244 DISEASES OF THE HORSE. 
the mouth is refreshing. Excellent success frequently may be obtained 
by clothing the upper part of the head, the neck, and greater part of 
the body in woolen blankets kept saturated with very warm water. 
This treatment should be continued for six or eight hours at a time. 
It often relaxes the cramped muscles and gives them rest and the ani- 
mal almost entire freedom from pain; but it should be used every day 
until the acute spasms have permanently subsided in order to be of 
any lasting benefit. 
Recently subcutaneous injections of brain emulsion have been rec- 
ommended. It is thought that the tetanus toxin will attach itself to 
the brain cells so injected and thus free the system of this poison. ' 
When it is due to a wound, the wound should be thoroughly cleaned 
and disinfected with carbolic acid. If from a wound which has 
healed, an excision of the cicatrix may be beneficial. In all cases it 
is not uncommon to have a partial recovery followed by relapse when 
the animal becomes excited from any cause. : 
RABIES, HYDROPHOBIA, OR MADNESS. 
This disease does not arise spontaneously among: horses, but is the 
result of a bite from a rabid animal—generally a dog or cat. The 
development of the disease follows the bite in from three weeks to 
three months—very rarely in two weeks. (See also p. 559.) 
Symptoms.—Phe first manifestation of the development of this dis- 
ease may be an increased excitability and viciousness; very slight 
noises or the approach of a person incites the animal to kick, strike, 
or bite at any near object. Very often the horse will bite his own 
limbs or sides, lacerating the flesh and tearing the skin. The eyes 
appear staring, bloodshot; the ears are on the alert to catch all 
sounds; the head is held erect. In some cases the animal will con- 
tinually rub and bite the locality of the wound inflicted by the rabid 
animal. This symptom may precede all others. Generally the 
bowels become constipated and the animal makes frequent attempts 
at urination, which is painful, and the urine very dark colored. The 
furious symptoms appear in paroxysms; at other times the animal 
may eat and drink, although swallowing appears to become painful 
toward the latter stage of the disease, and may cause renewed parox- 
ysms. The muscles of the limbs or back may be subject to intermittent 
spasms, or spasmodic tremors; finally, the hind limbs become para- 
lyzed, breathing very difficult, and convulsions supervene, followed 
by death. The pulse and respirations are increased in frequency 
from the outset of the attack. Rabies may possibly be mistaken for 
tetanus. In the latter disease we find tonic spasms of the muscles of 
the jaws, or stiffness of the neck or back very early in the attack, and 
evidence of viciousness is absent. 
