104 SPECIAL EQUINE THERAPY 



The eases he sees before th^ animal goes down are not 

 many at the most. 



Here we have the explanation for some of the beliefs 

 in the treatment of this disease. 



"We can dispose of the discussion of the part which the 

 city horse plays in this disease by saying that the attacks 

 are nearly always typical, that they are more grave than 

 in country horses, and that the mortality is much higher. 



Aside from the less acute character of azoturia in coun- 

 try horses, it presents other vagaries. The country practi- 

 tioner sees more atjrpical cases of this disease than typical. 



Probably the most common cases are those in which the 

 horse is standing up when the doctor arrives ; he shows 

 signs of abdominal pain, looks around towards his sides. 

 He may be breathing a trifle fast ; the nostrils are dilated. 

 There is a slight trembling of some muscle groups, but so 

 slight that unless the veterinarian suspects azoturia he 

 will not notice it. Sometimes, but not very often, there is 

 some swelling in the gluteal region. Now and then a 

 case shows swelling in the shoulder muscles. 



If the catheter is used, the urine that is withdrawn 

 shows darker than normal ; occasionally, in these cases, it 

 is typical coffee colored, but more often it is just a trifle 

 darker than normal. 



Properly handled, most of these cases are again nor- 

 mal within a few hours, except that in many of them 

 swelling appears after eight or ten hours in the gluteal 

 region, and the urine is not yet clear, or is even of a 

 more typical azoturia color than it was in the beginning. 

 This proves the diagnosis. 



Out of a hundred cases of the character described 

 above, a single one may become progressively worse until 

 complete prostration and a fully developed case is estab- 

 lished. The remaining ninety-nine cases will make an 

 uneventful recovery within a few hours' time. 



