Common Diseases of the Horse 199 



to do with the disease, as greys, light chestnuts, and washy bays 

 appear more prone to its ravages than the darker-coloured horses, 

 such as browns and dark bays. A characteristic of rheumatism is 

 that on its first manifestation it appears and disappears, or moves 

 from one part of the body to another. A horse may be lame one 

 day in the shoulder and sound the next ; he may be lame in the fore 

 limb, suddenly become sound in that leg and become lame in a 

 hind one. Climate has a considerable influence, and wet weather 

 will frequently cause its appearance. 



After one attack it is liable to recur. It causes a great deal 

 more trouble in young horses than it does to those of some age, 

 and if not treated in its first stages it is prone to become 

 chronic. 



Constitutional diseases, such as influenza, strangles, and chest 

 affections, appear to be predisposing causes particularly in young 

 horses, and if the latter are not given the best of attention as 

 regards stable management, and they are exposed to wet or cold, 

 an acute attack is quite likely to supervene. 



Symptoms. — Acute rheumatism is marked by fever, and the tem- 

 perature may rise several degrees. Hot and painful swellings occur 

 on the tendons or joints; in this condition the horse will be hide- 

 bound, constipated, and will move with difficulty. 



The chronic form is distinguished by an absence of fever. The 

 swellings are not so large or painful at first, but as time goes on the 

 joints become enlarged and deformed, the tendons thickened, and 

 the animal is spoken of generally as being a bad doer. A typical 

 case may be described as follows: — 



The horse will first be noticed to lie down at almost every 

 opportunity, not in an easy, comfortable manner with his legs 

 partially under him, but on his side, with all his legs stretched fully 

 out. On getting up he will show a certain amount of stiffness and 

 stand with his legs under him. He will begin to lose the healthy 

 feel on being touched, and become more or less hidebound. The 

 stiffness will disappear after a little exercise, but he will again 

 show it after rest. If put into a loose box he will lie down directly 

 he has finished his feed, and will remain so until he is again forced 

 to get up. As the disease progresses, on the animal being walked 

 round the box a crackling of the joints will often be heard, the 

 sufferer loses condition rapidly, becomes tucked up in his middle, 

 and soon becomes a complete wreck. 



In such a case the writer has very often noticed a great increase 

 in the height of the horse. Five-, six-, and seven-year-olds have 

 grown a hand in l&ss than twelve months. Whenever such rapid 



