588 THE DISEASES OF THE HORSE 



they work or stand in the stable, to an enlargement extending up to the 

 stifles and elbows, sometimes rendering the legs almost as round and as 

 hard as mill-posts. When horses are first brought in from grass their 

 legs almost always fill more or less, and untU they are regularly seasoned 

 to their work there is seldom that clean condition of the suspensory 

 ligaments and back sinews which one likes to see even before the daily 

 exercise is given. The cedema appears to depend partly upon a deficient 

 action of the kidneys, but chiefly on the vessels of the legs not acting 

 sufliciently without constant walking exercise, such as is natural to the 

 horse when at liberty, and which he takes at grass. Half-an-hour's walking 

 will generally produce absoi"ption completely, so that a daily remedy is 

 forthcoming. 



The Treatment will greatly depend on the exact cause. If the swell- 

 ing is only due to the change from grass to the confinement of a 

 warm stable, time alone is wanted, taking care not to overwork the horse in 

 the meantime. Bandages will always assist in keeping down the swelling, 

 but they should not be used without necessity, as when once the horse 

 becomes accustomed to them his legs can hardly be kept fine without their 

 aid. If weakness is the cause, a drachm of sulphate of iron given in the 

 corn twice a day will often strengthen the system, and with it the legs. 

 Diuretics may be adopted as an occasional aid to the kidneys, but they 

 should be of the mildest kind, such as nitre, or they will do more harm, by 

 weakening the body generally, than good by their stimulus to the kidneys. 

 Indeed, they are often the sole cause of the legs filling, for some grooms use 

 them so continually, whether they are wanted or not, that the kidneys 

 become diseased and refuse to act, which is a sure fore-runner of cedema. 

 Where swelling of the legs is confirmed, bandages must be regularly applied. 



WARTS 



Warts are, generally, only to be considered as eyesores ; for, unless they 

 occur on the penis, they are not injurious to health ; nor do they interfere 

 with work unless they happen to appear on the shoulders beneath the collar 

 in a harness horse, which is very rare indeed. They are, doubtless, very 

 unsightly, and, for this reason, it is often desired to remove them, which 

 may be done by first picking off the rough outer surface, so as to make them 

 bleed, and then rubbing in, with a stiff brush, some yellow orpiment, wetted 

 with a little water. This will cause considerable inflammation, and in a 

 few days the wart will drop off, leaving a healthy sore, which soon heals. 

 Sometimes the whole wart does not come away on the first application, in 

 which case a second must be made. When the glans penis is completely 

 covered with warts, the best plan is to amputate it, as it requires the 

 greatest caution and tact to remove them by arsenic or any other caustic 

 without destroying, also, as much of the penis as is taken away by the knife. 



There are also to be met with, a variety of warts or encysted tumours 

 which may occur on any part of the body, but most frequently affect the 

 under surface of the belly and thighs. They are easily removed by cutting 

 through the skin and squeezing them out, as they have no attachments, 

 being simply contained within a sac or cyst. No other treatment is needed 



