260 The Horse Industry in New York State 



due to high protein feeding without exercise. A large proportion 

 of this over-rich blood remains in the liver, spleen, etc. Then, 

 when the horse is taken ont, the active exercise increases the 

 heart and Inng action and carries this torpid ])lood throngk the 

 system too fast. As a result the system cannot accommodate 

 itself to this sudden oversnpply and take care of the excess of 

 albumenoids, and so self-poisoning takes place. This is manifested 

 by paralysis and a disturbed nervous condition. Exercise is 

 always necessary for the development of this affection, so that a 

 horse is never stricken in the stable, but on the road when he is 

 being ridden or driven, A horse that is out of condition, with a 

 rough, hide-bound skin, is practically never affected, neither is 

 one that remains idle for long periods. 



Symptoms 

 Usually when the horse first leaves the stable he feels unusually 

 active and spirited, owing to his previous rest, but before he 

 travels very far — sometimes not more than thirty or forty rods, 

 though usually one or two miles — marked symptoms are ob- 

 served. Horses have been known to travel several miles and be 

 put into a stable and then come down with the disease. About 

 the first noticeable symptom is that the horse suddenly begins to 

 lag, does not drive up, and fails to respond to the whip. In the 

 majority of cases he begins to sweat, sometimes very profusely. 

 The characteristic symptom is the paralysis or loss of control of 

 one or both hind limbs, though occasionally it is the fore limbs 

 that are affected instead of the posterior ones. He begins to get 

 stiff and drag one or both limbs. In the more severe cases, the 

 affected parts are unable to sustain their share of the weight of 

 the body. If both hind limbs are severely affected the horse 

 goes down behind and may sit on his haunches like a dog. The 

 muscles on the affected side along the loins, croup and buttock 

 are dense, rigid, and hard, and can hardly be dented on pressure 

 with the fingers. The rectum and bladder are usually paralyzed. 



Treatment 

 Stop the animal at once on the appearance of the first 

 symptoms, letting him stand thirty to forty minutes, which is 

 usually long enough to afford time for the system to neutralize 



