166 Diseases of the Horse, 



pecially the latter during the period of heat. The color of 

 the urine was supposed by Prof. Gamgee to be owing to 

 blood; but Prof. Williams found no blood corpuscles what- 

 ever in the urine, but nitrate of urea and hippuric acid in 

 excess. Mr. Haycock called it the ^^lysteria of mares," but 

 it is by no means confined to the female sex. 



Causes. — Its exciting causes are the period of heat ; sud- 

 den exertion after a long rest in the stable ; congestion and 

 torpidity of the lungs and liver. 



Symptoms. — The attack begins suddenly. The horse is 

 unusually restless, sweats profusely, and inclines to lie down. 

 Shortly a loss of power in the hind limbs is observed, their 

 larger muscles are seized with violent spasms, sometimes in- 

 volving the shoulders. The pulse and respiration are very 

 rapid. There is soon entire paralysis or great stiffening of 

 the hind quarters. With these symptoms, large quantities 

 of a dark urine, looking like coffee, are ejected. The breath- 

 ing grows difficult, symptoms of general spasms resembling 

 tetanus supervene, and the horse dies. 



Sometimes it attacks several horses in the same stable, but 

 there is nothing whatever contagious in it. The duration of 

 the disease is brief, three or four days either destroying the 

 animal or the symptoms passing off. 



Treatment. — The animal should be placed in a large sta- 

 ble with abundant bedding ; if he lies down paralyzed, he is 

 to be turned over several times a day. 



The first step is to obtain a free action of the bowels. For 

 this purpose the following, which also acts on the kidneys, is 

 appropriate : — 



No. 175. Powdered aloes, 4 to 6 drachms. 



Cream of tartar, 1 to 2 oz. 



Mix in a pint or two of warm water. 



This should be repeated if it does not act in five to six 

 hours. Meanwhile an active clyster is to be thrown up the 



