DISEASES OF HORSES 25 



ified parts begin to break down at the end of the disease. They occur 

 in bronchitis and in tuberculosis, where there is an excess of secretion. 

 Sometimes a shrill sound is heard, like the note of a whistle, fife, or 

 flute. This is due to a dry constriction of the bronchial tubes and it 

 is heard in chronic bronchitis and in tuberculosis. A friction sound 

 is heard in pleurisy. This is due to the rubbing together of rough- 

 ened surfaces, and the sound produced is similar to a dry rubbing 

 sound that is caused by rubbing the hands together or by rubbing 

 upon each other two dry, rough pieces of leather. 



The Examination of the Digestive Tract. The first point in con- 

 nection with the examination of the organs of digestion is the appe- 

 tite and the manner of taking food and drink. A healthy animal has 

 a good appetite. Loss of appetite does not point to a special diseased 

 condition, but comes from a variety of causes. Excitement, strange 

 surroundings, fatigue, and hot weather may all cause loss of appetite. 

 Where there is cerebral depression, fever, profound weakness, dis- 

 order of the stomach, or mechanical difficulty in chewing or swallow- 

 ing, the appetite is diminished or destroyed. Sometimes there is an 

 appetite or desire to eat abnormal things, such-as dirty bedding, roots 

 of grass, soil, etc. This desire usually comes from a chronic disturb- 

 ance of nutrition. 



Thirst is diminished in a good many mild diseases unaccompan- 

 ied by distinct fever. It is seen where there is great exhaustion or 

 depression or profound brain disturbance. Thirst is increased after 

 profuse sweating, in diabetes, diarrhea, in fever, at the crisis of infec- 

 tious diseases, and when the mouth is dry and hot. 



Some diseases of the mouth or throat make it difficult for the 

 horse to chew or swallow his food. Where difficulty in this respect is 

 experienced, the following named conditions should be borne in mind 

 and carefully looked for: Diseases of the teeth, consisting in decay, 

 fracture, abscess formation, or overgrowth ; inflammatory conditions, 

 or wounds or tumors of the tongue, cheeks, or lips ; paralysis of the 

 muscles of chewing or swallowing; foreign bodies in upper part of the 

 mouth between the molar teeth ; inflammation of throat. Difficulty 

 in swallowing is sometimes shown by the symptom known as "quid- 

 ding." Quidding consists in dropping from the mouth -well-chewed 

 boluses of food. A mouthful of hay, for example, after being ground 

 and masticated, is carried to the back part of the mouth. The horse 

 then finds that from tenderness of the throat, or from some other 

 cause, swallowing is difficult or painful, and the bolus is then dropped 

 from the mouth. Another quantity of hay is similarly prepared, 

 only to be dropped in turn. Sometimes quidding is due to a painful 

 tooth, the bolus being dropped from the mouth when the tooth is 

 struck and during the pang that follows. Quidding may be prac- 

 ticed so persistently that a considerable pile of boluses of food accumu- 

 late in the manger or on the floor of the stall. In pharyngitis one of 

 the symptoms is a return through the nose of fluid that the horse 

 attempts to swallow. 



In some brain diseases the horse has a most peculiar manner of 

 swallowing and of taking food. A similar condition is seen in hyper- 



