“LAMPAS” IN HORSES

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18279, 23 December 1933, Page 7

“LAMPAS” IN HORSES

SYMPTOM OF INDIGESTION TREATMENT SUGGESTIONS (By “Wiltshire.”) By lampas we mean that inflammatory state of ttie upper membrane ol the mouth so often met witli in horses and wind), in the old and unenlightened Jays, was often burned out, a useless and barbarous practice now happily and strictly illegal. This burning out was useless, even if temporarily efficient, as I will proceed Lo explain.

I.ampax is not a disease, as was at one lime liiuught, and is still thought ny many In be, but is a symptom of in ingestion, and is merely Dame Nature |iiutmg the brakes on and preventing a horse lrum continuing to eat that which is upsetting his system. The fair and obvious thing to do is to find out thy cause, which may he bad forage, -an excess of heating food, too much corn given to a horse when first got up from grass, or bad teeth. If the owner is perfectly satisfied that the horse’s food is absolutely good and the ration of corn or other heating food properly balanced, then the teeth should bo examined.

The upper molars (grinders) of the horse are set slightly wider than those of the lower jaw, with the consequence that the outer edges of the upper molars very often grow downwards, forming sharp spikes which injure the cheeks, whilst tho inner edges of the lower molars grow upwards, causing similar injury to the tongue, and if this be the case the horse so suffering! will only partly chew his food and bolt a large proportion in an unmasticated state. Now, the whole process of digestion may he widely said to be the action of various acids in different parts of the alimentary tract upon the food taken in, and the first of these acids is contained in the saliva of the mouth. Therefore, should the fond not be thoroughly masticated, and in' consequence improperly salivated, the* other acids do not perform their whole functions, and indigestion is set up.

Nature then steps in, and down comes the lampas, making the mouth so tender that the horse eats but little.

The remedy is a threefold one, obviously, the lampas, the teeth and the stomach all requiring simultaneous treatment.

The teeth must have all sharp points carefully removed with a rasp, the tomaeli emptied of the mass of ingesta if contains by means of a physic hall, and lastly the lampas lanced in four parallel lines with a sharp and properly sterilised lancet and the congested blood contained therein squeezed out with the halls of the thumbs.

i will from tho foregoing he obvious that the cutting, or in the olden days lie burning, of the lampas is quite useless without the treatment of the cause, as even if the swelling temporarily subsides owing to the lancing out of the congested blood vessels, these will, so long as digestion is allowed to remain untreated, fill again in a short time.