60 DISEASES OF THE HORSE. 



DISEASES OF THE MOUTH. 



LAMPAS. 



Lampas is the name given to a swelling of the mucous membrane 

 covering the hard palate and projecting in a more or less prominent 

 ridge immediately behind the upper incisors. The hard palate is 

 composed of spongy tissue that fills with blood when the horse is 

 feeding, which causes the ridges to become prominent, and they then 

 help to keep feed from dropping from the mouth. This swelling is 

 entirely natural and occurs in every healthy horse. Where there is 

 some irritation in the mouth, as in stomatitis or during teething, the 

 prominence of the hard palate may persist, owing to the increased 

 blood supply. In such cases the cause of the irritation should be 

 sought for and removed. By way of direct treatment, slight scari- 

 fication is the most that will be required. Burning the lampas is 

 barbarous and injurious, and it should never be tolerated. 



It is a quite common opinion among owners of horses and stable- 

 men that lampas is a disease that very frequently exists. In fact 

 whenever a horse fails to eat, and if he does not exhibit very marked 

 symptoms of a severe illness, they say at once "he has the lampas." 

 It is almost impossible to convince them to the contrary; yet it is 

 not the case. It may be put down, then, as an affliction of the stable- 

 man's imagination rather than of the horse's mouth. 



STOMATITIS. 



Stomatitis is an inflammation of the mucous membrane lining the 

 mouth and is produced by irritating medicines, feeds, or other sub- 

 stances. The symptoms are swelling of the mouth, which is also hot 

 and painful to the touch ; there is a copious discharge of saliva ; the 

 mucous membrane is reddened, and in some cases vesicles or ulcers 

 in the mouth are observed. The treatment is simple, soft feed alone 

 often being all that is necessary. A bucket of fresh, cold water 

 should be kept constantly in the manger so that the horse may drink 

 or rinse his mouth at will. In some instances, it may be advisable 

 to use a wash of chlorate of potash, borax, or alum, about one-half 

 ounce to a pint of water. Hay, straw, or oats should not be fed 

 unless steamed or boiled. A form of contagious stomatitis, charac- 

 terized by the formation within the mouth of small vesicles, or blis- 

 ters, sometimes occurs. In this disease the horse should be isolated 

 from other horses, and his stall, especially the feed box, and his bit 

 should be disinfected. 



GLOSSITIS (INFLAMMATION OF THE TONGUE). 



Glossitis, or inflammation of the tongue, is very similar to stoma- 

 titis, and mostly exists with it and is due to the same causes. Injuries 

 to the tongue may produce this simple inflammation of its covering 



