150 



MODERN HORSE MANAGEMENT 



[CHAP. 



Treatment. Apply hot water to part imme- 

 diately ; then vigorous massage with liniments. 

 Give Fleming's tinct. aconite 20 min., and ano- 

 dyne to relieve pain. If recovering, rest and 

 feed well, and give tonics. 



Blood Diseases 



579. HAEMOPHILIA, or absence of clotting 

 power in the blood (clotting is caused by fibrin, 

 formed by action of several ferments in the 

 blood). 



Cause. Hereditary tendency. 



Symptoms. Excessive bleeding, with no ten- 

 dency to clot. 



Treatment. Iron perchloride internally. 

 Arrest blood-flow mechanically. 



580. ANEMIA. Diminution in number of red 

 blood corpuscles (erythrocytes), and also in 

 amount of fibrinogen. 



Cause. Haemorrhage, diarrhoea, diabetes, 

 general ill-health, starvation, bad food, bad 

 hygiene and contagion. 



Symptoms. Pale mucous membrane ; may 

 be slate colour inside nostrils (Schneiderian 

 membrane). Mouth cool, tongue soft, debility, 

 staring coat. Depraved appetite, pulse feeble, 

 jerky and irregular, sudden shock causes palpi- 

 tations. Generally hidebound, easily fatigued, 

 digestion weak. Gets colic easily, swelling of 

 legs common. 



Treatment. Good stabling, fresh air and 

 good food ; gruel, switched eggs, milk, stout. A 

 fair-sized foal will take a gallon of milk twice 

 a day. Give foals hypophosphates, and matured 

 horses iron sulphate, gentian and quinine. If 

 stomach is acid, give soda bicarbonate. If much 

 constipated, give only very mild purgative ; 

 strong purgatives are dangerous. Groom well, 

 and give arsenic for two or three weeks. 



581. LEUCAEMIA, or increased number of 

 white-blood corpuscles (leucocytes). 



Cause. Unknown ; probably due to disease 

 of spleen or lymphatics. 



Symptoms. Practically same as anaemia. 

 Staggering, vertigo. Rapid breathing, if exerted ; 

 pale mucous membrane, but not slate-coloured 

 Schneiderian. Pulse very quick, small and 

 irregular, depraved appetite. Microscopic 

 examination of blood is surest way of diagnos- 

 ing case. 



Treatment. Generally useless. Good stabling 

 and food. Give iron, quinine. The latter reduces 

 number of white corpuscles in blood. 



582. DISEASES OF LYMPHATICS. Lymphan- 

 gitis, weed, Monday morning ill, or water farcy. 



Cause. Feeding work-horses on normal feed 

 during a day's rest. Rye grass, new hay. 



Symptoms. Swelling in one or both hind- 

 legs. Shivering, early lameness ; later, fever 

 and fast breathing. Pulse fast, full and strong, 

 up to 90 ; temperature up to 105. Constipation 



usual, mucous membrane reddened, urine 

 scanty, generally thirst. If from new hay, there 

 will be diarrhoea. 



Treatment. Hot fomentations to legs. Give 

 arecolene ^ gr. every half-hour until passage. 

 Give stimulants if much shivering. Diuretics. 

 Aconite if temperature very high. Use pressure 

 bandages on leg below swelling. Treat care- 

 fully, and give occasional purgatives afterwards. 

 Many repetitions of this disease may cause 

 elephantiasis, when there will be considerable 

 new tissue formed in the limbs. The best treat- 

 ment is pot. iodide dr., three times a day. 



583. ACUTE RHEUMATISM. 



Cause. Cold, damp, draughts (not fresh air). 

 Rapid cooling when sweating. Hereditary pre- 

 disposition. 



Symptoms. Generally in single groups of 

 muscles, as hip or shoulder. Attack comes on 

 suddenly, great stiffness, muscles may be 

 swollen and painful ; joints crack on movement. 

 Affected muscles may quiver. May be swellings 

 (oedema) under skin. Temperature varies, not 

 generally high. Pulse up if much pain. In bad 

 cases, sweating. May disappear in a few days, 

 or last for weeks, or may suddenly move to 

 another set of muscles. In horse, generally in 

 shoulders or loins (lumbago). If in shoulder, 

 the horse will go better down hill (if lame in 

 foot, he goes worse down hill). On being backed, 

 he will drag his foot. Difficulty in turning ; 

 great difficulty in rising ; may not be able to 

 rise. 



Treatment. Good stabling and food ; no 

 draughts. Hot fomentations over part, then 

 apply liniment of turpentine, camphor and bel- 

 ladonna. Give veratrine gr. hypodermically. 

 once a day ; later, increase to one or two grains. 

 Always give gentle exercise after its use, other- 

 wise do not use it. Give soda salicylate in J-oz. 

 doses once a day, mild purgatives and nitre. If 

 constipated, give gr. arecolene hypodermically. 



584. MUSCULAR DEGENERATION. May follow 

 rheumatism, or any injury that has caused a 

 muscle to remain idle for some weeks. May 

 follow azoturia. Common in shoulder (caput) 

 muscles after a sprain. 



Symptoms. Generally atrophy (wasting) of 

 muscles. 



Treatment. Caffein citrate 3 gr. hypodermic- 

 ally. Careful diet, tonics, and massage and 

 electricity. 



585. ARTICULAR RHEUMATISM. 



Cause. Generally infection, or same as acute 

 rheumatism. 



Symptoms. Great fever, up to 106. Swell- 

 ing of joints, sudden lameness, joint is hot and 

 painful and tense. Horse generally stands con- 

 tinuously ; he groans from pain if he tries to 

 rise. Pulse, 70 to 80. If acute, rapid wasting 

 (emaciation). If continued for long, atrophy of 

 surrounding muscles. May change to another 



