ago VETERINARY LECTURES 



ones. From the suddenness of the attack and the extreme pain 

 evinced on touching the affected limb it, to my mind, greatly 

 resembles gout in the human subject. Nineteen people out of 

 twenty are in the habit of calling this a i shot of grease,'' whereas in 

 reality there is no grease about it, grease being purely a skin 

 disease {par. 668). Symptoms. — In some cases the attack is ushered 

 in by a shivering fit, while in others the first symptom notice- 

 able is a sudden and extreme lameness in one leg, on touching 

 which great pain is evinced even before any swelling makes its 

 appearance, while patches of sweat may be observed on the limb. 

 The large vessels running up the inside of the leg soon begin to 

 enlarge, as well as the glands in the groin, and excessive lameness 

 and pain accompany any attempts to move. General swelling of 

 the limb then takes place, on the appearance of which the pain 

 diminishes a great deal, most of its acuteness being lost. In some 

 cases there is a considerable amount of constitutional disturbance, 

 but in others very little or none is observable 



452. Treatment. — In very acute cases, where the animal is suffer- 

 ing great pain, taking from 4 to 6 quarts of blood from the neck 

 (jugular vein) gives great and quick relief. Some people bleed from 

 the toe of the affected limb, but this I do not approve of. The 

 treatment I adopt, and which I can strongly recommend, is to put a 

 bandage-syme — made of soft meadow hay, not too tightly twisted — 

 round the limb, commencing at the foot, and rolling lightly and 

 loosely round up to the top of the affected limb, and when once in 

 position soaking it well with several pailfuls of cold water, repeating 

 this action every three or four hours. In scores of cases I have seen 

 the animal get great relief from this treatment in less than an hour. 

 Linseed oil — from 1 to ij pints— may be given, followed up by 3 to 

 4 drachm doses of nitrate of potash every eight hours in drinking- 

 water. When the pain and lameness have gone, which is usually 

 the case as the limb becomes thickened, the swelling is then best 

 reduced by gentle exercise. Iron tonics, with diuretic medicine, 

 may be given every night with much benefit (par. 1073, Nos. I. 

 and III.). In very excitable cases aloes balls should be used with 



