Common Diseases of the Horse 241 



rule, lick the navel of her progeny. The cleansing of the navel by 

 the tongue of the mother, although not appearing to be a sanitary 

 measure, helps greatly to protect the young from infection. When 

 the cord is tied, which method the writer does not advocate, the 

 string or tape used for the purpose should be thoroughly soaked in 

 some disinfectant, and both the navel string and the hands washed 

 and disinfected as well. Carried out in this manner, and with anti- 

 septic after treatment, navel ill will be very rare. 



Symptoms. — Soon after birth, either the same or the follow- 

 ing day, the skin and parts around the navel become swollen, red, 

 and present a glistening appearance, and there is a thin discharge 

 from the end of the navel string, which may also contain urine. 



The disease is more favourable when the swellings around the 

 part are considerable, and when there is a tendency to the speedy 

 formation of abscesses confined to the neighbourhood of the navel. 

 In such a case very little change in the general health of the foal 

 may be noticed; it is not quite as hearty as it should be, and is 

 perhaps slightly stiff. Unfortunately, however, the above state of 

 affairs is not often so. The microbes get into the blood stream, 

 which becomes infected, and great disturbance of the system results. 

 The temperature and pulse increase, there is a refusal to suck, 

 constipation or diarrhcea may be present ; the eyes are sunken, and 

 the coat staring and dull. In other cases the foal apparently pro- 

 gresses satisfactorily for several days, when all at once it is found 

 to be very lame, leading one to conclude that some injury has been 

 sustained. The lameness is more common in the hind limbs, and 

 generally affects either the stifle or the hock, but any joint may 

 occasionally suffer. Several joints may be affected at the same 

 time. The inflammation of the joints may take the form of a 

 swelling with heat and pain only; or abscesses may form, which in 

 time rupture and discharge matter mixed with joint-oil. These 

 affections of the limbs are known as "joint ill" or "joint evil", and 

 are entirely due to the infection from the navel getting into the 

 system. Sometimes abscesses form in the lungs or almost any 

 organ of the body, all of them originating from the same cause. 



Treatment. — As the disease is of such a serious nature, treat- 

 ment cannot, of course, be attempted by any but the professional 

 man. He will immediately pay attention to the navel, which re- 

 quires strict antiseptic treatment. At the same time it will be 

 necessary to administer antiseptics internally, in fairly large and 

 frequent doses, to prevent, or, if it has already occurred, endeavour 

 to counteract the poisonous material in the system. For this 

 purpose quinine, carbolic acid, and salicylicate of soda are to be 

 Vol. in. 49 a 



