FIRST AID TO THE INJURED

It is a dangerous thing for owners to doctor their own horses, unless they are practically veterinarians by experience, or profession. It is even more dangerous to leave such matters to the man in the stable. An omniscient coachman can do more harm to his cattle than all other evil surroundings combined. To treat a horse for a wrongly diagnosed malady, with half-understood remedies, is the height of folly and the acme of cruelty.

On the other hand, there are certain simple remedies and certain familiar maladies, of which the horse-owner ought to know something for his own, and his horse's protection.

The range of pulse per minute in a healthy adult horse is from thirty-four to thirty-eight. In disease the range is from as low as twenty to as high as one hundred and twenty. The fore and middle finger should be placed transversely on the artery inside of the jaw, near the jowl, to feel the pulse. Do this often when your horses are in health, and thus accustom yourself to find the pulse instantly and to note its pulsations accurately in time of need.

The average temperature of the horse is 100° F., a third more or less. The temperature of the horse is taken by the insertion of a clinical thermometer in the rectum, where it should remain five minutes. Horses registering a temperature as high as 106° have recovered, but above this death generally ensues. Nursing, in cases where the ordinary ailments are concerned, is better than blistering and firing, which are more spectacular and to the half-ignorant more popular.

Good laxative foods are green grass, green wheat, oats, or barley, carrots, parsnips, bran mash, linseed tea, hay tea, and linseed oil.

A gallon of gruel may be made from a pound of meal put into cold water, placed on the fire and stirred till boiling, and then allowed to simmer till the water is thick.

A bran mash should be made in a clean bucket; three pounds of bran, one ounce of salt, two pints and a half of boiling water, covered and allowed to stand twenty minutes or so till it is cooked.

A Bran and Linseed Mash.—Boil one pound of linseed slowly for two hours or more, add two pounds of bran, one ounce of salt; the whole to be stirred up and allowed to steam. The thicker the mash, the better.

Linseed Tea.—Boil one pound of linseed in two gallons of water until the grains are soft.

Hay Tea.—Fill a clean bucket with clean hay, then pour on as much boiling water as the bucket will hold, then cover and allow to stand till cool, when the liquid may be strained off and used.

Linseed oil, from a quarter to half a pint daily may be mixed with the other food, keeps the bowels and skin in good condition; but no artificial stimulant as food should be used constantly.

In weakening diseases or low fever, or in cases of severe exhaustion, a quart of ale or porter, or a pint of port or sherry, may be given mixed with the mash. Oatmeal and ale are easy to carry, and a palatable mash can be made quickly of these with a little warm water almost anywhere, and nothing will help out a tired horse more.

Common cold is an inflammation of the mucous membrane lining the nostrils and air passages. Symptoms are loss of appetite, staring coat, tendency to sweat easily, and discharge from the nostrils. Treatment: removal to loose box, plenty of fresh air, well blanketed if cold weather, bandages for the legs, laxative diet, green food, warm mashes instead of oats, and plenty of water. If the irritation and cough continue and the running at the nose is bad, the head may be steamed by holding it over a pail of hot water. If the horse becomes and continues feverish, a dose of one to two drams of nitrate of potash may be given daily for two or three days. Where the cold is accompanied by sore throat and difficulty of swallowing, give nitrate of potassium, one dram to half a bucket of water three times a day. A good liniment to use on the throat and to be well rubbed in is mustard and water rubbed on and allowed to remain half an hour and then washed off, or two parts linseed oil, one part turpentine, and one part solution of ammonia.

Colic is caused by bad food, change of diet, sudden exposure. The horse gives evidence of spasmodic pain, turns his head toward his flank, bites and kicks, and even rolls. As an immediate remedy, give a pint of gruel with two ounces spirit of nitrous ether, one ounce tincture of opium, and half an ounce of aromatic spirits of ammonia. There should be relief within the hour; if not, repeat the dose, and use oil and warm water as an injection.

Diarrhoea, in the form of scouring, may be a natural effort to get rid of some obnoxious substance. Horses that are not well "ribbed up" or of a nervous temperament are prone to it. Feed dry food after giving a laxative of half a pint of raw linseed oil. Give an infusion of gentian, one ounce, and one to two ounces tincture of opium.

Worms.—Several kinds of worms are found in the horse's intestines, but the most common is the bony white worm tapering at both ends. The horse loses condition in spite of a voracious appetite. After a fast of twelve hours, give a dose of two ounces of turpentine in a pint of linseed oil with half an ounce of tincture of opium. Injections of a weak solution of salt serve to clear away the smaller worms that inhabit the rectum. Change of food and salt are good.

Irregular Teeth.—The molars sometimes grow into sharp edges. The horse feeds badly, "hogs" on one side of his mouth in driving, and shows sometimes signs of inflammation in the mouth. The remedy is the simple one of having the teeth filed down smooth and even.

Scratches.—A very common condition of the skin in the hollow of the heel, sometimes called "cracked heels." It is caused by exposure to wet, cold, and dirt The skin is inflamed and dry and a watery discharge exudes. Keep the parts dry and clean, wash with warm water and Ivory soap. Dust with powdered alum three times a day. Or apply a dressing composed of one part of carbolic acid to twenty of oil or glycerine and keep there with a soft bandage around the pastern and heel.

Wounds and bruises, whether the skin is broken or not, should be carefully bathed in warm water, three parts of carbolic acid to one hundred of water. Warm linseed poultices may then be applied. In all serious cases of this kind little more can be done than to relieve the animal till the veterinarian comes. In minor casualties, as cases of sprained tendons, bruises, and the like, a cooling antiseptic wash is: four ounces of witch-hazel, two ounces of spirits of camphor, two ounces of tincture of opium mixed in an equal amount of water.

Splints.—Probably eighty per cent of horses have splints and not over five per cent remain lame from them. A splint is an enlargement or horny excrescence of a part of the shank bone. It is more common in young than old horses. Splints caused by striking in action, on the contrary, are ample cause for judging a horse unsound.

When a splint begins forming, shave off the hair about it and rub in an ointment of biniodide of mercury for three days, then apply a strong blister. The best blister is composed of one ounce powdered Spanish flies, one ounce powdered resin, four ounces of lard. Mix the lard and resin, and then add the Spanish flies. After blistering a horse, his head must be tied up for forty-eight hours at least, to prevent his getting at the irritated part.

Shoe boils are usually caused by the pressure of the shoe when the horse lies down. The boil should be opened and drained and a three per cent solution of zinc sulphate injected. The horse must then wear a shoe-boil boot at night.

388a

SKELETON OF THE HORSE

388b

Nail in the Foot.—Remove the nail and pare the wound as near the bottom as possible, disinfect with a solution of carbolic acid, one in thirty, then linseed poultice the foot for two or three days and let the foot be shod with oakum and a leather sole till healed. An old-fashioned remedy is to apply a piece of salt pork, flesh side in, and bandage it on the part.

Chafing, Collar, and Saddle Galls.—Properly fitting harness and saddles is the preventive. A mild astringent wash, say four ounces witch-hazel, two ounces spirits of camphor, two ounces tincture of opium, will serve, and the part to be without pressure or rubbing till healed. For inflamed legs or galled shoulders another excellent wash is: one ounce of sal ammoniac, seven ounces of vinegar, two ounces of spirits of wine, two drams of tincture of arnica mixed in half a pint of water.

Broken knees should be thoroughly cleansed and disinfected with a solution of carbolic. Hot fomentations are good, and the wound should be dressed with burned alum or with alum and boracic acid in equal parts dissolved in water.

Laminitis or Foot Founders.—Remove the shoes, place the feet in hot water for an hour, poultice twice a day for four or five days. As the horse is without exercise, give him a gentle purgative, half to a quart of linseed oil, two drams of ginger, one dram nux vomica as a drench, then four ounces of nitrate of potash and four drams gentian, known as founder powder, daily.

Chills, after violent exertion when the horse is unfit for work, or from undue exposure. Clothe warmly, rub ears and legs, and give stimulants, one and one-half ounce spirits of nitrous ether, one-half ounce aromatic spirits of ammonia to one pint of water, is a valuable remedy in any case of prostration.

Strained or bruised tendons,—first hot fomentations, then a cooling lotion, such as vinegar and water; or two ounces witch-hazel, two ounces spirits of camphor, two ounces laudanum; or four ounces acetate of ammonia, four ounces spirits of wine, eight ounces water.

Lameness had best be left for diagnosis to the expert, unless the lameness is the result of injury and the seat of the trouble plainly visible. Firing and blistering should be a last resort.

Do not expect too much of the veterinary; except in simple cases their task is often a blind one. The best way to save trouble is to begin at the beginning, by studying the horse, the stable, the food, and the care of the horses yourself; and this elementary knowledge, with careful handling when the horses are in harness or under saddle, make the best "ball," "drench," "lotion," or "fomentation" known.

It is not intended in this chapter to suggest more than can be understood and carried out by an intelligent man, with a few simple and non-dangerous remedies.

Rice-water gruel, made thick, is a soothing drink, and useful in continued scouring or diarrhoea.

Alcohol is to be rubbed into the skin of horses who are apt to chafe easily under harness or saddle. It hardens the skin.

Vinegar and water is a cooling lotion.

Fomentation means the continued application of hot cloths wrung out to the injured part.

Purgative, a popular purgative is composed of eight parts of aloes, two parts of glycerine, one part powdered ginger, well-mixed and given in a dose of from six to eight drams.

Linseed oil is also a purgative and less irritating than aloes; the dose is from ten to thirty ounces.

Stimulant, one ounce aromatic spirits of ammonia, one ounce tincture of gentian, one pint of water. Useful in all cases of severe prostration.

Tonics.—The mineral tonics had best be left to the veterinary. A quart of good ale warmed and two drams of grated ginger is a simple cordial drench. A safe vegetable tonic is two ounces of tincture of gentian in a pint of water. A good tonic powder is: two drams of gentian, two drams of ginger, one-half dram of fenugreek.

For acidity of the stomach, and to prevent tendency to colic, a tablespoonful of bicarbonate of soda, powdered gentian, powdered ginger, mixed in equal parts and sprinkled over the feed, is harmless and a valuable minor tonic.

To cool a horse quickly and effectively, dash water between the fore legs, between the hind legs, over the head, and down the back or spine. An overheated, almost prostrated, horse may often be saved serious if not fatal trouble in our hot climate by a bath of this kind. In private stables, water is seldom used, except on the feet, to wash out the mouth, eyes, sheath, and anus, and on the legs of white or gray horses. But this should not be taken as the article of a creed. A bath, or shampoo, all over does no horse harm, and all horses good, in our hot climate, if precautions are taken to dry them thoroughly and close the pores if necessary by a rub-down with alcohol. In cases of actual sunstroke, souse the horse well, all over with water, if possible from a hose, and an easily prepared remedy is: an ounce of aromatic spirits of ammonia, two ounces of whiskey in half a pint of water—give this every hour, till the horse is relieved.

Flexible collodion is a valuable remedy in any stable. In case of wounds or cuts that do not need sewing, shave the hair about the cut, cleanse carefully, and apply the collodion with a camel's-hair brush; this will keep the edges together, and in minor wounds no other remedy is necessary.

Iodoform is one of the very best antiseptics for either man or beast, and may be dusted on wounds; or two parts of iodoform and eight parts of cosmoline make an ointment that may be a more convenient way of applying it.

The well-known "white lotion" for bruises, sprains, inflammation, sore backs, shoulders, or any part of the animal rubbed by the harness or saddle, or by accident is: one ounce acetate of lead, one ounce sulphate of zinc mixed in a quart of water, to be used as a lotion. Nitrate of potassium is useful when you wish to promote the action of the skin and kidneys or to reduce fever. It should be given dissolved in the drinking-water in doses of from two drams to an ounce three times a day. It is the most valuable remedy known in cases of founder, and may be given in doses of from two to three ounces three times a day, and may be continued without danger for two or three days.

Salicylic acid is another remedy, equally good for man or beast, as an antiseptic to be dusted upon wounds and indolent sores, proud flesh: for rheumatism, one dram of the salicylic acid with two drams of bicarbonate of soda, given twice a day, is as good as anything.

But when all is said and done on this subject, it must be repeated again and again that, regularity as to time, and variety as to fodder in feeding, plenty of water, regular exercise, peace and quiet during rest hours, a dry stable, thorough grooming, the eye of the master, and the interest of the man in the stable,—these taken daily in large doses make the best prescription in the world for the continued health and usefulness of your horses.

TABLES

Doses According to Age