The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1907-08-16
BROKEN-WINDED HORSES,

BROKEN-WINDED HORSES.
Broken. .winded horses cannot be
cured, or it would not be such a com
mon thing to see good class of horses
sold at ridiculousiy low price be.
cause of this infirmity, declares the
veterinary editor of the London Farm
and Home" But at the same time it
is quite possibly, by judicious manage
ment, to keep the ordinary case 60
ing with tolerable comfort to the ami
NAL and fair amount of satisfaction
to the owner or driver who is not
particularly horse proud. The first
thing is to appreciate and take into
consideration the nature and cause of
what is populary called "broken wind"
1t it not respiratory disease, in the
proper acceptation of the term, but is
due, in the majority of cases, to bad
feeding. Feeding an inordinate quan.
tity Of bulky, innutritious fodder par
ticularly badly-saved, moldy or dusty
seed hay, is one of the most common
causes of broken wind. The class of
horses most frequently found to be
broken-winded are farm horses and
inferior ponies. Both are greedy
feeders. Thus, the broken. winded
horse should be fed on the best of food
and of less bulky or more concentra.
ted character than is generally sup
piled to horses of this class.
More oats and less hay should be
given, and all the food should be free
from dust and given slightly dampen-
ed, by sprinkling with salt and water.
The broken winded horse should be
fed on the little and-often priuciple,
and the daily allowance of food divi-
ded into large number of small feeds.
The hours of feeding should be adap
ted to the hours of work, so that the
horse is not called upon to labor on a
distended stomach. The largest meal
should be given at night, after the
work is over, and this is the time
when the largest part of the moderate
quantity of hay allowed should be fed
Linceed and bran should be given oc.
casionaly in the form of mash. Car
rots and green food are good for brok-
en-winded horses, because they are di-
gestible and slightly laxative, but too
much green-m meet is incompatible with
condition, and the thing to be aimed
at in the case of a broken -winded-h horse
is the maintenance of the animal in
hard condition. A cool, well ventilat-
c'i stable is a necessity. Water is
best standing within reach OF the ami
NAL, so that it can drink at will, or,
where this is not possible water
should be offered before each meal. 1t
should be soft water, and the trough
should be kept clean and the supply
frequently changed. Regular, mod
crate work, without which the mainte-
nance of condition is impractical BILE, is
better for broken-winded horse than
irregular labor or long spells of idle
ness. At the start 60 slowly, until
the bowels have been emitted. The
distended stomach and bowels, by
pressing on the diaphram, increase
the distress in breathing, and this is
another reason for the food being
more concentrated, or why it should
contain the elements of nutrition in
as small bulk as possible. There is
always a characteristic cough associa-
ted with broken wind, and on some
occasions, where there has been some
from the rules of feeding or
good hygiene, or in certain state of
the weather, there is an increase in
the severity of the symptoms, which
may call for medicine to relieve them,
but drugs are not of much use in Or
dinary cases of broken wind, and
should not be persisted in when the
acute symptoms have yielded. When
recourse ia had to medicine from tim
to time, it seems more effective than
when regularly given. The bowels
of the broken winded horse should
never be allowed to become
constipated, and when judicious feed
ing with linseed, carrots or green stuff |
does not suffice to keep them regular
4 laxative should be given.