RABIES OR MADNESS.
If a horse be bitten by a dog or horse that is affected with rabies or madness, the wound should be well burned out with caustic, (nitrate of silver,) and on the third day after remove the scab and repeat the operation. The caustic should reach every part of the wound.
The following remedy has often been administered, and found effectual in nine cases out of every ten. Take
- 2 ounces of fresh leaves of tree-box,
- 2 “ “ of rue,
- ½ “ sage,
Chop these very fine and boil in a pint of water down to half a pint; strain carefully, and press out the liquor, put back the ingredients into a pint of milk, and boil again to half a pint; strain as before, mix both liquors, which forms three doses for a human subject. Double this quantity for a horse or cow. Two-thirds of the quantity is sufficient for a large dog, half for a middling sized, and one-third for a small dog. Three doses are sufficient each subsequent morning fasting, giving the quantity directed, being that which forms these three doses.
INJURY OF THE EYE.
The eye itself of the horse is rarely injured by blows and bruises carelessly inflicted by passionate persons, but the substance that surrounds it may be seriously wounded, and considerable inflammation ensue—this may be abated by the application of poultices, bleeding and physicing. Sometimes the eye-lids become inflamed from the same cause—fomentations of warm water will be serviceable in this case. The horse occasionally has a scaly eruption on the edges of the eye-lids, attended with much itching, in the effort to allay which the eye is often blemished by being rubbed against some hard substance—the nitriated ointment of quicksilver, mixed with an equal quantity of lard may be slightly rubbed on the edges of the lids, with good effect. Warts are sometimes attached to the edges of the lids, and are a source of great irritation—they should be removed with a pair of sharp scissors, and their roots touched with lunar caustic. In common inflammation of the eye, free bleeding, cooling applications, physic and mash diet will usually allay the evil; the tincture of opium is a good lotion.