RURAL VETERINARY SECRETS 43 



The difficulty of breathing in this disease is due to a dilated 

 condition of the lungs, the result of an excess of air in the air sacs 

 or in the tissue that surrounds the lobules. As a result, the lungs 

 are prevented from expelling all the air they should, hence less is 

 taken in than would be if they were in a natural condition. The air 

 cells may be broken into one another as a result of the violent 

 coughing, whereas in the other form the air seems to enter the tis- 

 sues during the intake of air into the lungs, in which case some 

 degeneration has in all probabiHty taken place in the lung tissue. 

 A full stomach and bozvels interfere greatly with the action of the 

 lungs, and when filled out with food it is not surprising that this 

 trouble occurs. At the commencement of the disease there is a 

 spasmodic cough, later a suppressed short weak cough, with a 

 double expiration, and the passage of wind by the anus. In ordi- 

 nary breathing no aid is needed to expel the air; the natural elas- 

 ticity of the lungs performs the work. In this disease the muscles 

 of the abdomen are used, as is noticed by the heaving of the flanks. 



While the causes of the previous troubles have been overload- 

 ing the system, the cause of this trouble is more mechanical in its 

 nature and may, owning to the feed that causes it, be a disease of 

 the poor feeder's horse, FOUNDER (BIG LEG), etc., being dis- 

 eases of the horses belonging to the heavy feeder. The custom, 

 existing among so many farmers, of continually filling a horse's 

 manger with hay, even having them littered with it, is one of ilic 

 great causes of this disease, especially is this so when the hay is 

 of poor quality, hard and innutritions, the horse being given an 

 extra quantity to make up for the deficient quality. Hard chopped 

 straw, overripe rye grass, are all liable to cause this incurable dis- 

 ease, being irritating in their efifect on the stomach wall and delicate 

 filaments of the tenth nerve, the nerve which controls the lung 

 movement — thus the relation of feeding to this disease is at once 

 more readily seen and understood. 



Heredity may also be said to have an influence on the frequency 

 with which this trouble shows in a breeding stud. Although treat- 

 ment is only palliative, it should none the less be adopted, such as 

 feeding roots and grass, or some soiling crop in place of dry hay. 

 Limit the feed and water, and let what is given be of the best qual- 

 ity, clean oats and hay free from dust; sprinkle the hay with water 

 before feeding. In France the hay is dampened with molasses and 

 water with good results. The feeding of boiled flax-seed or four to 

 six ounces of linseed oil daily are very useful and serve to keep the 

 bowels and skin in good order. Clover hay is very unsuitable ; 

 clean, bright timothy is preferable. In mild cases improvement is 



