13 



head, the application of side lines, or the use of the cradle. 

 Bandages may be applied to the legs of horses for three different 

 purposes: First, to give support to the blood vessels and synovial 

 bursse; second, as a vehicle for applying cold lotions; and third, 

 for drying and warming the legs. 



The pulse is the beating of the arteries, and is usually felt at 

 the jaw (the submaxillary artery) , or on the inner side of the arm 

 (the brachial artery) , and is an important guide in determining 

 the physical condition of the animal; the norm.al pulsations are 

 about 40 per minute. It is best taken by placing the fore or 

 middle finger transversely on the artery. The slightest excite- 

 ment, when the horse is sick, will cause an alteration in the pulse; 

 therefore the animal should be approached very quietly. A 

 strong and full pulse is an indication of health. 



A full and bounding pulse denotes the first stages of fever, 

 afterwards becoming small and weak. A very slow pulse denotes 

 disease or injury of the brain or spinal cord. An imperceptible 

 pulse indicates the approach of death. 



At rest the healthy horse breathes from 13 to 15 times per 

 minute. Difficulty in breathing is a prominent symptom of dis- 

 ease of the respiratory organs; it may also be observed in some 

 cases of flatulent colic. Abdominal breathing is the respiratory 

 movement performed with the ribs fixed as much as possible, 

 owing to pain or laechanical obstruction in the chest, and is a 

 symptom of pleurisy and hydrothorax (water in the chest) . 



Irregular breathing is that condition where there is a want of 

 harmonious correspondence between the inspiratory and expira- 

 tory movements, and is observed in the disease commonly known 

 as " broken wind " or "heaves." The inspiratory movement in 

 this affection is performed quickly and with a jerky effort, while 

 the expiratory movement is performed slowly and with a double 

 action, more particularly of the abdominal muscles. Irregular 

 breathing often becomes spasmodic or convulsive during the 

 progress of the disease. 



The mean temperature of the horse in those internal parts 

 which are most easily accessible, as the mouth and rectum, may 

 be estimated at from 99° to 101° F. In very young animals the 

 temperature is commonly about 101°, but in very old ones it has 

 been known to be as low as 96° F. The external parts of the 

 body become lowered in temperature according to their distance 



