428 DISEASES OF THE HORSE. 



and without draft, no covering is necessary ; under opposite conditions 

 blankets should be used until the excitement and exhaustion of labor 

 have entirely passed away. It is still better that all animals coming 

 in warm from work be " cooled out " by slow walking until the per- 

 spiration has dried and the circulation and respiration are again 

 normal. Animals stopped on the road even for a few moments should 

 always be protected from rapid change of temperature by appropriate 

 clothing. If it can be avoided, horses that are working should never 

 be driven or ridden through water. If unavoidable, they should be 

 cooled off before passing through, and then kept moving until com- 

 pletely dried. The same care is to be practiced with washing the legs 

 in cold water when just in from work, for occasionally it proves the 

 cause of a most acute attack of this disease. 



Unusual changes in the manner of applying the shoes should not be 

 hastily made. If a plane shoe has been worn, high heels or toes must 

 not be substituted at once; but the change, if necessary, should 

 gradually be made, so that the different tissues may adapt themselves 

 to the altered conditions. If radical changes are imperative, as is 

 sometimes the case, the work must be so reduced in quantity and 

 quality that it can not excite the disease. 



Laminitis from the effects of purgatives can scarcely be guarded 

 against. I can not determine from the cases in which I have seen this 

 result that there are any conditions present that would warn us of 

 danger. The trouble does not seem to depend upon the size of the 

 purgative, the length of time before purgation begins, or the activity 

 and severity with which the remedy acts. Medicines known to have 

 unusual irritating effects on the alimentary canal should be used only 

 when necessity demands it, and then in moderate doses. 



Experience alone will determine what animals are liable to suffer 

 from this disease through the use of foods. When an attack can be 

 ascribed to any particular food it should be withheld, unless in small 

 quantities. Horses that have never been fed upon Indian corn should 

 receive but a little of it at a time, mixed with bran, oats, or other food, 

 until it has been determined that no danger exists. Corn is less safe 

 in warm than in cold weather, and for this reason it should always be 

 fed with caution during spring and summer months. 



When an animal is excessively lame in one foot the shoe of the oppo- 

 site member should be removed, and cold water frequently applied to 

 the well foot. At the same time use the slings if the subject remains 

 standing. Horses should under no circumstances be overworked ; to 

 guard against this, previous work, nature of roads, state of weather, 

 and various other influences must be carefully considered. Watering 

 while warm is a pernicious habit, and, unless the animal is accustomed 

 to it, is apt to result in some disorder, ofttimes in laminitis. 



