292 HORSE, SWINE AND POULTRY DISEASES 



Curative Measures. In cases of simple congestion of the lam- 

 inae the body should be warmly clothed and warm drinks admin- 

 istered. The feet should be placed in a warm bath to increase the re- 

 turn flow of blood. In course of an hour the feet may be changed 

 to cold water and kept there until recovery is completed. If the 

 constitutional symptoms demand it, diuretics should be given. Half- 

 ounce doses of saltpeter, three times a day in the water, answer the 

 purpose. In cases of active congestion the warm footbaths should be 

 omitted and cold ones used from the commencement. Subacute 

 laminitis demands the same treatment, with laxatives if there is con- 

 stipation, and the addition of low-heeled shoes. The diuretics may 

 need to be continued for some time and their frequency increased. 

 Regarding acute laminitis, what has been called the American treat- 

 ment is simple and efficient. It consists solely in the exhibition of 

 large doses of nitrate of potash and the continued application to 

 the feet and ankles of cold water. 



Three to 4 ounces of saltpeter in a pint of water, repeated every 

 six hours, is the proper dose. The laminitis frequently subsides 

 within a week. These large doses may be continued for a week with- 

 out danger. The feet should be kept in a tub of water at a tempera- 

 ture of 45 to 50 F., unless the animal is lying down, when swabs 

 are to be used and wet every half hour with the cold water. The 

 water keeps the horn soft and moist and acts directly upon the in- 

 flamed tissues by reducing the temperature. Cold maintains the 

 vitality and disease-resisting qualities of the soft tissues, tones up 

 the coats of the blood vessels, diminishes the supply of blood, and 

 limits the exudation. Furthermore, cold has an anesthetic effect 

 upon the diseased tissues and relieves the pain. 



Aconite may be given in conjunction with the niter where the 

 heart is greatly excited and beats strongly. Ten-drop doses, repeated 

 every two hours for twenty-four hours, are sufficient. The use of 

 cathartics is dangerous, for they may excite superpurgation. Usually 

 the niter will relieve the constipation, yet if it should prove obstin- 

 ate, laxatives may be carefully given. Bleeding, both general and 

 local, should be guarded against. The shoes must be early removed 

 and the soles left unpared. 



Paring of the soles presents two objections: First, while it may 

 temporarily relieve the pain by relieving pressure, it favors greater 

 exudation, which may more than counterbalance the good effects. 

 Secondly, it makes the feet tender and subject to bruises when the 

 animal again goes to work. The shoes should be replaced when con- 

 valescence sets in and the animal is ready to take exercise. Exercise 

 should never be enforced until the inflammation has subsided; for 

 although it temporarily relieves the pain and soreness, it maintains 

 the irritation, increases the exudation, and postpones recovery. 



If at the end of the fifth or sixth day prominent symptoms of 

 recovery are not apparent, apply a stiff blister of cantharides around 

 the coronet and omit the niter for about forty-eight hours. When 

 the blister is well set, the feet may again receive wet swabs. If one 

 blister does not remove the soreness it may be repeated, or the actual 



