DISEASES OF THE RESPIRATORY ORGANS. 105 



the organs connected with any other function of the animal, and, as 

 many of the causes can be avoided, it is both important and profitable 

 to know and study the causes. 



CAUSES or DISEASES OF KESPIRATOEY ORGANS. 



The causes of many of the diseases of these organs may be given 

 under a common head, because even a simple cold, if neglected or 

 badly treated, may run into the most complicated lung disease and 

 terminate fatally. In the spring and fall, when the animals are 

 changing their coats, there is a marked predisposition to contract 

 disease, and consequently care should be taken at those periods to 

 prevent other exciting causes. 



Badly ventilated stables are a frequent source of disease. It is a 

 mistake to think that country stables necessarily have purer air than 

 city stables. Stables on some farms are so faultily constructed that it 

 is almost impossible for the foul air to gain an exit. All stables 

 should have a sufficient supply of pure air, and be so arranged that 

 strong drafts can not blow directly on the animals. In ventilating a 

 stable, it is best to arrange to remove air from near the floor and admit 

 it through numerous small openings near the ceiling. The reason 

 for this is that the coldest and most impure air in the stable is near 

 the floor while that which is warmest and purest, and therefore can 

 least be spared is near the top of the room. In summer, top exits and 

 cross currents should be provided to remove excessive heat. Hot 

 stables are almost always poorly ventilated, and the hot stable is a 

 cause of disease on account of the extreme change of temperature 

 that a horse is liable to when taken out, and extreme changes of tem- 

 perature are to be avoided as certain causes of disease. 



A cold, close stable is invariably damp, and is to be avoided as 

 much as the hot, close, and foul stable. Horses changed from a cold 

 to a warm stable are more liable to contract cold than when changed 

 from a warm to a cold stable. Pure air is more essential than 

 warmth, and this fact should be especially remembered when the 

 stable is made close and foul to gain the warmth. It is more econom- 

 ical to keep the horse Avarm with blankets than to prevent the ingress 

 of pure air in order to make the stable warm. 



Stables should be well drained and kept clean. Some farmers 

 allow large quantities of manure to accumulate in the stable. This is 

 a pernicious practice, as the decomposing organic matter evolves 

 gases that are predisposing or exciting causes of disease. When a 

 horse is overheated, it is not safe to allow him to dry by evaporation ; 

 rubbing him dry and gradually cooling him out is the wisest treat- 

 ment. "When a horse is hot — covered with sweat — it is dangerous to 

 allow him to stand in a draft ; it is the best plan to walk him until his 

 temperature moderates. In such cases a light blanket thrown over 



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