=HOLLOW HORN.=--A common term to denote a diseased condition of the blood. The horn is not hollow and never is. The old quack method of boring a hole in the horn with a gimlet and squirting turpentine into the orifice is both cruel and ridiculous. While in fact the temperature of the horn is low, it is because of the general poverty of the blood of the animal. There is no merit in this kind of treatment. The most common symptoms are general debility, scanty flesh, scurvy coat and coarse hair. The appetite is also irregular and at times greedy. Treatment is in line of better food and general improvement of the system. If lice are found on the body, they must be destroyed by disinfectants and washes. A tonic, consisting of 2 teaspoonfuls of sulphate of iron, 1 teaspoonful of powdered nux vomica and 4 tablespoonfuls of ground gentian root given each day in the food or as a drench, will be very helpful in toning up the system and in enriching the blood. The most important factor of the treatment, however, is in nutritious, wholesome food.
=HORN FLY.=--A small insect about half as large as the common house flies, and very much like them in appearance. Horn flies swarm about the head and settle near the base of the horn, where they bite and cause much irritation. They also attack cattle on the back and sides and flank. The fly mixtures that are commonly advertised, and applied by means of a hand-spray, are excellent for keeping the pests away. A good home mixture to apply at the base of the horns is made of pine tar, kerosene, and fish oil. Use this in equal parts, and apply with a brush.
=HYDROCEPHALUS.=--See Water in the Brain.
=HYDROPHOBIA=, also called rabies and mad dog, is an infectious disease caused by some invisible organism. The disease is transmitted from one animal to another by the bite of an animal which is suffering with the disease or by direct inoculation. It is more common in the dog than any other animal, from the fact that dogs run at large and have a tendency to bite other dogs with which they come in contact while they are suffering with the disease.
The dog shows two forms, furious and dumb. In the furious form the animal at first seeks dark places, but is usually restless and will move from one place to another. This condition lasts for a day or two, after which time he becomes more restless and may go 30 miles in a day. He will drink water, eat sticks, stones, and bite other dogs, horses, and cattle, less often man. This condition will last from one to four days, and then the dog becomes partly paralyzed, so that he can no longer swallow, or his legs may be affected, so that he will lie in one place, and usually dies after a few days longer. In the dumb form, the animal seeks dark places, is rather restless, the throat and lower jaw become paralyzed, he is unable to swallow or to close his mouth and, therefore, cannot bite. Sometimes they will change from one form of symptoms to the other.
