396 ACUTE LAMINITIS. 



pawing and scraping with his fore feet, from the pain in them. The 

 moment he finds himself compelled to rise, he rears himself up 

 upon his side, gathers his hind feet together underneath him, and, 

 making them the fulcra, with a resolute and powerful effort he 

 suddenly springs up upon his hind quarters, contriving, in the act, 

 to keep his fore feet aloof from the ground, sometimes by poising 

 them in the air j or, if compelled to put them down, he does so in 

 such manner as saves them from taking any of the bearing ; and 

 he is no sooner up than he resumes the peculiar crouching posture 

 afore described. This commotion increases his sufferings, so that 

 he pants now harder than ever, and quite sobs or grunts with 

 pain. One would think that the recumbent posture would be that 

 affording most relief to the poor sufferer : this, however, does not 

 appear always to be the case ; for in many fatal cases the stand- 

 ing position is doggedly maintained to the very last. The horse, 

 although evidently in the greatest state of suffering, will not lie 

 down ; but will stand in one corner of his box, with his nose over 

 a pail of water, pawing and scraping, either with one foot alone or 

 alternate feet, all day long and all night long. On the other hand, 

 some horses will stand at rest, or, at least, only shift or raise their 

 feet, one or both of them, for the sake of getting ease. This vari- 

 ableness in regard to standing and lying down in the disease has 

 led to some disputes among veterinarians of experience; such, how- 

 ever, ought to have admitted of adjustment by the notorious facts 

 that both parties were in a measure right and in a measure wrong*. 

 When the hind feet are exclusively affected, D'Arboval informs 

 us that the attitude is altered. Instead of the fore feet being ad- 

 vanced., and placed as much as possible upon the heels, they are 

 directed backwards underneath the body in order to relieve the 

 hind, which are still brought forward to support all the weight 

 they can upon their heels. And the attempt to walk now becomes 

 even more formidable than before ; for, positioned as central props 

 of support as the fore feet now are, underneath the animal, their 

 removal costs him a great deal more pain and effort. And, from 



* See the discussions of " The London Veterinary Society," in The 

 Veterinarian for 1829, vol. ii, p. 39. 



