i8o 



PART III.— DISEASES AND DISORDERS OF THE 



CIRCULATORY AND LYMPHATIC 



SYSTEMS. 



431. Heart Diseases. — These, though of frequent occurrence in the 

 human subject, are not so common in the horse. The cow, however, 

 is more often affected, generally with traumatic heart disease, from 

 foreign bodies, such as pins, needles, &c., finding their way to the 

 heart from the stomach. Heart affections may be said to be of two 

 kinds : — (i) Functional and (2) Organic. 



432. Functional Derangemet of the Heart in the horse arises 

 from a variety of causes, but is mainly due to some stomach or liver 

 disorder, the nature of which should, if possible, be ascertained, and 

 suitable treatment adopted. In these cases, the pulse is, as a rule, very 

 irregular and intermittent. The animal is very dull, hanging its head, 

 and breathing slowly, and is off its food. The under side of the eyelid 

 and the mouth is also of a dirty yellow colour. When these symptoms 

 are observed, the following medicine usually gives great relief : — One 

 drachm of calomel and two drachms each of powdered aloes, and 

 powdered rhubarb, made into a ball with a little treacle, followed up 

 by half-ounce doses of bicarbonate of soda, night and morning, in a 

 mash. The above treatment is for an ordinary adult agricultural 

 horse; for other classes of horses, the dose must be regulated. 

 Functional derangements of the heart may also be due to some 

 obstruction in the blood vessels. 



43^1. In Organic Disease of the Heart of the horse, some of the 

 following changes are at times seen, such as vasculav, fibrinous, and hony 

 tumours in the cavities, and sometimes also, attached to the valves of 

 the heart, all having, generally, a corrugated appearance. Fatty 

 degeneration and fatty infiltration of the walls of the heart are, now and 

 again, also met with, the two latter generally in complication with a 

 somewhat similar condition of the liver. But the most of these lesions 

 are only made manifest at the post-mortem examination. The most 

 common form, however, of heart disease in the horse and dog is that 

 termed hypertrophy. 



