Hutchinson gazette., 1900-01-25


western farmer, "why It is that In the
last Ave years four OF my horses have
become Idly affected with "heaves,"
80 that cannot work them, l have
always fed them all they wanted and
In winter they have had yard to run
In where there was stack OF clover
hay and another Of fax straw 30 they
could not want for food"
We fall to see how horses 30 fed
could escape having "heaves," Yet
comparatively few farmers understand
how the disease Is brought on. The
fact OF the matter is that coarse fod-
ders are practically always at the bot
tom OF the trouble, so to speak, and
dusty timothy hay Is also common
cause. Average farm horses get far
too much hay and cannot possibly de-
rive any benefit from It, for the surplus
amount that cannot be dlgested be-
comes q burden and sets up indlges-
tion, eventually lesion OF the pneu-
mogastrlc nerve, and as reflex con-
sequence enphysema OF the lungs.
The disease 10 incurable when fully
developed, although the severe symp-
toms may be allevlated by common
sense methods OF feeding, Bear In
mind that no working horse should
have all the hay he can eat three times
day, Indeed, when working hard nc
should be fed hay but once d W ana
that meal by preference at 5 p. m,
after the oats have been eaten ana
largely dlgested Should the hay DO
dusty II Is liable to produce heaves
even when fed but once daily, unless lt
be we'll shaken up and wetted with
water, or where cases are already pres
ent, with lime water, which Is easily
prepared by pouring water upon hot
lime. Where the intestlnes are con-
tlnuously dIstended with undigested
hay they soon lose tone, gas forms,
and the characteristic cough OF heaveS
with the accompanying passage OF na-
tus from the bowels are the next sure
signs Of the disease.
It may be confidently asserted that
"heaves" need never occur II horseS
are carefully fed as we have 80 often
advised In these columns, viz, feeding
hay and fodder In moderation, alwayn
providing old, sound, sweet, dustleSO
hay, always giving drinking water be-
fore feeding, never allowing horses to
cat when hot, fatlgued or perspirins'
and feeding oats In preference to corn
during times OF hard labor In hot
weather. In addition to these precau-
tons every horse should get a bran
mash at least twice week when work.
ing and much oftener when idle with
carrots In winter time, az both OF these
foods tend to keep the bowels acting
properly and 80 ward off attacks OF In
digestion.
II the following rules are followed
any horse afflicted with heaves Will
in time be At for light work but Will
not entirely recover Keep In clean,
well-ventlated barn, and make 1t Inn
possible for horse to eat bedding, Place
lump OF rock salt in manger When
idle feed clean, bright oat straw In
preference to timothy hay. Never feed
clover hay. Wet all food with limo
water. Feed grain in small quantities
never using grain under one year old.
Never work horse Immediately after o
meal. Arrange feeding hours 80 horse
will have at least one hour Of rest be-
fore going to work. II there ls any
tendency to constipation keep bowels
acting freely by giving sloppy bran
mashes and gradually accustom horse
to taking raw llnseed oil In these
mashes. In bad cases where great Inn
provement does not follow above meth
cd OF treatment give one-half ounce OK
Fowlers Solution Of Arsenic morning
and night, and In one week. II neces-
sary, increase to three doses daily. In
using arsenic In this or any other dis
ease II must, however, be remembered
that horse will "go all to pieces" II
suddenly deprived of 1t, so that when
It Is decided to quit its use 1t must bo
done very gradually by lessening the
dose day by day until the horse can get
along without It. Fluid extract OK
lobella may also be given In very small
doses along with the arsenic In aggra'
'"''N N"'N'' q" a-.1