DISEASES, DEFECTS, ETC. 



79 



Dropsy of the 

 heart. 



on the chest ; they are effusions of fluid underneath the 

 skin. They accompany various diseases, particularly when 

 the animal is weakened by them, and sometimes appear 

 when there is no other disease than the debility, which, in 

 the spring and fall of the year, accompanies the changing 

 of the coat (h). 



"When the pericardium or the heart itself becomes in- 

 flamed, the secretion of the pericardium is much increased, 

 and so much fluid accumulates as to obstruct the beating of 

 the heart. This is called dropsy of the heart (Ji), and each 

 of these diseases is an unsoundness {i). 



Simple catarrh will occasionally,. and severe afi'ection of Enlarged 

 the chest will generally, be accompanied by a swellirig of sl™*^- 

 the glands under the jaw, and this does not subside for a 

 considerable time after the cold or fever has apparently been 

 cured. If the enlargement is considerable, and especially 

 if tender, and the gland at the root of the ear partakes of 

 it, and the membrane of the nose is redder than it should 

 be, the commencement or lurking of some insidious disease 

 is to be feared (k) ; and a horse under such circumstances 

 is unsound. 



"When the hock is enlarged, the structure of this compli- Enlarged 

 cated joint is so materially affected, that although the horse ^°'^^- 

 may appear for a considerable time to do ordinary work well, 

 he win occasionally fail even as to that, and a few days' 

 hard work wiU always lame him {V). A decided case of 

 enlarged hock is an unsoundness, unless it is a mere blemish, 

 the result of external injuries. 



For etve neck see star-gazer (w). Ewe neck. 



Where the coronary ligaments by which the horn of the False quarter, 

 coronet is secreted, is either divided by a cut or bruise, or 

 eaten through by caustic, there will be a division of the 

 horn as it grows down, either in the form of a permanent 

 sandcrack («), or of one portion of the horn overlapping 

 the other. This is not only a very serious defect, and a 

 frequent cause of lameness, but it is exceedingly difficult 

 to remedy (o) ; and must be considered tmsoundness. 

 Sometimes the horn grows down whole, but the ligament is 

 unable to secrete that which is perfectly healthy, and 



(A) Lih. U. K. "The Horse," 363. See also Lib. U. K., Ed. 1862, 

 171. App. 523; and see Capped Hocks, 



(t) See Eaves v. Dixon, 2 Taunt. ante, p. 71. 

 343. (m) Star-gazer, post. 



(k) Lib. U. K. " The Horse," In) Sandcrack, post. 



363. (o) Lib. U. K. "The Horse," 



{I) Lib. U. K. "The Horse," 301. 



