42 DISEASES OF THE HORSE. 



In cases attended with complications, the diagnosis at times be- 

 comes still more difficult, as at the end of a case of influenza which 

 becomes complicated with pneumonia. The high temperature of the 

 simple inflammatory disease may be grafted on that of the specific 

 trouble, and the determination of the cause of the feyer, as between 

 the two, is therefore frequently a difficult matter but an important 

 one, as upon it depends the mode of treatment. 



Any animal suffering from feyer, whateyer the cause, is much 

 more susceptible to attacks of local inflammation, which become com- 

 plications of the original disease, than are animals in soimd health. 

 In feyer we haye the tissues and the walls of the blood yessels weak- 

 ened, we haye an increased current of more or less altered blood 

 flowing through the yessels and stagnating in the capillaries, which 

 need but an exciting cause to transform the passiye congestion of 

 feyer into an actiye congestion and acute inflammation. These con- 

 ditions become still more distinct when the feyer is accompanied with 

 a decided deterioration in the blood itself, as is seen in influenza, 

 septicemia, and at the termination of seyere pneumonias. 



Feyer, with its symptoms of increased temperature, acceleration of 

 the pulse, acceleration of respiration, dry skin, diminished secre- 

 tions, etc., must be considered as an indication of organic disturb- 

 ance. This organic disturbance may be the result of local inflamma- 

 tion or other irritants acting through the neryes on nerye centers, 

 alterations of the blood, in which a poison is carried to the nerye cen- 

 ters, or direct irritants to the nerye centers themselyes, as in cases of 

 heat stroke, injury to the brain, etc. 



The treatment of feyer depends upon its cause. One of the impor- 

 tant factors in treatment is absolute quiet. This may be obtained 

 b}^ placing a sick horse in a box stall, away from other animals and 

 extraneous noises and sheltered from excessiye light and drafts of 

 air. Anodynes, belladonna, hyoscyamus, and opium act as antipy- 

 retics simply by quieting the neryous system. As an irritant exists 

 in the blood in most cases of feyer, any remedy which will fayor the 

 excretion of foreign elements from it will diminish this cause. We 

 therefore use diaphoretics to stimulate the sweat and excretions 

 from the skin: diuretics to fayor the elimination of matter by the 

 kidneys: cholagogues and laxatiyes to increase the action of the liyer 

 and intestines, and to drain from these important organs all the 

 waste material which is aiding to choke up and congest their rich 

 plexuses of blood yessels. The heart becomes stimulated to increased 

 action at the outset of a feyer. but this does not indicate increased 

 strength ; on the contrary, it indicates the action of an irritant to the 

 heart that will soon weaken it. It is, therefore, irrational further to 

 depress the heart by the use of such drugs as aconite. It is better to 

 strenathen it and to fayor the elimination of the substance that is 



