COMMON AILMENTS 513 



seriously from the disease and fall away in condition, while 

 others seem little affected. The treatment is the same as 

 that given above for cracked heels, but the lotion is preferable 

 to the ointment. One of the best preventives is to leave 

 the hair of the limbs as a protection to the extremities, which 

 are most liable -to suffer from cold. 



Fever in the Feet, Founder, or Laminitis, is an inflamma- 

 tion of the sensitive laminae and all the vascular structures of 

 the feet. In nine cases out of ten it is primarily due to dis- 

 ordered internal organs bowels or womb. Horses with 

 heavy bodies and small legs and feet, those with flat, open 

 feet, and others with a hereditary tendency, are predisposed 

 to the disease. 



The inciting causes are (i) overfeeding with a stimulat- 

 ing diet while giving insufficient exercise ; (2) driving a horse 

 a long journey on hard roads after prolonged rest in the 

 stable ; (3) exposing a horse to cold, or giving him flour and 

 water or meal and water without the starch having been 

 burst by boiling, or, when overheated, an excessive draught 

 of cold water ; (4) animals obtaining by accident, or by being 

 carelessly fed, an excess of such foods as wheat, Indian corn 

 (by far the worst), green oats, or green oat-straw. " Laminitis 

 is sometimes a sequel to parturition. Travelling stallions are 

 particularly subject to the disease. They are made sleek and 

 often too fat, to catch the public eye, and they have to walk 

 long distances on hard roads, or stand in horse-boxes during 

 long railway journeys. Symptoms. The first indications are 

 those of a chill, shivering, and slight rise of temperature, then 

 apparent stiffness of the loins ; the surface of the body cold ; 

 temperature up to 104 or 105 ; the horse refuses to back, 

 or does so gingerly ; and the feet are hot. The fore feet are 

 the most commonly affected, and the horse stands with the 

 hind feet well underneath him, in order to relieve the fore 

 feet from his weight. If all four feet are affected, he stands 

 with them gathered together and the back roached. The 

 appetite is usually totally lost. Some animals persistently 

 stand, others equally persistently lie, to their undoubted 

 relief. The disease runs its course in about a week. Treat- 

 ment. Remove the shoes and poultice the feet with bran 

 poultices ; give 2 drams of nitrate of potash in the drink- 

 ing water. Of febrifuges, the best in this disease is the tincture 



2 K 



