536 GENERAL DISEASES. 



of curved scissors over the enlarged joints, wash well with 

 methylated spirits of wine, and then paint in a liberal manner 

 with liniment of iodine. When one layer of the iodine is dry, 

 coat after coat is to be painted till the part is quite black. 

 If there is fluid in the joint, I proceed to remove it in the 

 following manner, after I have, as already described, applied iodine 

 very liberally. Wash a hypodermic syringe and the needle with a 

 hot solution of washing soda, then with methylated spirit, and draw 

 off all the fluid possible from the joint. If these precautions are 

 taken, there will be no fear of further infection with the hypodermic 

 needle. I have not had a single failure with this method, and have 

 not had to apply more than one dressing." 



The urine that dribbles out of the open navel, acts as an irritant 

 to the parts (legs and abdomen) on which it falls. A good preventive 

 is the application of vaseline or salt-free grease on the surfaces which 

 are likely to be invaded. 



Constipation is a frequent complication of this disease, and as 

 a rule, can best be treated through the milk of the dam, to whom, 

 with this object, a plentiful supply of carrots or parsnips with her 

 freshly-cut grass should be given. Enemas (p. 632) of water at a 

 temperature about equal to that of the blood, will also be very 

 useful. If these simple and safe measures fail, give 4 to 6 oz. 

 of linseed oil, according to the age of the patient. 



If diarrhoea appears as a complication, it can be treated in the 

 manner described on p. 430. 



PREVENTIVE MEASURES.— Preventive measures, if properly 

 carried out, will be entirely successful. The surroundings of the 

 mare before foaling should be healthy, and, if necessary, the box or 

 iitall should be disinfected, and clean straw put down in it. After 

 the foal is dropped, and as soon as the beating in the artery of the 

 cord can be no longer felt, we should tie the cord about an inch below 

 the skin, with an antiseptic ligature ( a piece of tape which has been 

 steejoed in carbolic acid or creolin will do), cut the cord below the 

 ligature with a clean knife or pair of scissors, apply the carbolic acid 

 or creolin on the cut surface and over the stump wp to the skin, and 

 cover the wound with tannoform or some other suitable antiseptic 

 (p. 67). This should be repeated daily for about a week or until 

 the cord just above the string can be safely cut off close to the stump. 

 The wound may now be treated with any suitable antiseptic such 

 as a saturated solution of iodoform in turpentine, or Friar's balsam. 

 The opening in the navel should be kept thoroughly clean, and may 

 be plugged up with a piece of cotton wool which has been soaked in 

 the antiseptic. These precautions are, of course, specially ap- 

 plicable in studs in which this disease has already appeared. 



