Dysentery 815 



of abdominal pain. This is expressed in part by turning the 

 nose to the abdomen, kicking at the belly, lying down and 

 rolling. The most characteristic symptom is the assumption 

 by the foal of a peculiar extended attitude while standing. 

 The foal extends its anterior feet far forward, its hind feet 

 backward, all members being held rigid. This position is 

 maintained for five to fifteen minutes or more. The layman 

 believes the foal is attempting to urinate, but it makes no 

 actual effort either to urinate or to defecate. The tarsus is 

 not bent as in urination. The pain is intermittent. Between 

 paroxysms the foal may suck. Unless medical relief is 

 given, the disease pursues a slow course and ends in death 

 from sepsis and exhaustion. In the presence of meconic re- 

 tention, the foal often develops a perverse appetite and swal- 

 lows large quantities of hay, straw, feces or other indigesti- 

 ble substances, thereby complicating the disease present. 



C. Dysentery 



Some writers have stated that retention of the meconium 

 frequently ends in dysentery. This I have not observed. 

 Dysentery is not rare in foals, however, and, as in calves, 

 may be due, and usually is due, to intra-uterine infection, 

 but may and does arise from extrinsic infection, variously 

 obtained after birth. The symptoms of dysentery in foals 

 are essentially parallel to those described in calves. Like 

 calves, foals exhibit a strong-tendency to swallow hay, straw, 

 feces and various indigestible substances. These complicate 

 and intensify the disease, frequently rendering it unavoida- 

 bly fatal. The course of the disease may be either rapid or 

 slow. The mortality is high unless active measures are taken 

 for its control. The behavior of the disease as related to the 

 feeding of milk has not been investigated, but is presumably 

 parallel to the observations made upon calves and previously 

 described. 



D. Arthritis. Pyemia 



Pyemic arthritis is commoner in foals than in any other 

 species of domestic animals. This is due chiefly to the fact 



