XI] ORGANIC, FUNCTIONAL AND CONTAGIOUS DISEASES 159 



infected animal lias died and been opened may 

 carry the disease to a subject ten years or more 

 afterwards. 



Si/mplo7ns. — Temperature up to 107°. Horse 

 almost suddenly loses appetite, and becomes dull 

 and weak. Pulse quick and weak, mucous mem- 

 brane red. Respiration quick, nostrils dilated, 

 abdominal breathing. Later, horse almost suffo- 

 cates from want of oxygen. There may be colic 

 pains, dark nasal discharge, or swelling under 

 lower jaw. Can be distinguished from lung 

 disease by auscultation. 



Treatment. — The horse had better be 

 destroyed, as it will die anyway. Report to local 

 authorities at once. Under legal supervision, for 

 experimental purposes, the following treatment 

 has been tried : Laxatives and stimulants. Soda 

 salicylate, soda hyposulphite and carbolic acid, 

 internally ; also injection of anthrax vaccine 

 " Pasteur." Good water and soft food. 



625. Blood Poisoning : Septicemia, Pyaemia 

 and Sapr-emia. — There are three kinds of blood 

 poisoning: (1) Where the poison or toxin is 

 made outside the blood vessels and passed into 

 the blood, as in tetanus, called saprccmia ; (2) 

 where the germ is in the blood, and produces a 

 poison or toxin while circulating in the blood, as 

 in anthrax, called septicaemia ; (3) where pus- 

 producing bacteria are in the blood, and may 

 locate at any place in the body and form multiple 

 abscesses, called pyaemia (pus-blood). 



Symptoms. — Generally results from a bad 

 wound or abscess. High temperature, great 

 depression and debility ; swellings. 



Treatvient. — Attend to hygienic conditions, 

 clean any wound, and make as aseptic as 

 possible. Give nutritious diet, pure air, stimu- 

 lants, as whisky. Give iron sulphate A dr., 

 quinine sulphate 20 gr. Give nitre and lots of 

 cold water to clear blood. I have seen very 

 advanced cases cured by giving 1 dr. soda hypo- 

 sulphite every twenty minutes by the mouth. 

 Afterwards give tonics. 



626. Navel III in Foals (called Omphalo- 

 phlebitis, or Joint HI). — Caused sometimes by 

 admission of a micro-organism through the navel 

 before it has healed up after birth. 



Cause.— Bem^ born in dirty stables, instead 

 of out-of-doors in pasture that has not had navel- 

 ill foals in. 



.S>mp/om5.— Dullness, fever, lameness, soft 

 swelling over joint, or joints, which becomes hot 

 and painful. Later these joints suppurate. 



Treatment. —Very difficult to get good results. 

 I have seen scores of foals in the West of Canada 

 given various treatments. Under the same treat- 

 ment some recover, whilst others die. Keep up 

 strength by use of stimulants. Give fresh poly- 

 bacterines. (See Sec. 507.) Very careful hygiene. 

 Isolate animal, bathe part, give the mare pot. 

 iodide. Keep the navel absolutely aseptic and 

 covered with bandage, which must be renewed 



every twelve hours. Nuclein solution has cured 

 some cases. 



As a further precaution, allow all mares to 

 foal in clean pasture, and keep foal out of doors 

 for several months ; and, as this period will be 

 in the fly season, it is absolutely necessary that 

 brood mares should have long tails. 



Diseases of Genital Organs 



627. DouRiNE, or AIaladie du Goix (some- 

 times called Horse Syphilis).— Caused by an 

 animal micro-organism, trypanosoma equiper- 

 dum mastigophora. 



Sympioms.—?<hes.i]x swells ; swelling will 

 extend along belly to breastbone, and will be- 

 come cool and doughy. Penis becomes swollen 

 later, and probably chronic protrusion. Loins 

 become tender, painful urination. Knuckling of 

 fetlocks, appetite good, but good food does no 

 good. Joints crack, temperature a little up. 



In mares there will be a discharge from vulva 

 that will mat the tail, awkward gait, white spots 

 on vulva. Mortality up to 70 per cent. 



Treatment.— Arsenic 1 gr., mercury iodide 

 i gr., and pot. iodide 3 dr., every four hours. 

 Keep all venereal excitement away. Good 

 hygiene and careful feeding. Wash organs with 

 i to 1,000 mercury perchloride. 



628. Metritis, or Inflammation of Womb. 

 Cause. — Follows parturition. Infection; 



general blood poisoning, neglect and dirty 

 stabling. 



Symptoms. — High temperature (105° or 

 higher). Loss of appetite, shivering and sweat- 

 ing, great distress, rapid breathing, straddling 

 gait. 



Treatment.— Give mild purgative, aconite, 

 belladonna, camphor, opium and chloroform. 

 Inject into womb every twelve hours a warm 

 antiseptic solution (1 in 1,000 mercury per- 

 chloride), followed in five minutes by a thorough 

 flushing out with normal saline solution ('85 p"er 

 cent, soda chloride in water). Hot fomentations 

 to loins. Keep very comfortable, quiet, feed on 

 linseed mashes and linseed tea, and keep away 

 from sexual excitement. 



Notes on Parturition 



629. Period of Utero-Gestation for Mare 

 (Duration of Pregnancy).— 335 to 345 days (11 to 

 llj months). A foal may live if born after ten 

 months from day of conception. 



The duration is generally less in weakly, 

 poorly fed mares and in old mares. The day of 

 conception (fecundation) cannot be definitely 

 decided, because even if the mare has only been 

 put to the stallion once, the male seed (sperma- 

 tozoon) may not impregnate the female ovum for 

 several days afterwards. Spermatozoa have been 

 known to live in the womb for eight days. 



