14 THE ARMY HORSE IN ACCIDENT AND DISEASE. 



from odor. The hay should be clean and bright, and only the best 

 given to the sick animal. Pure water should be provided, and placed 

 in such a position as to enable the animal to reach it without difficulty; 

 a sick horse will frequently rinse the lips and mouth with water if 

 given the opportunity, even when not thirsty. The water should be 

 changed as often as necessary during the day to insure a pure and 

 f resb supply at all times. 



A horse suffering from colic requires sufficient space, well bedded, 

 to prevent injuring himself by rolling during a spasm of pain. A 

 man should be constantly in attendance, as there is danger that the 

 animal may become cast and be unable to get up without assistance. 



Undigested matter being the exciting cause in almost all cases of 

 colicj food should be withheld for about twelve hours after all pain 

 has disappeared, and then given only in small quantities during the 

 next twenty-four hours, after which the ordinary ration may be re- 

 sumed. A few swallows of pure water may be given at short intervals, 

 but special care must be taken when the water is very cold. 



The pulse is the beating of the arteries, usually felt at the jaw (the 

 submaxillary artery), and is an important guide in determining the 

 physical condition of the animal; the normal pulsations are about 40 

 per minute. The count is best taken by placing the fore or middle 

 finger transversely on the artery. The slightest excitement, when 

 the horse is sick, will cause an alteration in the pulse; therefore the 

 animal should be approached very quietly. A strong and full pulse 

 is an indication of health. 



In the first stages of fever the pulse is full and bounding, after- 

 wards becoming small and weak. A very slow pulse denotes disease 

 or injury of the brain or spinal cord. An imperceptible pulse indi- 

 cates the approach of death. 



At rest the healthy horse breathes from 13 to 15 times per minute. 

 Difficult or rapid breathing is a prominent symptom of disease of the 

 respiratory organs ; it may also be observed in some cases of flatulent 

 colic. Abdominal breathing is the respiratory movement performed 

 with the ribs fixed as much as possible, owing to pain or mechanical 

 obstruction in the chest, and is a symptom of pleurisy and hydro- 

 thorax (water in the chest). 



Irregular breathing is that condition where there is a want of 

 harmonious correspondence between the inspiratory and expiratory 

 movements, and is observed in the disease commonly known as 

 "broken wind" or "heaves." The inspiratory movement in this 

 affection is performed quickly and with jerky effort, while the expi- 

 ratory movement is performed slowly and with a double action, 

 more particularly of the abdominal muscles. Irregular breathing 

 often becomes spasmodic or convulsive during the progress of the 

 disease. The condition and color of the visible mucous membranes 



