Page:Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management.djvu/2003

Rh swelling. When all the matter has been discharged, wash the part with warm water, and dress it with friar's-balsam or tincture of arnica diluted in the proportion of one part arnica to ten of water. If proud flesh appears, it must be got rid of by the judicious application of caustic, or by a little blue-stone or burnt alum.

When horses' hoofs are inclined to crack, it is an evidence that the horn is not in a healthy state. The cause may be uncertain; very often it is the result of washing the legs and feet without drying them. To promote the growth of the horn and get rid of cracks, nothing is better than to anoint the top of the hoof, just round the coronet, with a salve made of equal parts of soft soap and tar. The cracks, as far as possible, should be kept cut, so as to present a smooth surface and prevent them from going any further.

This is a dangerous complaint in horses unless timely remedies be applied. It comes on very suddenly, and the pain is at times most intense. The general causes of cramp and spasms are drinking profusely of cold water while the horse is heated, exposure to cold, improper food, rank grass, etc. It is hardly possible to mistake the symptoms of it. The horse shows evident marks of uneasiness, shakes, lies down and rolls about while the fit is on him. He then becomes quiet again, and will, perhaps, take food. As soon as the complaint is detected, no time should be lost in administering the following anti-spasmodic draught:—Mix together 1½ ozs. of laudanum, 3 ozs. of turpentine, 1 pint of linseed oil. If the symptoms do not abate shortly, apply hot fomentations to the belly and administer the following laxative ball: 6 drachms of Barbadoes aloes, 1 scruple of croton bean, 1 drachm of calomel. Take the horse off his corn; give him dry bran and cut hay, and keep him warm in a loose box.

This complaint is no doubt in some cases hereditary; but, in general, it is brought about by injudicious management, and especially by the use of mouldy hay. Owners of horses cannot be too particular about the hay they buy. Bad and indifferent hay is dear at any price, and no horse should be allowed to eat hay with the slightest tinge of mould about it. Much relief may be given to a broken-winded horse by proper feeding. Never give long hay. Let the food be the most nutritious possible, and that which will go into the smallest compass, as cut hay, and corn, and a few beans. Also be careful never to let a broken-winded horse have water within an hour after taking him out. The breathing will be much improved, and the horse will do its work more pleasantly if a ball of the following mixture be administered