DISEASES OF HORSES 299 



sions of a straw-colored fluid between the true skin and the cuticle. 

 The blisters may be of any size from a millet seed to a pea, and often 

 crack open and allow the escape of the fluid, which concretes as a 

 slightly yellowish .scab or crust around the roots of the hairs. This 

 exudation and incrustation are especially common where the hairs 

 are long, thick, and numerous, as in the region of the pastern of 

 heavy draft horses. The term eczema is now applied very generally 

 to eruptions of all kinds that depend on internal disorders or con- 

 stitutional conditions, and that tend to recurrences and inveteracy. 

 Eczema may appear on any part of the body, but in horses it is es- 

 pecially common on the heels and the lower parts of the limbs, and 

 less frequently on the neck, shoulder, and abdomen. The limbs 

 appear to be especially liable because of their dependent position, 

 all blood having to return from them against the action of gravity, 

 and congestions and swellings being common, because of the abun- 

 dance of blood vessels in this part of the skin, and because of the 

 frequent contact with the irritant dung and urine and their ammon- 

 iacal emanations. The legs further suffer from contact with wet 

 and mud when at work, from snow and ice, from drafts of cold air 

 on the wet limbs, from washing with caustic soaps, or from the re- 

 laxing effects of a too deep and abundant litter. Among other 

 causes may be named indigestion and the presence of irritant mat- 

 ters in the blood and sweat, the result of patent medicated foods and 

 condition powders (aromatics, stimulants), green food, new hay, 

 new oate, buckwheat, wheat, maize, diseased potatoes, smut, or 

 ergot, in grains, decomposing green food, brewers' grains, or kitchen 



garbage. The excitement in the skin, caused by shedding the coat, 

 ick of grooming, hot weather, hot, boiled or steamed food, conduces 

 to the eruption. Lastly, any sudden change of food may induce it. 

 The blisters may in part go on to suppuration so that vesicles and 

 pustules often appear on the same patch, and when raw from rub- 

 bing the true nature of the eruption may be completely masked. 

 In high-fed horses, kept in close stables with little work, eczema of 

 the limbs may last for months and years. It is a very troublesome 

 affection in draft stallions. 



Treatment. This disease is so often the result of indigestion 

 that a laxative of 1 pound Glauber's salts, in 3 or 4 quarts water or 

 l 1 /^ pints olive oil, is often demanded to clear away irritants from 

 the alimentary canal. Following this, in recent and acute cases, 

 give 2 drams of acetate or bicarbonate of potash twice a day in the 

 drinking water. If the bowels still become costive, give daily 1 

 ounce sulphate of soda and 20 grains powdered nux vomica. In 

 debilitated horses combine the nux vomica with one-half ounce 

 powdered gentian root. As a wash for the skin use 1 dram bicar- 

 bonate of soda and 1 dram carbolic acid in a quart of water, after 

 having cleansed the surface with tepid water. Employ the same 

 precautions as regards feeding, statbling, and care of harness as in 

 simple congestion of the skin. 



In the more inveterate forms of eczema more active treatment 

 is required. Soak the scabs in fresh sweet oil, and in a few hours 



