112 



HORSE— DISEASES AND REMEDIES. 



cracks, caused by the action of the limb, 

 but only to a sufficient extent to show 

 that blood has escaped. The treatment 

 must ( be local as well as general if the 

 eruption is not entirely due to misman- 

 agement. In any case, the part should 

 be dressed with cerate of acetate of lead, 

 a little of which should be rubbed in 

 every night. Next morning some glycer- 

 ine should be brushed on an hour at least 

 before the exercise, and renewed before 

 the daily work is commenced. This will 

 prevent all risk of the skin cracking, 

 while the ointment will act beneficially on 

 the vessels of the heart. In addition to 

 the^e applications, the general health 

 should be attended to if in fault, and ton- 

 ics or diuretics should be given, as the 

 case may require. 



HORSE, Grease. — The eruption known 

 as grease is sometimes only an aggravat- 

 ed form of chapped heels, and is often 

 preceded by them. At others the ap- 

 pearance of the disease is ushered in by 

 constitutional symptoms, such as fever- 

 ishness, oedema of the limbs and hide- 

 bound. The first local sympton is a 

 slight swelling of the skin of the heels 

 and adjacent parts, which soon cracks, 

 and from the fissures there exudes an of- 

 fensive discharge which looks greasy, but 

 is really watery, being of a serous nature. 

 It inflames every part that it touches, and 

 has a tendency to cause a spread of the 

 eruption in all directions, but chiefly 

 downwards. The legs go on swelling to 

 a frightful extent, and are thereby render- 

 ed so stiff and sore that great lameness is 

 produced. If this stage is neglected the 

 whole surface ulcerates, and a fungoid 

 growth makes its appearance, chiefly from 

 the original cracks. The discharge be- 

 comes purulent and has a most foul smell, 

 and the leg can with difficulty be bent at 

 all. Finally, the fungous excresences 

 cover the whole of the diseased skin, be- 

 ing of a bright red color, and slightly re- 

 sembling grapes in form, from which cir- 

 cumstances this stage has been called 

 " the grapes." It is now very rare to meet 

 with grease in any of its forms except in 

 the cart-stable, where the hairy legs of its 

 inmates render them peculiarly prone to 

 its attacks, from the time required to dry 

 them when wet. They are so difficult to 

 clean without water that the carters may 

 well be excused for using it, but if they 



do they ought carefully to dry the legs 

 afterwards. The treatment when grease 

 is established must be founded upon the 

 same principle as in chapped heels. The 

 skin must be kept supple, and at the same 

 time stimulated to a healthy action. For 

 the former purpose glycerine is most val- 

 uable, being far more efficacious than any 

 greasy dressing, such as we were obliged 

 to employ before the discovery of this 

 substance. In all the stages of grease, 

 this latter agent may be employed, and 

 as it is readily soluble in water it can be 

 washed off and renewed as often as it 

 may be desired. The discharge is so foul 

 and irritating that it ought to be thor- 

 oughly removed at least once in twenty- 

 four hours ; and one of the chief advan- 

 tages of the use of glycerine is that it so 

 greatly assists this cleansing process from 

 its solubility in water. In addition to this 

 emollient plan, some stimulus must be se- 

 lected, and none answers so well (in all 

 stages but the very earliest) as chloride 

 of zinc. When, therefore, the heels are 

 in that state that it is almost doubtful 

 whether the disease is the mere chap or 

 absolute grease, the treatment recom- 

 mended for the former may be tried, but 

 should this fail, the groom should at once 

 proceed to cut the hair of the skin which 

 is diseased as short as possible. Then let 

 him take some soap and warm water and 

 gently wash the parts with a sponge till 

 the skin is perfectly clean and free from 

 scab or scurf, taking care to remove every 

 particle of soap by well rinsing it. Next 

 dry the leg, and them with a small paint- 

 brush rub gently into the inflamed parts 

 enough of the following lotion to damp 

 them, but not to wet them thoroughly: 



Take of Chloride of Zinc - - - 30 grs. 



Water --•-•- 1 pint. Mix. 



A quarter of an hour afterwards apply a 

 little glycerine over the whole, and keep 

 the parts sufficiently supple with it. If 

 there is much discharge the cleansing may 

 be repeated night and morning, followed 

 by the chloride of zinc, but in most cases 

 once a day will be sufficiently often. If 

 the ulcerated or inflamed skin does not 

 put on a healthy appearance in a few days, 

 the lotion may be increased in strength, 

 using forty, fifty, or sixty grains to the 

 pint, as required; but the remedy will be 

 found to be almost a specific, except for 

 the grapy form, if properly proportioned 



