DISEASES OF DOMESTIC ANIMALS. 23 



false membrane. This is more likely to take place in cattle than in 

 horses, and it will form in from twenty-four to forty- eight hours. It is 

 astonishing what a change will take place in this time. This exudation 

 is soon taken up by the blood vessels, if the animal begins to convalesce. 

 With hydrothorax there are shreds of lymph, or yellow clots of fibres, 

 floating in the water of the chest. You may find that the outer surface 

 of the lung is affected, but the internal part may appear pretty sound. 



Causes are similar to those of pneumonia. Exposure to cold, or 

 standing in a large stable between two large doors, through which a 

 heavy draft passes ; by washing the limbs or body when the horse is 

 warm and not drying immediately, which has a tendency to drive the 

 blood from the surface ; or from injury to the side, which may or may 

 not fracture, but may produce pleurisy. It is usually ushered in with 

 rigours, pulse quick and wiry, fuller than in pneumonia and of this wiry 

 character ; the animal appears in very great pain, and, although, breath- 

 ing violently, will lie down. If you make him cough, he will endeavour 

 to suppress it as much as possible. This is different from lung fever. 

 Ears and extremities cold, or one leg warm and another cold, and vice 

 versa ; quick breathing ; a hollow line extending along the inferior 

 border of the false ribs ; there is a rasping sound ; the animal en- 

 deavours to expand the chest as much as possible, hence the line. 

 Auscultation reveals a grating sound ; after a time this will cease — just 

 as soon as the exudation takes place. If you attempt concussion, the 

 animal evinces great pain ; if you attempt to turn him around he will 

 groan from pain. In fifteen or twenty minutes the animal shows 

 symptoms of returning health ; the grating sound ceases, and you 

 may be deceived in this ; the pulse, instead of becoming slower and 

 stronger, is running up ; although exudation has taken place, it is 

 to such an extent that the absorbents cannot take it up and distri- 

 bute it, and there will be hydrothorax. There may be fluid in only one 

 side, or it may pass from one side to the other. Pleurisy is apt to super- 

 vene influenza where the acute symptoms will not be so well marked as 

 those I have given you, but if of some standing, there will be other 

 symptoms ; iiregular pulse ; oedematous swelling of the limbs and belly ; 

 a kind of dropsical swelling from impaired health and circulation. 



Treatment is not very difterent from other chest diseases. You might 

 try taking blood ; put hot cloths to the side, or mustard, or take a piece 

 of sheet iron and warm and place upon the side, and put a blanket over 

 this ; if in a very cold stable, do not apply wet cloths ; give tincture of 

 aconite ; and you will find great benefit from the use of colchicum — one- 

 half drachm to one drachm. An excellent remedy is liquour, acetate of 

 ammonia, or nitrous ether ; use diuretics freely, and use tonics ; if there 

 is great pain give opium — one or two drachms, or hypodermic injections 

 of acetate of morphia ; or you may use digitalis — one-half drachm to 

 one drachm ; or belladonna ; give stimulants, and endeavonr to carry off 

 the produce of exudation. 



Results of Pleurisy.— The natural result is water in the chest, and 

 if it collects to a large extent, hydrothorax is the result ; there may be 

 several pails full of fluid in the thoracic cavity. If you have a well 

 marked case of hydrothorax (say the cavity one-half full or such a mat- 

 ter), you have a very serious case. 



Symptoms— There is great difficulty in breathing ; flapping of the 

 nostrils ; the eyes clear— of rather a natural appearance ; venous regur- 

 gitation of the blood in the jugular vein. No sound is heard by applying 

 the ear to the chest, except above the fluid. The body is much aftected ; 

 legs swelled : also around the udder, sheath, etc. The animal keeps his 



