368 BUKEAU UF ANIMAL INDUSTKY. 



seems to suffer much discomfort, and often accompanies the act with 

 groaning, and when compelled to rise does so only with groat difficulty 

 and seldom succeeds without repeated efforts. 



Sprains of muscles proper, when recent, will always be accompanied 

 bj' this series of symptoms, and the fact of their exhi})ition, with an 

 excessive sensibility of the parts, and possibly with a degree of swell- 

 ing, will always justify a diagnosis of acute muscular lesion; and 

 especiall3' so if accompanied b^^ a historx' of violent efforts, powerful 

 muscular strains, falls, heavy loading, etc., connected with the case. 

 But if the sj-mptoms have been of slow development and gradual 

 increase, it becomes a more difficult task to determine whether the 

 diagnosis points to pathological changes in the structure of the muscles 

 or of the bones, the nervous centers, or the blood vessels of the region. 

 And yet it is important to decide as to which particular structure is 

 affected in reference to the question of prognosis, since the degree of 

 the gravity of the lesion will depend largeh^ upon whether the disabled 

 condition of the animal is due to an acute or a chronic disease. 



Treatment. — The prescription which will necessarih' first of all sug- 

 gest itself for sprains of the loins is rest. An animal so affected 

 should be immediately placed in slings and none of his efforts to 

 release himself should be allowed to succeed. Hot compresses, cold 

 water douches, sweating applications, stimulating frictions, strength- 

 ening charges, blistering ointments of cantharides and the actual cau- 

 tery, all have their advocates; but in no case can the immobility 

 obtained by the slings be dispensed with. In man}^ cases electricity 

 has also yielded good results, where the weakness of the hind quarters 

 was caused bv disease of the nervous centers. 



