LAMINITIS. 307 



SO great does it become sometimes that it might lead the 

 practitioner to suspect the case to be one of lung disease. 

 Sweats bedew the body ; constipation more or less marked 

 is almost an invariable symptom, being absent only in such 

 cases as are caused by superpurgation, etc., the urine is 

 voided in less than the usual quantities, and is high-coloured. 

 If all four feet are affected, the animal stands with all of 

 his feet gathered together well up under the body, and the 

 back is roached ; this posture has led some practitioners 

 into the mistake of supposing the case to be one of kidney 

 disease. The countenance of the patient bears an anxious 

 expression, and is a very fair index of the agony the animal 

 is suffering ; on walking up to the animal and attempting 

 to back him, he offers all the resistance in his power. This 

 overcome, he moves backward only with the ["greatest diffi- 

 culty, and with every manifestation of severe pain, dragging 

 his feet along on the ground after him, and often giving 

 vent to a groan. 



The breathing is usually affected to a considerable extent, 

 being more or less accelerated, and greatly resembles the 

 breathing of pneumonia. On compelling the animal to 

 walk, he does so in a peculiar stiff manner, and exhibits a 

 strong tendency to stumble, even on ground perfectly level. 

 Another symptom that may be observed is, that the patient 

 makes every endeavour during progression to bring the 

 heels to the ground first, and keep the toes from touching 

 the ground at all. On standing still, if the fore-feet are 

 affected to the exclusion of the hind-feet, this being the 

 most common form of laminitis, he stands with the hind- 

 feet well up under the body, and supporting the most of its 

 weight, while the fore-legs are stretched out in front, with 

 the heels resting upon the ground. Some animals very 

 quickly assume the recumbent posture, finding considerable 

 relief thereby; hence the practitioner often finds, on reaching 



20—2 



