Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1871-03-17
Colo in Horses.

A correspondent recently inquir-
ed of "Veterinarian" (H. J. bet
mers,) in the Chicago Tribune, for
information in regard to disease
which probably was the collie; and
the general treatment recommended
as proper in such cases is here Civ
en-:
The best you can do to prevent
these attacks in the future is, to feed
your mare as regularly as possible,
and when she is idle, always little
less than she would like to eat, for
it is to be supposed, according to
your description, that her digestive
organs are rather weak, notwith-
standing that she seems to be a
greedy eater. | would further ad-
wise you to avoid the feeding of soft,
damp, or damaged food, or Of such
provender, in general, as has a great
tendency to be decomposed, or is
already in a state of fermentation.
AS soon as an attack occurs, you
should take away all the food, hay
as well as grain, that may happen
to be in the manger, and withhold
it from the mare till she is perfect
ly well again, or till she has been
well for several hours, in order to
give the weakened stomach rest.
Respecting medical treatment,
it is probable that in those attacks
of collie, which have occurred until
now, medicines were not needed at
all; for, according to your descrip-
ton, those attacks have been, or at
least1@ould have been, rather light,
if you had not allowed the mare to
eat while she was sick. The best
guide by which one, who is not a
veterinary surgeon, may judge
whether collie patient needs medi
zines or not, undoubtedly, is the
pulse of the sick animal. As long
as the pulse does not beat faster
than about tifty-four or fifty-six times
in minute, it is not necessary to
give any medicine in a common case
Of collie, for the patient will get well
without them. Moreover, medicines
never should be given to an animal
except in such eases of disease
where their use is requisite, in or
der to effect or accelerate recov-
cry; for great many medicines are
heterogeneous to the constituent
parts of the animal organism. Hence,
if your mare should be taken sick
again, all you would have to do
would be to put her in a good and
spacious double stall; to make her
good and dry bed; to take the food
away from the manager; and to let
her paw and roll as much as she
pleases; for the paving and rolling
never will hurt her in the least, pro
vidcd there are no hooks, corners,
etc., against which she can bruise
herself.
Ii, however, the pulse should rise
above the number mentioned, it
would become advisable to resort to
a medical treatment; at least, to give
a physic, for the purpose Of moving,
as soon as possible, the undigested
food. The following prescription
providing your mare is of middling
size and is kept on dry food-would
answer the purpose: Powdered aloes
de Barbados, one ounce and a half;
calomel, two drains; powdered cam
phor, three drains; and powdered
marsh malloW root, one ounce, made
with little water to three pills, to
be given at once. If the mare is
small, or if she is kept on grass or
green provender, the doses ought to
be somewhat smaller; in the latter
case, it may be sufficient to give one
third less. Milk and molasses, flax
seed oil, saltpetre, etc., and bleed
ing, can do no good; on the contra
ry, may, under certain circumstan-
ces, do great deal of damage.
Drenching a horse with fluid med
icines, even if the latter are of an
Indifferent nature, like milk and mo-
lasses, is always very dangerous;
but is extremely so, first, when the
drench consists Of substances-for
oil or grease-to which
horses have a natural aversion; sec
ondly, when the sick horse is suffer
ing with disease which is attend
ed with fast breathing, like pneumo-
MIA, collie, ETC.; and thirdly, when
the fluid, as is often the case, is pour
ed down in a forcible manner; for in
such cases it frequently happens
that part of the fluid enters the
larynx and goes down the windpipe
into the lungs, and causes there an
Inflammation, which frequently be-
comes fatal Western Rurnl.