MYXOID DEGENERATION 21 



MYXOID DEGENERATION OF BONES 



Not many cases of a myxoid osseous degeneration are 

 on record in veterinary science Whether this is due to 

 the fact that it is a rare affection, or whether veterina- 

 rians have failed to report the cases out of their prac- 

 tices, I do not know. I have been able to find but very 

 little literature on the subject. One case that came up 

 in my practice a short time ago I reported in the Ameri- 

 can Journal of Veterinary Medicine. As the description 

 of the case is quite fully given in this report I reproduce 

 it here, as follows : 



"Not many eases of myxoid degeneration of the bones 

 of the skull in horses are on record. Apparently it is 

 a very rare pathological condition. Cases which have 

 been reported were mostly in young horses and sucking 

 colts ; now and then the condition has been known to occur 

 in mature animals. 



' ' The case which I am about to record is that of a grey 

 gelding about seven or eight years old. He is a fair 

 specimen of the express type and in good condition, 

 weighing about 1,250 pounds. He was raised by the man 

 who owns him now and was supposed to be a 'whistler' 

 or 'roarer' since eolthood. 



' ' This roaring was not typical and, until the evidence 

 of the myxoid degeneration developed, it could not be 

 satisfactorily diagnosed. Now that the true condition 

 has shown itself the roaring, according to other records 

 of such cases, is explained. 



' ' On looking up these cases I found that in nearly every 

 instance the horse was either affected with roaring, snor- 

 ing or had some other form of respiratory impediment 

 which was puzzling and which could not be satisfactorily 

 diagnosed until the appearance of signs of the myxoid 

 degeneration. 



