DISEASES AND TREATMENT OF THE HORSE 257 



Causes. — It is the result of being bitten by a dog or cat. 

 It never originates in the horse. 



Symptoms. — There is extreme restlessness. He bites or 

 rubs the part that has been bitten. Brain disturbance soon 

 follows these earlier symptoms, similar in some respects to 

 that during an attack of inflammation of the brain. The 

 symptoms of hydrophobia have the additional feature of 

 viciousness, as shown by the destructive impulse and also by 

 attempts to bite his attendant. The excitement increases. 

 He turns round and round, finally falls and dies. 



Treatment. — When the symptoms as here outlined are 

 apparent, destroy the horse at once. 



A bite from a dog may be treated — before symptoms of 

 hydrophobia appear — as follows: With a sharp knife cut 

 away the flesh in the vicinity of the wound and then burn 

 with caustic potash or nitrate of silver. Should these not 

 be at hand use a red-hot iron or anything to destroy the 

 poison. 



11. Lockjaw (Tetanus). 



This is purely a disease of the nerves and receives its 

 name because of the peculiar effect upon the muscles of the 

 jaw, causing them at times to become so set that it is an 

 utter impossibility to pry them apart. It appears in two 

 forms, viz : the traumatic following a visible injury or opera- 

 tion and the diopatic, which develops when no injury or 

 operation is apparent. 



Cause. — It is due to a germ — tetanus bacillus — entering 

 the system through an abrasion of the skin or mucous mem- 

 brane. The symptoms begin to appear from eight to twenty- 

 one days after the occurrence of the injury. The abrasion 

 may be slight or severe, as it has been known to follow the 

 prick of a nail in the foot as well as a stake or cut. It may 

 follow any operation — docking, nicking a horse's tail, or 

 castration. Injury to the skin while blistering severely may 

 account for it. 



It is more likely to follow castration if the castrated 

 animal be allowed to remain in cold winds and rain or walk 

 through or stand in cold water. A case is on record in which 

 twenty-four castrated horses were allowed to bathe in cold 

 water. Sixteen of the twenty-four died of lockjaw. The 

 necessity of operating in fine weather and of keeping the 



