464 DISEASES OF THE HORSE. 



The bites of insects often produce a papul.ir eruption, Ijut in many 

 such cases the swelling extends wider into a buttonlike elevation, 

 one-half to an inch in diameter. The same remarks apply to the 

 effects of the poison ivy and poison sumac. 



Treatment. — In papular eruption first remove the cause, then apply 

 the same general remedies as for simple congestion. In the more 

 inveterate cases use ti lotion of one-hjilf ounce sulphid of potassiima 

 in 2 quarts of water, to which a little Castile soap has been added, or 

 use a wash with one-half ounce oil of tar, 2 ounces Castile soap, and 

 20 ounces water, 



INFLAMMATION WITH BLISTERS, OR ECZEMA. 



In this the skin is congestetl, thickened, warm (white skins are red- 

 dened), and shows a thick crop of little blisters formed by effusions 

 of a straw-colored fluid between the true sldn and the cuticle. The 

 blisters may be of any size from a millet seed to a pea, and often 

 crack open and allov/ the escape of the fluid, which concretes as a 

 slightly yellowish scab or crust around the roots of the hairs. This 

 exudation and the incrustation are especially common where the hairs 

 are long, thick, and numerous, as in the region of the pastern of 

 heavy draft horses. The term eczema is now applied veiy generally 

 to eruptions of all kinds that depend on internal disorders or consti- 

 tutional conditions and that tend to recurrences and inveteracy. 

 Eczema may appear on any part of the body, but in horses it is espe- 

 cially common on the heels and the lower parts of the limbs, and 

 less frequently on the neck, shoulder, and abdomen. The limbs ap- 

 pear to be especially liable because of their dependent position, all 

 blood having to return from them against the action of gravity and 

 congestions and swellings being common, because of the abundance 

 of blood vessels in this part of the skin and because of the frequent 

 contact with the irritant dimg and urine and their ammoniacal emana- 

 tions. The legs further suffer from contact with wet and mud when 

 at Work, from snow and ice, from drafts of cold air on the wet limbs, 

 from washing with caustic soaps, or from the relaxing effects of a 

 too deep and abundant litter. Among other causes may be named 

 indigestion and the presence of irritant matters in the blood and 

 sweat, the result of patent medicated feeds and condition powders 

 (aromatics, stimulants), green food, new hay, new oats, buckwheat, 

 wheat, maize, diseased potatoes, smut, or ergot in grains, decompos- 

 ing green feed, brewers' grains, or kitchen garbage. The excite- 

 ment in the skin, caused b}^ shedding the coat, lack of grooming, hot 

 weather, hot, boiled, or steamed feed amduces to the eruption. 

 Lastly, any sudden change of feed may induce it. 



The blisters may in part go on to suppuration so that vesicles and 

 pustules often appear on the same patch, and, wdien raw from rub- 



