Nursing of Sick Animals. 157 



The pulse rate in the horse is taken at the lower jaw 

 with the first two fingers of the hand gently pressing the 

 artery against the bone, the person taking the pulse usu- 

 ally stands on the near side and takes it with the right 

 hand. It may also be taken just below the 

 eye, on the inside of the fore leg, under the 

 tail and on the outside of a hind fetlock. In 

 cattle it is taken at the side of the jaw oppo- 

 site to the attendant or just above the fore 

 fetlocks; in sheep it is taken on the inside of 

 the thigh; in this animal, however, it is rarely 

 of much value. The pulse beats will be found 

 to number from 36 to 40 per minute in the 

 horse, 45 to 60 in the cow. The clinical 

 thermometer is of great value to the veterina- 

 rian and the nurse; no stockman should be 

 without one, its use will often aid in determin- 

 ing whether an animal is sick or not, and if 

 the owner of the animal consults with his 

 veterinarian, that person if 'possessed of the 

 correct temperature, pulse, rate of breathing, 

 appearance of the feces and urine, together 

 with the state of the mucous membrane, viz. , 

 of the eye and nose, will be able to judge as 

 to the condition of the animal and prescribe 

 accordingly. The temperature of animals is clinical 

 usually taken in the rectum, where the ther- Thermometer 

 mometer is allowed to remain from one to three minutes. 

 Always shake the mercury down in the thermometer 

 before using it, to do so place the instrument bulb down 

 between the finger and thumb, then with a wrist move- 



