DISEASES OF HORSES 291 



ity and to withstand much more work without danger. Further- 

 more, it permits early detection of an attack, and prevents working 

 after the disease begins, which renders subsequent medication more 

 effective by cutting the progress short at the stage of congestion. 



All animals when resting immediately after work should be 

 protected from cold air or drafts. If placed in a stable that is warm 

 and without draft, no covering is necessary ; under opposite conditions 

 blankets should be used until the excitement and exhaustion of labor 

 have entirely passed away. It is still better that all animals coming 

 in warm from work be cooled out by slow w r alking until the per- 

 spiration has dried and the circulation and respiration are again 

 normal. Animals stopped on the road even for a few moments 

 should always be protected from rapid change of temperature by 

 appropriate clothing. If it can be avoided, horses that are working 

 should never be driven or ridden through water. If unavoidable, 

 they should be cooled off before passing through, and then kept mov- 

 ing until completely dried. The same care is to be practiced with 

 washing the legs in cold water when just in from work, for occasion- 

 ally it proves the cause of a most acute attack of this disease. 



Unusual changes in the manner of applying the shoes should 

 not be hastily made. If a plane shoe has been worn, high heels or 

 toes must not be substituted at once; but the change, if necessary, 

 should gradually be made, so that the different tissues may adapt 

 themselves to the altered conditions. If the radical changes are im- 

 perative, as is sometimes the case, the work must be so reduced in 

 quantity and quality that it can not excite the disease. 



Laminitis from the effects of purgatives can scarcely be guarded 

 against. The trouble does not seem to depend upon the size of the 

 purgative, the length of time before purgation begins, or the activity 

 and severity with which the remedy acts. Medicines known to have 

 unusual irritating effects on the alimentary canal should be used 

 only when necessity demands it, and then in moderate doses. 



Experience alone will determine what animals are liable to 

 suffer from this disease through the use of foods. When an attack 

 can be ascribed to any particular food it should be withheld, unless 

 in small quantities. Horses that have never been fed upon Indian 

 corn should receive but a little of it at a time, mixed with bran, oats, 

 or other food, until it has been determined that no danger exists. 

 Corn is less safe in warm than in cold weather, and for this reason 

 it should always be fed with caution during spring and summer 

 months. 



When an animal is excessively lame in one foot the shoe of the 

 opposite member should be removed, and cold water frequently ap- 

 plied to the well foot. At the same time use the slings if the subject 

 remains standing. Horses should under no circumstances be over- 

 worked; to guard against this, previous work, nature of roads, state 

 of weather, and various other influences mu.4 be carefully consid- 

 ered. Watering while warm is a pernicious habit, and, unless the 

 animal is accustomed to it, is apt to result in some disorder, ofttimes 

 in laminitis. 



