Weekly Chillicothe crisis. (Chillicothe, Livingston Co., Mo.) 1878-19??, 1882-03-30
Pink-Eye in Horses.

DIR. c. Z. Page writes to the editor
of the Boston Medical and Surgical
journal as follow:
This disease in horses is one OF the
varieties OF catarrhal or influenza colds,
so.callcd prevalent in this climate
among human beings, and springs from
the same cause, namely, excessive, over
frequent, or .therwise injudicious eat
ing. The custom of working or tXer,
cising horses directly after eating; oil
feeding them directly after herd work,
and before they are thoroughly rested
batting at noon, when both these viola
tions of a natural law are committed
these are the predisposing causes OF
pink-eye, and of most diseases that az
hict our horses. The symptoms de-
nominated pink-eye are not indicative
of dangerous disease, unless feeding is
kept up; but if it is then pneumonia,
which is merely an aggravation of the
original disease, is very likely the re-
suit. Keep the horse quiet, dry, warm,
and in pure atmosphere. The nearer
outdoor air the better, and stop his
feed entirely at the first symptom OF
disease, and he will speedily recover.
AS prevention is better than cure,
horsemen will do well to heed the hint
here given and keep their creatures
from contracting this or any other all
ment. 1t has been demonstrated in
tens of thousands of cases, in family
life, that two meals are not only ample
for the hardest and most eXhausting
abors, physical or mental, but alto.
gether best. The same thing has been
fully proved in hundreds of instances
with horses, and has never in single
instance failed, after fair trial, to
work the best results.
An hours rest at noon is vastly more
restoring to tired animal, whether
horse or man, than a meal OF any sort,
although tie latter may prove more
stimulating. The morning meal given,
if possible, early enough for partial
stomach digestion before the muscular
and nervous systems are called into
active play; the night meal offered
long enough after work to insure i
rested condition of the body; a diet
liberal enough but never excessive
this is the law and gospel of hygienic
diet for either man or beast. IT it be
objected that these conditions cannot
always be fully met in this active
work.a day world, | reply, let lis meet
them rs nearly as possible. We can,
OF course, do no more than this; but
we can come nearer the mark on the
twomeal system than on three. | will
add, in parenthesis, that the nervous
disorder commonly known as pulling"
will yield readily to this principle Of
treatment. 1t makes the puller healthy
he is better nourished and therefore
less "nervOus;' and he will do more
roading, and without excitement or
profuse sweating. He is not made less
ambitious by reason of reduced mus
cular power, but by reason of better
digestion and assimilation-more n0Ir-
ishment and less stimulation. Horse
dealers or others, whose business or
pleasure depends on the plump appear
ance of their animals, regardless of the
size of their muscles, who must have a
horse fat if he is not lleshy, for style,
may have to take the chances and feed
three times a day, but of this | am
by no means sure. ! have never tried
to fatten my horses, for | long ago
learned that fat is disease; but have
always found that if horse does solid
work enough he will be fairly plump if
he has two sufficient meals. Muscle is
the prodact of work and food; fat may
be laid on by food alone, But for per
feet health and immunity from disease,
restriction of exercise must be met by
restriction of diet. Horses require
more food in cold than in warm wealth
er, if performing the same labor. In
case of a warm spell in winter | reduce
their feed, more or less, according to
circumstances, as surely as do the
amount of fuel consumed. also
adopt the same principle in my own
diet. The result is, that neither my
animals nor myself are ever for one
cialy