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EPILEPSY— FALLING FITS. 



The. cause of epilepsy is seldom traceable to any special brain lesions. 

 In a few cases it accompanies disease of the pituitary body, which is 

 located in the under surface of the brain. Softening of the brain may 

 give rise to this affection. Attacks may occur only once or twice a year, 

 or they may be of frequent recurrence. 



Symptoms. — No premonitory symptoms precede an epileptic fit. The 

 animal suddenly staggers ; the muscles become cramped ; the jaws may 

 be spasmodically opened and closed, and the tongue become lacerated 

 between the teeth ; he foams at the mouth and falls down in a spasm. 

 The urine flows away involuntarily, and the breathing may be tempo- 

 rarily arrested. The paroxysm soon passes off, and the animal gets on 

 his feet in a few minutes after the return of consciousness. 



Treatment. — Dashing cold water on the head during the paroxysm. 

 After the recovery 1 dram of oxide of zinc may be given in his feed 

 twice a day for several weeks, or benefit may be derived from the tonic 

 prescribed for chorea. * 



COMA — SLEEPY STAGGERS. 



This condition, like that of spasm and convulsion, is generally not a 

 disease, but merely a symptom manifested as a result of a variety of 

 brain affections, such as atrophy, chronic meningitis with effusion, 

 tumors in the lateral ventricles, etc. Another form of coma is that 

 which accompanies acute diseases of the brain, wherein the animal may 

 be unconscious, with sterterous breathing, difficult respiration, etc. We 

 meet, however, with a type of coma in horses which can not easily be 

 attributed to any special disease of the brain, unless it be a modified 

 form of congestion, which is sometimes amenable to treatment. This 

 condition is termed immohilite by the French, and sleepy staggers by 

 our stablemen. It is usually attributed to habitual overloading of the 

 stomach with bulky food and want of exercise. 



8 ymxHoms.— Sleepy staggers is characterized by drowsiness, partial 

 insensibility, sluggish and often staggering gait. The animal is in- 

 clined to drop his head in the manger and to go to sleep with a wad of 

 hay in his mouth, which he is apt to drop when he awakens. He will 

 stand for a long time with his legs placed in any awkward position in 

 which the owner may choose to put them. The bowels are constipated, 

 the pulse slow and soft, with no fever or pain. The animal may remain 

 in this condition for many mouths without much variation of symptoms, 

 or he may become entirely comatose, with delirium or convulsions, and 

 die. Chronic cases are always much better in cold weather than in the 

 summer. 



Treatment— Moderate bleeding from the jugular vein, 1 gallon from 

 a raedmm-sized horse, and 1^ or 2 gallons from a very large, heavy 

 horse. This should be immediately followed by a cathartic, composed 



