5« 



HORSE— DISEASES AND REMEDIES. 



merely an enlargement of the ends of the 

 spinous processes, accompanied by heat 

 and tenderness, but these go on until an 

 abscess forms, which may be known to 

 the touch by the fluctuating nature of 

 the sensation which it gives on pressure 

 by the fingers of each hand. As soon as 

 this is made out, an opening should be 

 made as low down as possible on the 

 right side, taking care that it will allow all 

 the matter to run out as fast as it forms. 

 The reason why the right side should be 

 chosen is, that most horses lie down on 

 that side; but if the subject of fistulous 

 withers is in the habit of lying on the left 

 side, the opening should be made there 

 in preference. When an actual fistula 

 has been established, and the matter 

 points before or behind the shoulder 

 blade, a sufficiently large opening should 

 at once be made, taking care again that 

 there is no pouch below it which will 

 permit any accumulation. It is better to 

 divide even important muscles than to 

 suffer this to exist. In recent cases the 

 establishment of this dependent opening 

 will alone suffice to effect a cure ; but in 

 those of long standing, the lining of the 

 fistulous passage or passages has become 

 converted into a substance almost resem- 

 bling cartilage, and refuses to . throw out 

 healthy granulation, so as to lead to ad- 

 hesion of its walls. Here a stimulus 

 must be applied to their interior, which 

 may be either mechanical, in the shape 

 of a seton tape passed through from end 

 to end and left there, or chemical, by 

 means of injections. The latter are best 

 composed of chloride of zinc (Sir W, 

 Burnett's disinfecting fluid), diluted with 

 water. One drachm of this should be 

 mixed in a pint of water, and carefully 

 injected into every part of the sinus twice 

 or thrice a week. 



HORSE, Poll Evil.— Poll evil is ex- 

 actly similar in its nature to fistulous 

 withers, being produced by a blow on 

 the prominent ridge, which is situated on 

 the top of the poll. The blow is gen- 

 erally produced in the stable, by the 

 horse suddenly lifting his head and strik- 

 ing it against a low beam or the lintel of 

 the door. Or it may be caused by fre- 

 quently straining against the halter rein, 

 and thus producing irritation and in- 

 flammation of the part. As the ligamen- 

 tu:n colli is attached above, and anterior 



to, the inflamed part, when matter forms 

 it is confined and gives intense pain ; be- 

 sides which, it is a long time before it 

 opens a passage by natural means. The 

 symptoms are a painful swelling on the 

 poll, of a soft nature, accompanied by 

 the sense of fluctuation on examination,, 

 just like that described as accompanying 

 fistulous withers. The treatment must 

 be precisely similar to that described in 

 the last section; but as the matter when 

 formed lies very close to the spinal cord r . 

 some caution must be exercised in adopt- 

 ing stimulating injections, which are apt 

 to produce severe inflammation, likely to 

 extend to these important structures. 

 So also in opening it, the knife should 

 not be carried deeply into the situation 

 of the spinal marrow, which here lies ex- 

 posed, and is easily divided (as in the 

 operation known by the name of pithing), 

 but it should be used in a slanting man- 

 ner, again selecting the right side in pre- 

 ference to the left. A seton is here the 

 safest plan for promoting granulation and 

 adhesion, and as the fistulous track is. 

 seldom very long, the tape will work its- 

 way gradually out, by which time the 

 cure is effected. 



HORSE, Caries of the Jaw.— The up- 

 per jaw, from its exposed situation, and 

 the lower from the same cause, and also 

 from the abuse of the bit, are liable to 

 mechanical injury, which ends in caries, 

 (ulceration), or sometimes in necrosis, 

 (mortification), of the part. Caries of 

 the lower jaw, between the tushes and 

 grinders, is extremely common, owing to 

 the barbarous punishment which is in- 

 flicted by the use of long levers to curb- 

 bits, together with tight curb chains. 

 The bony plate forming the roof of the 

 mouth is also often injured by the pres- 

 sure of the part when a tight noseband is 

 employed to keep the mouth shut. Ei- 

 ther may be known by the existence of a. 

 sore of a peculiar character; there is a 

 depression indicating a loss of substance,, 

 and in this lies a mass of unhealthy gran- 

 ulation (proud flesh), which is not at- 

 tached to the surrounding surface, being 

 only fixed to the bottom of the cavity, or 

 perhaps partially on one side. A watery 

 and offensive discharge goes on con- 

 stantly, but this is lost in the saliva, and 

 very often the only circumstance that 

 draws attention to the disease is the con- 



