PART IL 



DISEASES AND TREATMENT OF THE 



HORSE. 



CHAPTER I. 



QUESTIONS TO ASK AND HOW TO EXAMINE A SICK HORSE. 



IT IS always well to inquire into the history of the case by 

 • asking the following questions before making an examination, 

 as it will help to tell what is wrong with the horse as 

 well as giving an idea as to what part is affected. First — find out 

 how long the animal has been sick. Second — find out how he has 

 been acting. Third — find out the cause of the trouble if you can. 

 If you find that the animal has been standing with his head 

 hanging down, eating very little, breathing heavily, and coughing, 

 you may come to the conclusion it is some trouble of the breathing 

 organs. Again, if you find out the animal is in severe pain, get- 

 ting up and down and rolling about in the stall, and slightly bloated, 

 you may conclude it is some trouble of the stomach or bowels. 

 Again, if you find out the animal has a straddling gait, attempting 

 to make water often, and allowing the penis to pass out and then 

 draw it in, and sometimes stamping with the hind legs, you may 

 then come to the conclusion it is some trouble of the urinary 

 organs, such as the kidneys or bladder. This will give you an 

 idea, after hearing the history of the case, what set of organs to 

 examine first. In all cases try the pulse ; it is generally taken 

 on the small artery which crosses the under side of the jaw about 

 the middle ; when the animal is in good health it should beat from 

 88 to 40 times per minute, or, in other words, this is the number of 

 times the heart beats per minute. The oftener the pulse beats 

 above its regular beat the more serious the case is. It will be 

 necessary to examine closely the org'ans which you have come to 

 the conclusion ar« aff»ot*d. 



