DR. LEGEAR'S STOCK BOOK. 



145 



Fig. 18. The manner of taking the pulse. 



gers by gently pressing the artery against the inner side of the 

 jaw. as seen in Figure 18. 



In the healthy horse the pulse will beat on an average 

 about 35 a minute; yet in some horses it may only be 30 or even 

 40 and the animal be in perfect health. The breed and tem- 

 perament of an animal has a great deal to do with the number 

 of pulse beats. In a thoroughbred the number of beats is gen- 

 erally greater than in a coarse-bred horse. The pulse is less 

 frequent in a dull, plethoric animal than in an excitable one. 

 The pulse rate, then, should always be taken when the animal is 

 quiet and at rest. Work, exercise, etc., increases the number of 

 pulsations. A horse's pulse taken when he is standing quietly 

 in the stable will be found less frequent than when he is at pas- 

 ture. The number of pulsations in a given time differs consider- 

 ably in different animals. In cattle the pulse varies in adults 

 from 40 to 50. ?>ut in cows it varies considerably from a great 



