Laceration of the Tongue
This wound may be caused by a high port bit, by the forcible and careless administration of balls and drinks; by the end of a halter being passed over the tongue to guide the horse instead of a bit; by a fall when the tongue is between the incisors; by rough, long or irregular teeth; by thorns, sharp bones, needles, etc.
Symptoms.—Slavering from the mouth and inability to feed will lead to an investigation of the mouth, when the laceration can be plainly seen.
Treatment.—Foreign bodies should be removed. The horse should be fed on green food, if it can be procured, and no bit put in the mouth for some days. The best application is the Veterinary Oil applied daily. If ulcers form, I.I. should be administered also.
Saddle Galls—Warbles—Sitfast—Serous Cyst
Definition.—When a saddle or collar has galled the skin of the back and shoulders, effusion takes place into the tissue underneath. If a small circumscribed tumor is the result, we call it a “Warble”; or, if a large flat swelling with abrasion of the skin be found, the name of “Saddle Gall” or “Harness Gall” is given to it.
Causes.—These disorders often arise from a ill-fitting saddle or collar, also by removing the saddle too soon. After a march soldiers are not allowed to strip their horses until they cool under the saddle.
Treatment.—Apply the Veterinary Oil morning and night, and give I.I. as often, until the healing begins; then give J.K. morning and noon, and I.I. at night.
Staking
In leaping fences or gates, the belly of the horse is sometimes impaled and wounded. The extent of the injury is not always apparent outwardly, and can only be ascertained by careful examination with the finger. There may be no wound in the skin, but the muscle underneath may be injured and torn, and the bowel may enter the part torn; or the stake may pierce the abdomen and a portion of the bowel may protrude outwardly.