114 



MODERN HORSE MANAGEMENT 



[chap. 



a non-poisonous snake or is a sting from an 

 insect, apply at once liquid ammonia (spirits of 

 hartshorn) and treat part afterwards as for a 

 bruise. (See Sec. 446.) 



Poisonous snake bites have symptoms of 

 swelling, shock, faintness and perhaps uncon- 

 sciousness. Later there may be paralysis, con- 

 vulsions and, finally, death. I have never had the 

 opportunity of seeing a horse that had been bitten 

 by a poisonous snake, but the use of strychnine 

 injected over or near the part in large doses every 

 quarter of an hour has had wonderful effects, 

 half a grain being used at a time in very bad 

 cases ; in milder cases i\,th grain will be sufficient. 

 After all signs of poison have gone and the 

 twitching effects of strychnine commenced, its 

 use must be stopped. A careful watch must be 

 kept for hours in order that strychnine may be 

 again used upon first signs appearing. 



457. Lightning and Electric Shocks. — Horses 

 that have been rendered unconscious from elec- 

 tric or lightning discharges may recover if 

 assisted, by applying stimulating liniments to 

 the part with vigorous massaging, and by inject- 

 ing i grain strychnine into the part. Four to 

 6 oz. of whisky should be given every two 

 hours, and a bottle of strong ammonia should be 

 held near the nostrils. The legs must be rubbed 

 to promote circulation, and afterwards bandaged 

 with flannel. 



458. Fractures are of three kinds : simple, 

 when the broken part does not protrude through 

 the skin ; compound, when it does ; and com- 

 minuted, when the bone is crushed into small 

 pieces. 



Simple fractures, as a rule, can be mended, 

 because as there is no external opening there will 

 be less danger of pus-producing organisms gain- 

 ing access ; in most cases of compound fracture, 

 unless the horse is valuable it is better that he be 

 mercifully destroyed. I have assisted in mend- 

 ing a great number of limb fractures in horses, 

 and the methods laid down in the following 

 sections will be found most successful. I used to 

 drive a heavy horse in Alberta on long trips that 

 two years previous had had its tibia broken, set 

 in plaster of paris and turned out to pasture for 

 nine months. 



459. Physiology of a Fracture. — ^W'hen a bone 

 breaks, irritation around the fractured ends sets 

 up inflammation ; small cells, normally in the 

 bone (osteoblasts, bone-producing), appear on 

 the scene and produce bone that is placed in be- 

 tween the fractured ends inside and outside the 

 fracture. After uniting, the ends are encased in 

 a thick mass of bone resembling the lead on a 

 joint on a lead pipe. Next appear bone-devour- 

 ing cells (osteoclasts). These gradually remove 

 this excessive bone, which may take two or three 

 years, and in many cases its removal is never 

 complete. By giving phosphates (calcium phos- 

 phate 1 to 2 drs., or phosphoric acid dilute 1 to 



2 drs.) once a day, the union will be hastened. 

 If there is much fever give as a febrifuge, Flem- 

 ing's tincture of aconite 5 to 10 minims (this 

 drug must be used with caution). Rest is always 

 necessary, not only to keep the part motionless, 

 but to allow as much vital energy as possible to 

 assist in the repair. Feed on laxative diet, and 

 if in a gross condition give purgative to com- 

 mence with, unless there is much fever. If the 

 fracture is compound, and it is intended to 

 attempt to reduce it, very careful antiseptic pre- 

 cautions will have to be taken, which is not an 

 easy matter in a stable. 



460. Before applying the bandages and plaster 

 of paris (plaster of paris bandages are sold in 

 hermetically sealed tins), the ends of the bones 

 must be brought together in their normal posi- 

 tion. It may be necessary to give chloroform to 

 ensure complete relaxation of the muscles. 



Symftoms and Treatment. — Sudden and bad 

 lameness after a fall or accident, pain, fever, de- 

 formity and crepitation of part. Fractures of 

 the long bones, i.e. the cannon, radius, tibia, can 

 be set in plaster of paris and the horse either kept 

 in slings or turned out to pasture. The former 

 for a few days is more humane. 



Fractures of the pastern bones, especially the 

 small one, due to a horse slipping and suddenly 

 bringing one foot with great force on to the road, 

 are generally very bad, and, as a rule, the bone 

 breaks into a score of pieces. The horse will 

 suffer much pain, and is better destroyed. I 

 have known of this bone being broken into forty- 

 five pieces by a mere slip and a sudden recovery. 

 If the pain is only slight the pastern must be 

 put into plaster of paris for at least a month. 



461. If the coffin bone or navicular bone is 

 broken the horse had better be destroyed. The 

 symptoms are severe pain and heat. Horse holds 

 the elbow of the affected leg much lower than 

 the other elbow. The knee and fetlock will be 

 bent and the heel raised. These symptoms may 

 occur, however, when the first rib is broken, but 

 there will be no heat in the foot. 



Fractures of the upper arm (humerus) or 

 shoulder (scapula) will generally repair them- 

 selves if the horse is turned out to pasture. I 

 have known several instances where horses have 

 broken these bones in a fall, and have kept in 

 good health and free from pain while at pasture ; 

 the bone quickly uniting. A horse can bear 

 weight day after day on one foreleg without 

 tiring, because the large muscle (serratus 

 magnus) which suspends the body to the inside 

 of the shoulder-blade is interwoven with in- 

 elastic fibres. However, in fractures of the thigh 

 bone (femur) the horse must be put into slings 

 for five to six weeks, because one hindleg cannot 

 bear all the weight for any length of time. These 

 upper bones must be bandaged as well as 

 possible when the horse is slung to prevent 

 movement. 



