DIAGNOSIS AND SYMPTOMS OF DISEASE 11 



aitery bj placing the fingers over tlic inner region of the thigh. 

 Ej pressing with the hand over the region of the lieart we may 

 determine its condition. 



The hoij's pulse can easily be taken from the femoral artery 

 on the internal region of the thigh. The artery crosses this 

 region obliquely and is quite superficial toward its anterior and 

 lower portion. 



The dog's pulse is usually taken from the brachial artery. 

 The pulse wave can be readily felt by resting the fingers over 

 the inner region of the arm and just above the elbow. The charac- 

 ter of the heart beats in dogs may be determined by resting the 

 hand on the chest wall. 



Respiration. — The frequency of the respirations varies with 

 the species. The following table gives the frequency of the 

 respirations in domestic animals : 



Horse 8 to 10 per minute 



Ox 12 to 15 per minute 



Sheep 12 to 20 per minute 



Dog 15 to 20 per minute 



Pig 10 to 15 per minute 



The ratio of the lieart beats to the respirations is about 

 1 : 4 or 1 : 5. This ratio is not constant in ruminants. Rumina- 

 tion, muscular exertion and excitement increase the frequency 

 and cause the respirations to become irregular. In disease the 

 ratio between the heart beats and respirations is greatly dis- 

 turbed, and the character of the respiratory sounds and move- 

 ments may be greatly changed (Fig. 4). 



Severe exercise and diseased conditions of the lungs cause 

 the animal to breathe rapidly and bring into use all of the respira- 

 tory muscles. Such forced or labored breathing is a common 

 symptom in serious lung diseases, '' bloat " in cattle, or any con- 

 dition that may cause dyspnoea. Horses affected with " heaves " 

 show a double contraction of the muscles in tlie region of the 

 flank during expiration. In spasm of the diaphragm or 



