The Weekly Kansas chief. [volume] (Troy, Kan.) 1872-1918, 1872-12-26
for the farmtr.
THE PREVAILING DISEASE AMONG
HORSES.
BIZ A 4 WILSON, y ;

gentlemen Of Clsrke County I respectfully offer,
pro bono ps5iico, sorse hints for their guidance
iative To the influenza at present prevailing ."
sucn an alarming extent in many parts OF The
country. Having been practitioner of yeterina-
ry medicine and surgery ever since the year leSc,
enables mt TO speak Of the present epizcotic as
an old friend with somew hat of a new face.
In England the disease used to be known by
the terms of epidemic ca.arrh and horse distein-
per; IN America, niore especially in the Eastern
states, the terms pink eye and horse all, were
and are quite coinmou OF late the term infiuen-
"a has been adopted by most writers the sub
Jecf, and, generally speaking, by the profession
at large. Those Who wish to go little further
into eytn,oioyy can adopt the nomenclature of
the Gazette lhippoIhi Observation-Disclosures
gamus, which think ought to be quite satisfac-
tory.
Since the advent Ct fl,e disease in Canada. it
has sometimes been really amusing, on reading
in the daily papers Of NIL the various and as
founding cnrss, which have been performed I'M
der all forms and varieties Of treatment; some
the most opposite, and guaranteed by the highest
and lowest authorities, from the commanders of
cavalary in the United States army, and ranging
down through canal, express, and street car COM
panies, until We come to our own George, the
drayman, besides all the disnterested illusions
to Shocks patent compound food, and of the alb
sollte necessity Of using Spooneys infallible
lniment and Skinnems wonderful iiisinfectant
Truly We are a wonderful and progressive people.
There are records of the disease appearing in
ago. All the old writer's speak of it, in their own
quaint way, but, coming down to orr own times.
shall cite the late DIR. Geo. II. Dodd, who saw;
In 1856 the disease spread considerably IL. Mas
sachusetts. And remarks: In some localities il
spreads after the manner of epzOo:ic OF sporadic
affection, appearing here and there in localities
with greater or less intensity, sometimes singing
out half dozen horses out of stable of tw enty
at other times, and perhaps in u continuous at
mospheric locality, it runs through a whole sta
10 fba xT Sb..l
which are the same in every particular with the
present visitation, together with its Examinations
in typhus or dropsy. He says, like an honest and
sensible man, that there is cure-all for the
disease, but recommends good care and ceanli-
ness, and the judicious use of appropriate rene
dies and cautions against bleeding and the
of cathartics and other depletive measures. Ten
years later, in 1866. the present Professor A. S.
Copeman, of New York, whose opinions en-
titled to the highest respect being both scholar
and man of large experience, addressed the
class at the New York Veterinary College as fol-
lows, on the subject of the influenza:
Defnition.-Is specific febrile disease, inva-
rable in its essential characteristics, frequently
prevailing an epizootic attended with lassi-
tude and prostTaton to an extreme degree: chills
and great sensibility to cold the surface of
the skin. The eyes injected and tending tn fill
with tears, the nOstrils dischargng acrid fluid.
cough prevails, with yellow expectOratiOn some
times attended with gddness lethargy. Fe-
yer attends this disorder. sometimes slight and
sometimes severe, and of a type belonging i'll
different epizootics and localities.
Pathology-A specific poison is believed to he
absorbed and to infect the blood when, after
given period of latency, it causes great general
REPRESENTATIONS dcbility-togetber with fe
yer. The specific actions of this poison are on the
mucuous membranes, especially that of the eyes,
(hence the familiar name pink eye,) of the nose
and Of the bronchi, in a small number of the
fauces causing throat, and in still smaller
r,fi the substance of the limos and of the
pleura, causing inflammation of these organs. In
many instances the disorder terminates in great
1atulenee in the bowels-iliarrllea. These diff
ferent pathological phenomena vary in frequency
and compleXity in different seasons and places.
In most cases when the poison is of sufficient
intensity to produce fever its type is sometimes
remittent; its usual duration is one, two, three
weeks, when il terminates in. AN abundant sweat,
and which not infreqnently leaves great debli-
ty behind it.
l will pass over what Prof Copcman says of
the symptoms and complications of the disease;
for although o. the highest Importance of the
profession, it might be thought fry readingfor the
general public, and it should be borne in mind
that there are scarcely two precisely alike,
and it frequently happens that horses are from
two to three months before they are quite
covered. This is my own experience, and as the
disease has spread into this part of the country,
the following rules may be observed with benefit:
l. Let your stable he kept clean and free from
bad smells, and generally speaking good white
washing is the hest of all dsinfectants.
2. Keep your horse comfortably warm by either
one or two blankets if necessary; let him have
plenty of fresh air, but not from hole right be-
fore his head but from ventilation two three
feet above his head if possible; loose box or
place where he can be by himself united, is much
the best.
B. Have a bucket of water placed in his man.
GER or tie it so that he reach it conveniently
and help himself when he pleases. This is of
q, Eat importance when his throat is sore, and he
Is almo.f unable to stoOp his head. The water
should be renewed three times day.
4. Take eight or ten pounds Of nice, sweet hay,
lay it down on a clean place, sprinkle it with wa
ter slightly sailed, say q handful OF SAT- TO
bucket of water. This hay can be given in small
quantities at suitable intervals.
5. Procure a peck of flax seed, take quart
of the same and six quarts of OATS boil them to-
gether in about three gallons of water over a
slow fire for four or five hours, then set away in
a tub to cool; take two quarts Of this mixture
and two quarts of bran. and it will form most
excellent feed. This should also he fed in a
bucket or at least offered, but if not eaten soon
should he removed, as nothing is more likely to
prevent eating in sick animal than food un-
called for. This food, when given warm, can he
medicatcd if necessary, and rs snch is of great
value when there is a discharge from the nose.
6. The horses food can be varied occasionally by
little boiled corn, or sliced apples. or sliced po-
tatoes, better STILL carrots if he can be coaxed
20 eat them. Some powdered charcoal may he
D. aced within his reach, and lie may probably
iici- it with advantage.
T. Should your horse appear to have the dis
ease in a mild form, a little walking exercise,
daily, ill be better than to remain quiet in the
stable.
1t is prob able that much as fifty per cent. of
horses attaci ed may recover by this simple mode
Of proceeding, without any medicine whatever.
In other eases, however, complications may arise,
which we can n, 8 foresee, and which will require
the aid of a aualt ed physician. Shonld the dis
ease run on the tyl hold stage or TO hydrothorax
and the animal refn sc TO lie down. with marked
opening and shutting of the nostris, and should
dropscal swellings appear between the forelegs
and extending more less backward on the alb
domen, with cold ears and legs. and partial pat
ces of sweat it is to be fe AIRED that he has passed
into the valley of the shadow OF death
THE EPIZOOTIC AND GOArz.-A New York cor
respondent writes: .One of my friends has
kept his horse sound through VI ihe epidemic by
feeding boiled potatoes and meal. as hot as it
could be endured, and also by ke ping goat IN
the stable. This animal is vary valuable as a
preventive of equine disease, ana it wsuld he
well if this fact vera more nener ally Known.
The very effiuvia Of the goat. unpleasant and
even disgusting to humanity, il said to protect
the horse from many of the diseases 10 which
this animal is subject" Whether this story is
true or not, the experiment would cost little and
should be remembered.