THE YEOMAN.

Wairarapa Standard, Volume II, Issue 53, 6 January 1868, Page 3

THE YEOMAN.

THE CAUSES AND TREATMENT OF GRASS STAGGERS IN HORSES. (from THE NORTH BRITISH AGRICULTURIST.) During the late summer and autumn months horses are apt to suffer from indigestion, brought on by the the eating of the tough hard stems of ripened grasses, clover, or vetches by the ripened seeds of rye-grass, or by a meal of partially ripened corn. When green wheat orbarley or rather such succulent food is devoured, the symptonis of distress come on rapidly, the digestive capal is throughout distended with gas, the animal paws, rolls about, exhibits all the symptoms of an acute attack of flatulent colic, and occasionally is quite phrensied by the pain, and by the brain becoming involved through what is somewhat conveniently termed sympathy. Horses, when fed for a week or two on hard indigestible food, suffer from a more chronic variety of indigestion, generally known as grass or stomach staggers —very familiar to most agriculturists, usually confined to the heavier breeds of horses fed on bulky green food, and peculiar to the present season of the year. Instead of coining on suddenly aud violently, like most of the other digestive derangements of horses, the symptoms in such cases of stomach staggers appear gradually and insidiously, the horse is dull and stupid, hangs his head, but still continues to eat and drink fairly; by an by, however, he allows portions of the partially raastigated food to drop out of his'mouth, he appears rather to full, his bowels are confined, he walks with, a straddling uncertain gait, and in bad cases reel about as if drunk. These symptoms may continue for several days with more or Jess severity, whilst they altogether escape the observation of careless attendents—special attention being perhaps directed to the animal only when some paroxysm of colic causes him to roll and throw himself about. On examination he is then found to be somewhat distended, the fscces<ire dry, hard and of small amount, the urine high coloured, the gait unsteady,• but the breathing is quite natural, .there are no evidences of fever and the pulse, instead of being quickened, is slower than usual, and occasionally becomes ■ irregular and even, Jptermittent,; The danger in, all such cases mainly lies in their gradual insidious approach, and their consequently remaining unnoticed until the bowels become overloaded with tough, imperfectly digested vegetable fibre. Dry, tough, fibrous; food, if continued to be eaten for several days after the

bowelshave,becom| jorpid and .over distended obvioiisly increases,fbe mischief,’ anil rupture, inflmnmatiori, «r" nervbus prostration proves immediate cause of death.

, r Such .casqs of indigestion ape easily, managed provided they are early, and rationally attende'dlo. . The cause of the mischief, if still in tjperation, niust be removed; in other words, ihe indigestible food must be witheld. In its place a sloppy laxative diet must for several, days be substituted. Gold bran mashes, linseed tea, treacle and water, with an handful of fresh young grass, or a very "little hay, will form the appropriate dietary. By the time that the animal has got dull and stupid the bowels have become torpid and difficult to move, and ordinary physic, accordingly, wiU seldom then operate. The purgative must in such cases be given in solution, and conjoined with an active stimulant. A good formula consists of five or six drachms of aloes rubbed down in .a pint of hot water, and then mixed with a couple of glasses of whisky or with an ounce each of sulphuric either and medicinal ammonia. If no effect is produced •in fifteen or seventeen hours, the dose may be repeated, and twenty grains of calomel added to the drench. To expedite the movement of the bowels soap and water clysters should be given every hour, the belly should be hand-rubbed-several times daily, and if there are colicky .pains or tenderness, it ought to be stopped with hot water, and then rubbed over with mustard paste. Ten minutes’ walkin <r exercise, at intervals of two or three hours, will likewise help to hasten the action of the physic. Frequently repeated doses of purgative medicine are apt to nauseate the horse * and hence, when too full doses fail to operate’, it is seldom adviseable to give any more. It is safer to trust to diluents, a mash diet, clysters hand-rubbing, and stimulants repeated several times daily. A little yeast given in ’the food, or as a draught, is sometimes serviceable. Even where there is pain and spasm it is wroii 0 ', in these cases of stomach staggers, to give opiates fin, although they may help to overcome the spasms, they certaiuly act injuriously in increasing the torpidity of the bowels/ For a week or two after an obstinate attack of stomach staggers the bowels are apt to continue torpid, and hence it is very essential that the sloppy laxative diet, be persevered with. x