184 THEORY AND PRACTICE 



Post Mortem. — Post mortem shows that the trouble is in the 

 heart, which may give evidence of endocarditis, valvuHtis or 

 pericarditis. In all cases the animal is liable to die suddenly 

 from syncope. In inflammatory rheumatism the joints swell but 

 never run to suppuration unless bruised. The parts are sore and 

 produce great lameness. If left to run its own course the in- 

 flammation is apt to run five or six weeks. It usually leaves the 

 joints permanently enlarged, especially if in the hock. Metastatic 

 or flying rheumatism is inclined to attack the sheaths of the 

 tendons in the legs. The disease migrates from one leg to an- 

 other 6ut is usually constant. The horse never recovers from 

 rheumatic arthritis after ossification of the exudates takes place 

 and has what is called chronic rheumatism. 



Sciatica comes on suddenly. The horse steps short with the 

 affected leg and does not want to be backed up ; the act of backing 

 up seems to cause muscular pressure and it consequently causes 

 pain. If he is made to back up he will carry the leg that is 

 affected with rheumatism. Upon manipulating the sciatic region 

 you can detect the soreness. In neuralgia rheumatism attacks 

 the fifth nerve. The horse will hold his head tipped more or 

 less and there is twitching of the facial muscles and partial clos- 

 ing of the eye. The horse is disinclined to move and shows many 

 evidences of distress. Pressure upon the part will cause him to 

 wince. Neuralgia is not very common in the horse. 



Lumbago. — When this condition attacks a horse he will show 

 stiffness, will turn with difficulty and will not move readily. His 

 back will be arched. In bad cases he is likely to lie down and 

 then is unable to rise, perhaps for a week or two. 



Semeiology. — The symptoms of lumbago are well marked in 

 the dog. The subacute form sometimes attacks the intercostal 

 muscles and is called pleurodynia. It closely resembles pleurisy 

 but in pleurodynia there is no fever and auscultation reveals no 

 friction sound. It resembles pleurisy in its fixed condition of 

 the ribs, soreness of the intercostal muscles, careful breathing, 

 turning out of the elbows, etc. 



A subacute attack in the muscles of the neck seems to cause 

 contraction of the neck muscles so that the head is turned to 



