The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1871-06-30
Bots Ia Horses.

There are probably more mistakes
made in the treatment of Lorses sup
posed TO be suffering from bots, than
from any other complaint whatever.
While we admit the existance Of bots,
we don't believe in the many stories OF
their Injurious effects on horses stom-
achs. We have owned at different
times many horses, and have had them
occasionally afflicted with what was
called bots, but have never lost horse
by death from this cause. The reason
OF this exemption from loss. has arisen,
we firmly believe, from the fact that
we have never perIYitted them TO be
dosed with the poisonous mixtures so
much in favor with drivers and hostlers.
The writer with ten horses in his
stable at one time for a period Of three
years, had no case Of sickness, not even
an attack OF bots, from the moment he
cleared the hostlers apartment Of all
the powders and vilainous drugs he
had there stored up in fearful array.
Previously the horses had the bots all
the year round, and many were the
remedies administered. Turpentine,
milk and molasscs, whisky, and raw
potatoes We're common medicines.
Now if the bots were activcl Y engaged
in. boring holes through the coats of
the beasts stomach and laying bare the
sensitive membranes, we fancy turpen-
tine or whisky would not be soothing
application thereto. A fatal inflamma-
ton would more likely be the result,
and the remedy would prove as bad as
the disease. In passing through. the
interior OF the horse the bot is under
going its natural development; and
when the proper time comes, it passes
on, with the excrement. TO bore a
passage through the carcass Of the
horse is not its natural mode Of exit.
We may always safely trust to the laws
Of nature, and the instincts OF living
things, to guide us in our operations.
These all point to the fact that bots are
not necessarily injurious to the stom-
ach Of a living animal. We may then
safely search elsewhere for the cause oil
those complaints generally attributed
to the grubs of the bot fly. When we
think of the carelessness with which
horses are generally treated in the
matters OF over driving, feeding, and
watering, we cannot be astonished at
the numerous forms OF ailments Of the
stomach and inttstines to which they
are subject. In the majority of these
cases the horse, if left to himself for u
few hours will he relieved naturally, but
in a serious and prolonged indisposition,
it would be wiser to seek the help of a
pracliscd veterinarian than that Of the
ordinary ignorant village horse or COW
doctor, who will probably in nine cases
out of ten, do more harm than good,
for while he is endeavoring to kill the
supposed bots, he is more likely TO sue
coed in destroying the horse. Gener-
ally it may be taken for granted when
a horse rolls in his stable, gets up and
lies down again often, turns his nose to
his flank, and repeatedly makes inef-
fectual attempts to state, that he is suf'
fering from indigestion or from in
flamation Of the stomach or bladder,
resulting from errors in feeding or
watering, alter excessive labor-in such
a case, nature will almost always find
a means OF relief in few hours with
out any assistance other than rest, and
care to prevent the horse from bruislng
himself.