14 THE ARMY HORSE. 



must be kept clean and free from odor. The hay should be 

 clean and bright, and only the best given to the sick animal. 

 Pure water should be provided, and placed in such a position as 

 to enable the animal to reach it without difficulty ; a sick horse 

 will frequently rinse the lips and mouth with water if given 

 the opportunity, even when not thirsty. The water should be 

 changed as often as necessary during the day to insure a pure 

 and fresh supply at all times. 



A horse suffering from colic requires sufficient space, well 

 bedded, to prevent injuring himself by rolling during a spasm 

 of pain. A man should be constantly in attendance, as there 

 is danger that the animal may become cast and be unable to get 

 up without assistance. 



Undigested matter being the exciting cause in almost all cases 

 of colic, food should be withheld for about twelve hours after 

 all pain has disappeared, and then given only in small quanti- 

 ties during the next twenty-four hours, after which the ordi- 

 nary ration may be resumed. A few swallows of pure water 

 may be given at short intervals, but special care must be taken 

 when the water is very cold. 



The pulse is the beating of the arteries, usually felt at the jaw 

 (the submaxillary artery), and is an important guide in deter- 

 mining the physical condition of the animal ; the normal pulsa- 

 tions are about 40 per minute. The count is best taken by 

 placing the fore or middle finger transversely on the artery. 

 The slightest excitement, wdien the horse is sick, will cause an 

 alteration in the pulse; therefore the animal should be ap- 

 proached very quietly. A strong and full pulse is an indica- 

 tion of health. 



In the first stages of fever the pulse is full and bounding, 

 afterwards becoming small and weak. A very slow pulse 

 denotes disease or injury of the brain or spinal cord. An im- 

 perceptible pulse indicates the approach of death. 



At rest the healthly horse breathes from 13 to 15 times per 

 minute. Difficulty in breathing is a prominent symptom of 

 disease of the respiratory organs; it may also be observed in 

 some cases of flatulent colic. Abdominal breathing is the res- 

 piratory movement performed with the ribs fixed as much as 

 possible, owing to pain or mechanical obstruction in the chest, 

 and is a symptom of pleurisy and hydrothorax (water in the 

 chest). 



