80 MEGRIMS, FITS, VERTIGO, CONGESTION. 



Megrims, Fits, Vertigo, Congestion. 



This is rather a frequent affection of the horse, 

 and is a consequence of an undue pressure or rush 

 of blood to the head, in most cases also excited by 

 indigestion or over^fullness of the stomach. 



In the milder cases, the horse stops suddenly, 

 shakes his head % or even staggers in evident giddi- 

 ness and half-unconsciousness for a moment, and 

 then goes on again as if nothing had happened. In 

 more severe cases, he stops suddenly, shakes his 

 head, falls or drops down, or after a few unconscious 

 turns, and a violent struggle, will becojne insensible, 

 and then rise up and go on again ; such attacks 

 closely simulate true epilepsy. 



There are symptoms which indicate such an at- 

 tack, and are plainly referable to congestion ; such 

 as dullness, indolence, dejection, the horse prefers 

 the dark corner of the stable, his eyes are dull, look 

 fixed and stupid, eyelids half shut, inattentive to 

 everything, half asleep as it were, head hanging or 

 resting on the manger. His gait is unsteady, heavy 

 and slow, raises the feet high, and puts the entire 

 sole to the ground, is awkward in turning, and can 

 scarcely back at all. As the disease progresses, he 

 becomes more and more insensible ; mastication is 

 performed slowly, dropping part from his mouth; 

 prefers taking his food from the ground, and in 

 drinking plunges his head into the water above his 

 nostrils. Then there are violent moments, the 

 animal runs on quite blind until some obstacle stops 



