The Central Nevadan. [volume] (Battle Mountain, Nev.) 1885-1907, 1901-05-09

Owners vi nolses are often at q loss
TO understand why their animals 50
persistently rub their tails and names
about this time of the year. and in
fact during the entire winter season.
So bad do some of the cases alluded
to become that the tail Is rubbed FREQ
of hair and becomes sore and covered
with scales and scabs. The name as
0 rule is not so badly affected but the
horse also finds 1t itchy and rubs 1t
occasionally. There is a corresponding
irritation of the legs in heavy draft
horses having feather" from knees
and hooks to hoof. Almost invariably
we find on examining into the causes
of this condition that the animal az
ficted has been fed heavily upon ccrn
or other grain while resting and at the
same time is receiving too little work
or exercise. 1t is also found that when
horses are idle during the winter sea-
son and fed as mentioned that the
owner neglects to curry and comb
and brush the skin as he would do
We're the animal working during sum-
mer and spring. The skin at the roots
OF the tail and name exfoliates more
freely and rapidly than the other por-
tions Of the body, but the products OF
exfoliation, viz, dandruff. etc, are not
got rid of as they are at the other parts
Of the anatomy. The roots of the hair
become buried In this slougbed off cut
icle, filth adds to the condition and
b part becomes itchy or even the
seat of a parasitic skin disease. If
at the same time. and this Is frequently
the case, the horse be infested by pin
worms of the rectum the itching be-
comes intense and 1t is not to be won
dered at that the idle horse forms the
bad habit of tail rubbing. 1t should
also be remembered that when an idle
horse is heavily fed upon corn or other
grain, the products of which it cannot
work of in exercise, sweating and re-
pair of wasted tissues, the blood be-
comes sluggish and filled with impur-
tiles which would otherwise be thrown
off. When this condition is induced
by feeding corn, lack of exercise and
cleanliness the skin trouble is aggra-
waited and the animal is laid oper to an
attack OF ly~mphangitis or grease.
When IT, Is found then that a horse Is
commencing to rub its tail and name
1t Is necessary not only to treat the
seat of the trouble but to set right
the errors of diet and management.
which lave given rise to the condition
of the blood favoring the appearance
Of skin disease. The horse is to be
first cleaned very thoroughly from
head to foot and this should be done
at least once daily afterwards. The
hair and skin at the tail and name.
are to be well scrubbed with SOAP and
hot water and it is well to add a little
~bicarbonate of soda to the water. The
parts should then be dried thoroughly
with sawdust and when this has been
done 1t is time to apply a healing To-
ton to control the itching and sootho
the inflamed condition. For this pur-
pose an excellent wash is made by
mixing flowers Of sulphur and raw lin
seed oil to the consistency of cream
n then to each pint of the mixture
d an ounce of chloro-naptholeum.
This lotion is to be freely used to
drench the affected parts. working the
mixture well down to the roots of the
hair. 1t is not to be washed off but
is to be repeated in three days and Is
to be applied to all other parts Of the
skin affected by irritation. The writer
has had occasion to wet a horse from
head to tail with this lotion where the
condition of the entire skin was aggra-
waited and found that two or three ap-
plications effected a cure. For the
treatment of the pin worms a rectal
injection night and morning of a
warm decoction of quassia chips will
be found effective. Another good in
lection is tobacco infusion, made BY
pouring boiling water upon tobacco
stems OF this a pint should be added
to a half pailful of hot soapy water
and this is to be injected into the rec
tum by means Of a large syringe or a
two-foot length of one inch rubber
hose with funnel attached.