67 



the unmutilated mare is naturally more excitable than the docile geld- 



ing. 



St/mptoms. — lu the milder forms this affection may appear as a lame- 

 ness in one limb, from indefinite cause, succeeding to some sudden ex- 

 ertion and attended by a dusky-brown color of the membranes of the 

 eye and nose and some wincing when the last ribs are struck. The 

 severe forms come on after one or two days of rest on a full ration, when 

 the animal has been taken out and driven one hundred paces or more. 

 The tire and life with wliich he had left the stable suddenly give place 

 to dullness and oppression, as shown in heaving flanks, dihited nostrils, 

 pinched face, perspiring skin, and trembling body. The muscles of the 

 loins or haunch become swelled and rigid, the subject moves stiffly or 

 unsteadily, crouches behind, the limbs being carried semi-flexed, and he 

 soon drops, unable to support himself. When down, the body and limbs 

 are moved convulsively, but there is no power of coordination of move- 

 ment in the muscles. The pulse and breathing are accelerated, the 

 eyes red with a tinge of brown, and the urine, if passed, is seen to be 

 highly colored, dark brown, red, or black, but it contains neither blood 

 clots nor globules. The color is mainly due to hsemoglobin and other 

 imperfectly elaborated constituents of the blood. ♦ 



Jt may end fatally in a few hours or days, or a recovery may ensue, 

 which is usually more speedy and perfect if it has set in at an early 

 stage. In the late and tardy recoveries a partial paralysis of the hind 

 limbs may last for months. A frequent sequel of these tardy cases is 

 an extensive wasting of the muscles leading up from the front of the 

 stifle (those supplied by the crural nerve), and a complete inability, to 

 stand. 



The preve7ition of this serious affection lies in restricting the diet and 

 giving daily exercise when the animal is not at work. A horse that 

 has had one attack should never be left idle for a single day in the stall 

 or barn-yard. When a horse has been condemned to absolute repose 

 on good feeding he may have a laxative (one half to 1 pound Glauber 

 salts), and have graduated exercise, beginning with a short walk and 

 increasing day by day. 



The treatment of the mild cases may consist in a laxative, graduated 

 daily exercise, and a daily dose of saltpeter (1 ounce). Sudden attacks 

 will sometimes promptly subside if taken on the instant and the sub- 

 ject kept still and calmed by a dose of bromide of potassium (4 

 drams) and sweet spirits of niter (1 ounce). The latter has the advan- 

 tage of increasing the secretion of the kidneys. In severe cases, as 

 a rule, it is desirable to begin treatment by a full dose of aloes (4 to G 

 drams) with the above-named dose of bromide of potassium, and this 

 latter may be continued at intervals of four or six hours, as may be 

 requisite to calm the nervous excitement. Fomentations with warm 

 water over the loins are always useful in calming the excitable condi- 

 tion of the spinal cord, muscles, liver, and kidneys, and also in favor- 



