THE HORSE—THE NERVOUS SYSTEM. 53 
with lax and extended limbs. The usual symptoms of coma and stupor 
appear. Recovery may ensue in mild forms of this disease. A good, but not 
excessive appetite throughout is a favorable sign. The pulse, at first slow 
and soft, becomes weaker and more rapid in the latter stages; external 
temperature cool; bowels costive, with involuntary voiding of urine with no 
change in its character. Often there is tenderness of the spine, which may 
be detected by pressure. ; 
TREATMENT.—In some cases little can be done in the way of treat- 
ment. Unless there is complete paralysis, the patient should be placed in 
as comfortable a position as possible, and be fed on laxative food, as bran- 
mashes and like articles, with cold water to drink. The spine may be 
rubbed with stimulating liniments, or alternate applications of hot water 
and ice. The limbs should be kept warm, and frequently given a hot 
mustard-bath. When the fever is high and the pulse rapid, veratrum 
viride, in three to five drop doses, should be given until the heart’s action is 
controlled. If there be great coldness of the limbs and ears, quick pulse 
and hot mouth, aconite may be given in five to ten drop doses of the tinc- 
ture. Bromide of potassa in twenty-grain doses will be found useful in the 
early stages to allay the pain and quiet the animal. It may be given in 
alternation or with either of the above remedies. Should the horse be un- 
able to swallow, the medicine can be put on the tongue or injected ina 
watery solution under the skin. After the acute symptoms have subsided, 
mild tonics will be found useful; if paralysis supervene, treat that. 
NERVOUS FEVER. 
This is rare, and is caused by insufficiency of space allotted to the 
horse in his stable. In such case, the stable being closed during the night 
or during bad weather, the air becomes impure and produces the fever. 
Symptoms.—Shivering; cold legs and skin; no sweats; pulse from 7o 
to 100, small, thready, and growing very weak; respiration quick and 
short, about 60 per minute, with working of the wings of the nostrils; 
great weakness and dejection; increased flow of saliva; tongue and mem- 
branes of the mouth seem congested; difficult swallowing; glands not 
swollen; pain, as shown by an anxious eye; pawing; looking at the flanks; 
attempts to lie down, the horse immediately resuming the standing pos- 
ture, with the head on the ground or under the manger; urine scanty and 
high colored; bowels constipated, or pass a few soft balls covered with 
slimy mucus; at an early stage, wind in the stomach, with frequent belch- 
ing; pressure near the stomach gives pain; the action of the heart grows 
feeble, fluttering, and then silent, or hardly perceptible; breathing may be 
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