1)IAKKH(EA OF FOALS. 429 



cated with umbilical pyaemia, acute laminitis, pneumonia, perito- 

 nitis, jaundice, and inflammation of the eyes. It generally runs 

 a fatal course in from six to ten days. As a rule, it affects foals 

 about the time of weaning. 



PREDISPOSING CAUSES.— The chief predisposing causes are : 

 A vitiated condition of the milk, from over-working the dam, from 

 feeding her on improper food, or from the fact of her being in ill 

 health ; too prolonged intervals between the times of sucking ; too 

 early weaning ; improper food given to the foal ; chill ; worms ; 

 and general debility. In the case of a sucking foal being kept for 

 too long a time from his dam, he Avould, on again approaching her, 

 be inclined to drink more milk than his stomach could digest, espe- 

 cially as that organ would be more or less enfeebled from continued 

 fasting, Avhich would also have the effect of reducing the suitabilit}; 

 of the milk as an article of food. The undigested portion of the 

 milk would act as a foreign body in setting up irritation in the 

 stomach and intestines. 



SYMPTOMS. — " At first, the foal is depressed, weak, and remains 

 lying down for a long time. He ceases to gambol about his mother, 

 his coat is dry and staring, and his eyes are sunk in their sockets. 

 The mouth is dry and hot, thick saliva falls from it, and the tongue 

 is soft and flabby. Although he refuses to suck, his thirst is in- 

 tense, and he eagerly drinks any fluid given to him. 



" His flanks are tucked up, the surface of bis abdomen is tense 

 and painful to the touch, and the rumbling of the bowels can be 

 heard. He gets severe colicky pains which cause him to stamp. 

 Diarrhoea comes on from six to ten hours after the appearance 

 of the first symptoms. The evacuations are frequent, watery, 

 stinking, mixed with clotted matter, and at first are yellow. They 

 soon become involuntary, frothy, more and more frequent, greyish 

 white in colour, and mixed with mucus. The patient sometimes 

 discharges glairy or yellow masses which have a disgusting smell. 

 The evacuations soil the thighs and neighbouring surfaces, and 

 irritate the skin, so that a rash is set up, and the hair falls off. 

 The injury thus effected is often greatly increased by the foal 

 rolling. 



" The mouth and the expired air have a putrid smell. The 

 pulse, which at first was hard and quick, becomes small and wiry ; 

 the beats of the heart are strong; the lining membrane of the 

 eyes is injected, and sometimes has spots of extravasated blood on 

 it. The internal temperature is high. Weakness increases more 

 and more, and the animal dies of exhaustion, sometimes even iu 

 three days " {Cadeac), 



