Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1922-06-22

blindness. This is a disease charac.
terized by a periodic inflammation OF
the interior structures Of the eyes of
horses and mules. It's cause is not
generally understood, but it Is sup
posed to be produced by either 4
germ or parasite. For a long time
people thought that changes in the
moon coused This trouble, but this
is a wholly erroneous conclusion.
Animals affected by this disease
should, of course, never be used for
breeding stock, as there is ground
for the belief that the trouble is
more or less hereditary. The char
acteristics of this trouble are an in
flamnation of the eye, which pro-
duces a more or less clouded effect.
There is a profuse discharge of
tears. The lids are swollen. This
trouble subsidies in a week or two
and then the eyes generally clear up.
If this disease continues Indefinitely
permanent blindness results.
The blindness can be greatly de-
layed by proper treatment. Place
the animal in a darkened stall and
battle the eyes for 20 minutes at
time with hot water. Then apply
few drops of a solution of boric acid
made up in proportion of one dram
to three ounces Of water. Use this
twice daily with a medicine dropper.
Treating a Case of SOLDERING
P. c. l., Abbeville, Ca,
writes: I have a mule that eats
heartily but does not seem to
fatten. She is about twelve
uparc old and cir all
time when at work. I would
like to know what to do for
her.
Your mule is certainly suffering
from more or less chronic form Of
indigestion. The soldering, it is
true, may be due to various other
causes. Sometimes the eating of
large amounts of clover at this sea-
son of the year causes animals to
slobber. 1t is possible that the bit
may not be adjusted satisfactorily
to the mouth and may rub or irri-
tate some part of it unduly. You
should examine the mouth to see
that there are no sore spots therein.
Occasionally the teeth wear down
unevenly and cut or 1acerate the
mouth, which causes SOLDERING.
We suggest that in treating lis
animal you proceed as follows: Sc
cure two ounces of sulphate Of iron,
2 ounces nitrate Of potash, 2 ounces
gentian root, one ounce nux vomica
seed, and one ounce ginger root.
Pulverize these materials very
thoroughly and mix together. Then
give a heaping teaspoonful in the
food three times daily. Some ami
11e, ,Nt tar Tn
that case you can omit it altogether.
1t is always important to examine
the food and see that it is free from
moulds. Mouldy hay or corn will
often cause acute indigestion. Per-
sistence in it's use sometimes results
in death. Your mule needs we'll
balanced and varied ration. If
you are feeding corn alone reduce
the amount of it fed materially and
feed oats either in the sheaf or the
threshed grain for some little time.
The oats are better balanced as a
food for horses and more easily di-
gested. Be sure the hay supply IS
adequate, and that it is varied
enough to meet the requirements of
the animals. The use of pulled fod-
der alone does not satisfy the needs.
as this material is low in some of
the. elements essential to the proper
nutrition of the mule. If you mix
pulled corn fodder ay with n small
a lount of mixed hay containing a
little clover or a little peavines or
a little alfalfa, the roughage part of
the ration will be greatly improved.
Sometimes taking these coarse feeds
and chopping them up fine and
noistening them with water con-
tanning a little salt improves the
palatability of the ration materially.