No. 4.] DISEASE IN HORSES. 261 



Varying the grain ration to correspond to the amount of 

 labor performed is an essential factor in the preservation of 

 the health of horses. An example will serve to illustrate. 

 A horse accustomed to work a greater part of the time be- 

 comes incapacitated for further use on account of some 

 trivial injury, or is perhaps, on account of stormy weather, 

 allowed to stand idle for several days in the stable. Having 

 become somewhat run down in flesh on account of continuous 

 hard work, the owner concludes that it is a favorable time to 

 get him in condition again, consequently he feeds the usual 

 or larger quantities of grain to him. On visiting the stable 

 some morning the owner is surprised to find the horse stand- 

 ing on three legs, the fourth, usually a hind one, being 

 swollen to about four times its natural size. The foot of 

 this is raised from the floor, while the leg is carried out stiflly 

 from the body. The swollen member, high up on the inside 

 of the thigh especially, is knotted and corded, and very sen- 

 sitive and painful on pressure. The cause of the condition 

 is usually attributed by the owner to a sprain that has oc- 

 curred during the night, wiiereas the real source of the 

 trouble is traceable to the large allowance of feed that has 

 been supplied, resulting in an over-distension and inflamed 

 condition of the lymphatics of the leg. 



Hsemaglobinuria is another disease occurring under similar 

 conditions. This disease occurs in a horse that has been 

 driven but a short distance from the stable, after having re- 

 mained idle for several days, on a full ration of grain, and is 

 characterized hy the sudden development of lameness in one 

 or both hind legs, with cramp of the croup and thigh muscles, 

 profuse sweating, finally inability to remain standing. 



Colic, indigestion, purgation and other diseases might be 

 added to those already spoken of, but enough have been 

 mentioned to show the dangers attending the removal of an 

 animal from hard work, placing him at rest in the stable on 

 full grain ration. The rule to apply in such cases is to re- 

 duce the grain ration l)y lessening the total quantity fed, or 

 substitute some lighter grain in place of a rich one, thereby 

 lessening the quantity of proteid material in the feed. Coarse 

 wheat bran may be used to advantage in these cases. Re- 

 duce the amount of corn or oats, and substitute an equal 



