Veterinary.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1060, 23 June 1892, Page 7

Veterinary.

LICE ON HORSES. A correspondent of an English farming paper having complained that a fine colt was badly troubled with lice, the following advice was given by the expert: —There is no difficulty about -finding something that will * destroy them ’ —there are a score of agents that will kill lice—the difficulty is in getting the dressing properly applied and repeating it often enough. It seems easy enough to dress an animal affected with lice, but discredit is often brought on the preparation used by the incompetence or inex perience ot the person applying it. Lice always run from the application, and it is easy for a few specimens, impregnated females perhaps, to escape into the ears or around the eyes and nostrils, presently to come forth, like Noah’s family after the flood, to increase and multiply. The dressing should always bpgin at the face, ears, p.dl, mane, and tail, the body being attend* dto afterwards. 1 his cuts off the retreat of the pediculi, and secures their getting a taste of the composition. Repetition is necessary, because agents powerful enough to compass the death of tie mature louae are powerless to have much effect on the vitality of eggs or ‘ nits.’ Anything s;r ng enough to affect these would also injuriously affect the animal Lice diessirgs should therefore be repeated at short intervals, in order to deal with successive broods. AttectioE should also be paid to the surroundings, and the stable should be lime-washed, the woodwork scrubbed with carbolic, soft soap, and hot water, and the litter cleared and burned. The horse, in common with the other domestic animals, has his special louse, but he also suffers from poultry lousiness, aud when fowls have the run of the stable, and perhaps roost there, the pest is often transferred to the legitimate occupant of the building. The poultry louse seems to produce a far worse effect on the horse than it does on the original host, and the unfortunate animal that gets infested will nearly tear himself to pieces, and soon become a sorry-look-ing object. There is no reason to suppose that your horse Buffers from

poultry lousiness, as nothing is said about the violent itehiness, excitement, and uncontrollable cutaneous furor characteristic of this form, but it is worth noting, and if fowls have the run of the Btablo they should be promptly banished. As to the remedy, there is, perhaps, nothing more handy or easily prepared than MacDougall’s smiar, diluted accord ng to directions. We have never tried this in phi hiriasis ecu', but can endorse its efficiency as a dressing for bullocks under similar circumstances. Staveeaero is very fatal to all parasitic life, and a.decoction of .this drug with tobacco ia very efficient This may be prepared by boiling together -§ib of bruised stavesacre seeds and of coarse Bhag to bacco in water for ten minutes ; strain and make the product up to a gallon. Apply with a hard brush. Another good dressing is : Jeyes’ Fluid 4oz, soft Boap 4oe, infusion of quassia l gallon; apply warm. After dressii g it is be t to walk iha animal about until dry, to prevent cold. Choose a warm, sunny day for the same reason. Lousy animals always have their coats full of scurf or other skin debris, and to make assurance doubly sure, this should be got rid of, preferably by washing with carbolic soft soap and water. —M. R C.V.B.