The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1882-01-12
PINK-EYE IN HORSES.
RocursTER. n. Y. October 3. /

ROCHESTER, n. u, october j, 1881.
Dear Gossip: am ast0nished to see 60
ing the rounds of the papers a new and
dreadful fatal disease with horses, called
pink-eye." How the old horsemen in
Bulls Head must laugh, or, in fact. all
horsemen of experience who have shipped
many horses TO New York city, and have
counted on the disorder TO q certainty as
one OF their liable drawbacks, except they
were fortunate enough to make sale inside
ten DAYS after arrival. The pink-eye never
killed any horse, but through want Of horse
sense it has run into many other positive
disorders, from which horses have died.
Twenty-Five years ago | had horses taken
sick in stables III New York city,
within fifteen days after their arri-
val, with species Of dstemper known
and called by old horsemen pink-eye. One
dose was enough for me, so | studied it ont
Us well as / could. l found spring and au-
tumn, while shedding the coat. the most
liable times. and il was at these two Pc
RODS most fine horses were shipped. At
these periods OF moulting the blood OF the
horse was thicker and hotter, hence more
susceptible TO cold and fevers. Once well
into q stable OF horses it assumes n typhoid
character, and becomes contagious TO accli-
mated horses. Horses from the country
which go into stables of confined atmos-
phere very frequently are too fat for health,
and OF course more liable TO climatic
changes in stable or out in the air; and,
again, as fat horses look better 10 the buyer,
the shipper, As Il rule, feeds strong and
works little, when it should be the reverse.
AS have said, after my first experience
with pink-eye twenty-five years ago, ship
ped my horses to New York i'm good hard
road condition. With care they took no
cold on the way through change OF car or
change from car to boat. The car loaded
In must run through to New York city,
and once there, was particular that food
and water be given in light quantities,
willie Immediate exercise the day follow
ing arrival i considered important, even
absolutely necessary, but with due
care against getting them warm or
excited and while almost every
countryman who came into the same
stable with green horses was sure to have
one or more down with pink-eye inside Of
week, soon learned it was madness on
my part to prolfer advice but when read
in many journals West, from st. Louis TO
Chicago, and so copied East, OF new and
dreadful disease called pink-eye, l con-
cluded that the authors are of that class
OF horsemcn who have sprung up since the
war, and who know OF but one family Of
trotting-horses, yclept Rysdyk's Handle
tonian. r. HUNTINGTON.
''PINK-EYE."
This malady is again prevalent i'm this
country, though i'm modified form TO that
in which it usually makes its appearance.
In 1872 it ragged so extensively and was OF
so severe Il type that business was COM
pletely Frustrated in consequence Of the
inability Of the horses OF this city TO per-
form the lightest kind OF work. Indeed,
so general was its presence that many Of
the merchants tried the experiment Of sub
stituting worklng-oXen for their useless
horses. This condition, however, hap
PLY lasted but short time. Since
then we doubt ii summer or
fall has interviewed without witnessing
more or less OF the maiady, but in less
virulent form. This character OF the dis
ease has given rise TO the many curious and
absurd ideas that from time to time have
been promulgated and allowed TO find their
way into print. 1t also has had much TO
do with the multiplicity Of names il bears.
The fact is, IL is nothing more nor
less than an acute influenza peculiar
to the equine, non-contagious in form, and
depending, not, rs Is too often enormously
believed, upon zymotic and atmosphere
Teal influences, but upon some specific
material propagated by unknown means,
and conveyed through the medium OF the
abr to different localities and in different
quantities, thereby producing malady
varying in degrees OF severity, and conse-
quently presenting different, or rather mod
flied, symptoms. Sometimes we find il
characterized by profuse discharge from
the nose, with swelling, and in rare eases
suppuration OF the lymphatic glands. |
while at other times the mucous
membranes alone will be the seat of /
the trouble. The eonjunctiya OF the eyes /
become involved. and the eyes assume a red
or pink appearance, hence the term pink
eye, name OF stable origin, and which /
means nothing. It's nearly always present |
In an epizootlc form, Is febrile in character,
and in severe cases prostrating In strength. |
and In old and depleted animals attended /
with some mortality, but seldom amounts
10 anything serious In young and other
wise healthy stock. Indeed, a case rarely /
succumbs either with or without treat
ment, which makes it extremely ludicrous 10
read glowing account Of how DR.. - lal-
ways quack practitioner has treated such
Q number OF cases, and saved all Of them,
when the fact is they were bound TO re-
cover without that modest individuals val.