98 DISEASES OF HORSES AND CATTLE. 



small pulse, anxiety, and often loss of appetite. In 

 some cases the jerking is so violent as to shake the 

 whole body of the animal, and to be heard at a con- 

 siderable distance, and may be mistaken for 

 spasms of the diaphragm. If the heart is the organ 

 affected, the jerk and % sound will take place 

 with each beat of the pulse. Palpitation of the 

 heart from disease of the heart itself will usually 

 be irregular or intermitting, which is the most dan- 

 gerous. There may be an intermitting beat of the 

 heart without palpitation, caused from valvular 

 disease of the heart. In some severe cases of pal- 

 pitation the animal may show signs of faintness 

 and suffocation, on the least exertion. 



Treatment: In all cases of heart disease the 

 animal should be kept as quiet as possible, and 

 given two ounces of tincture of opium and two 

 ounces of tincture of digitalis at a dose in half a 

 pint of water, and half the dose repeated in two 

 hours if the animal is not relieved. If it is caused 

 from a deranged state of the blood, it may be neces- 

 sary to give a dose of physic and dram doses of sul- 

 phate of iron twice daily, or ounce doses of hypo- 

 sulphate of soda and whisky in half-pint doses 

 three times daily. If the pulse should be strong, 

 sometimes benefit is obtained by giving from twen- 

 ty to twenty-five drops of tincture of aconite in a 

 little water every two hours until an alteration of 

 the pulse takes place. 



Pericarditis. — Pericarditis is an inflammation of 

 the membrane investing the heart. 



Causes: Inflammation of the investing mem- 



