but when an animal is five years or over, place two drams of
Aloin, and two drams of Pulv. Ginger, in a gelatin capsule and
administer with capsule gun. Then tone up the digestive organs by mixing
one ounce of Pulv. Gentian Root, one ounce of Pulv. Nux Vomica, four
ounces of Bicarbonate of Soda. Make into eight powders and give one
powder in feed twice daily, or place in gelatin capsule and administer
with capsule gun.
LEECHES
(Haemopis)
The leeches which suck the blood of the horse may be divided into two
classes, the external parasites which attach themselves to the skin of
the legs and adjacent parts of the horse, and the Haemopis Sanguisuga,
and others of this class, which, not being able to penetrate the skin,
endeavor to enter the mouth or nostrils of the horse when he is drinking
or grazing in wet and leech-infected pastures. They sometimes cling to
the mucous membrane of the eyes. The horse leech, which lives in the
water, usually gains access to the mouth and nostrils of the animal,
when young and not more than one-tenth of an inch long. They rarely go
beyond the air and food passages, generally fastening themselves to the
walls of the windpipe and gullet, where they cling till the animal dies
from loss of blood or suffocation. They often cause bleeding from the
mouth and nostrils, and may be seen by close examination.
TREATMENT: Endeavor to build up the condition of the animal with
suitable food. Also feed liberal quantities of stock salt. Where the
leeches cling tightly to the mucous membranes of the mouth and nostrils,
it is well to cause the horse to inhale the vapor from hot water
containing turpentine.
LOCK-JAW
(Tetanus)
CAUSE: The bacilli of Tetanus are widely distributed and can be found in
practically every part of the globe. Their favorite place of production,
however, is in barn yards and marshy ground. They are frequently
swallowed by stock along with forage, and can often be found in recently
expelled feces. The most favorable temperature for their development is
about 70 degrees F. They act by means of extremely virulent poisons
which they produce, and which causes the terrible symptoms that are
characteristic of the disease.
SYMPTOMS: The muscles of expression are usually the first brought under
the continual spasm of tetanus, and when thus affected give the face of
the animal a pinched and drawn-in appearance. The other muscles of the
head and those of the neck are next attacked. The mouth is closed, the
nose poked out, the head elevated. The muscles of breathing, and those
of the limbs, become contracted so that the neck is hollowed, and the
tail is raised, the horse stands with outstretched limbs. The animal
shows great stiffness or rigidity in attempted movements. The eyes are
sunken, and when startled or excited, the breathing is quickened and the
flanks have a wrinkled or corrugated appearance. Death may quickly occur
from continuous spasms of the muscles of the throat. Another sign is the
flying up of the accessory eyelid when the animal is excited.
TREATMENT: If noticed in its first stages, and if the animal is able to
eat, secure the services of an accomplished Veterinarian and insist on
the use of fresh vaccine. This disease is almost impossible to cure, and
about ninety per cent die.
LUNG FEVER
(Pneumonia)
CAUSE: Predisposition is largely accountable for this disease, which is
more common to young horses than old; also, changes of temperature,
introduction of foreign bodies or liquids into the trachea (windpipe)
and the bronchial tubes, inhalation of smoke or irritating gases,
excitement, exposure to cold after clipping, turning out to pasture from
a warm stable, or injury to chest or ribs from being struck with a pole,
etc.
SYMPTOMS: Dullness in spirit; animal usually shivers or trembles; when
this ceases the temperature rises to perhaps 103 to 106 degrees F.,
pulse increases to sixty or ninety per minute, full and bounding;
breathing short and labored and abnormally quick, increasing to perhaps
fifty inspirations per minute, whereas in health it does not exceed
twelve or thirteen per minute. A cough is also likely to be present, and
the animals remain standing until they are on the road to recovery, or
until death takes place. Other symptoms are constipation, feces covered
with mucus or slime; urination frequent, scanty and dark in color;
appetite poor, but thirst great; the eyes look glassy and the membranes
have an inflamed appearance. It is a good sign if the animal looks about
freely. When the critical stage is past the temperature and pulse
gradually fall, the appetite returns and the urine becomes more
abundant, and takes on its natural color, the cough loosens, and the
discharge from the lungs is profuse, and of a yellowish color, and the
breathing becomes normal.
TREATMENT: Good care is of the utmost importance. Place the horse in a
comfortable, well ventilated stall, being careful to exclude drafts.
Hand rub and bandage the legs with woolen cloth. Blanket the animal,
give plenty of bedding and keep pure water before him at all times.
Internally administer Quinine, two ounces; Iodide of Ammonia, two
ounces; Ammonia Bicarbonate, two ounces. Mix well and make into sixteen
powders. Place powder in gelatin capsule and give with capsule gun every
four hours. It is quite necessary that the above remedy should be placed
in capsule, as drugs of this nature tend to irritate the throat. Do not
give physics, as it is much safer to give laxative food, as hot bran
mashes, steam rolled oats or some vegetables, in fact anything the
animal will eat, i.e., that has food values. It is advisable to apply
over the chest the following liniment; Aqua Ammonia Fort., four ounces;
Turpentine, four ounces; Raw Linseed Oil, four ounces. Mix and shake
well before applying each time over the chest cavity.
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