452 GENERAL DISEASES. 



the mucous membrane of the mouth and tongue. Rheumatism 

 frequently supervenes, is often localised in the joints, and not un- 

 commonly in the back tendons. It is apt to appear in parts that 

 have been previously weakened by injury. The epizootic of 

 1882-3, which raged throughout Scotland and the North of 

 England, and chiefly manifested itself in the intestines, proved 

 fatal in many cases. The abdominal pains were not infrequently 

 accompanied by lameness, which was usually confined to one leg. 

 Sometimes, a swelling containing a gelatinous-looking exudation 

 appeared on the coronet of the affected limb. 



In some oases, the liver or red corpuscles of the blood (p. 521) 

 become implicated, as shown by the mucous membranes of the 

 mouth and eyes assuming a yellow hue. Hence, the disease has 

 been given the misnomer of bilious fever. 



There may, also, be complications arising from bronchitis, 

 pleurisy or pneumonia, either singly or combined. 



TREATMENT. — One of the great secrets of success is to grapple 

 with the disease, at its very first onset, by judicious treatment and 

 careful nursing. During the continuance of an outbreak, every 

 horse should be watched, and, if possible, his internal temperature 

 taken from time to time, so that there may be no chance of his 

 being worked while the disease is hanging over him ; for if this 

 happens, his life may be endangered ; or at least his recovery will 

 be greatly retarded. 



It is almost always well to shift the horse out of the stable in 

 which the disease has become developed. He should be placed in 

 a warm, well-ventilated box, and carefully clothed, so as to 

 encourage the skin to act. At first he should be fed on laxative 

 food, but when the acute stage has passed, his strength should be 

 kept up by liberal feeding; two or three quarts of ale or stout 

 being given daily if necessary. Judicious exercise is generally 

 beneficial, especially when the legs have " filled " a good deal. 



Simple catarrhal influenza may be treated as ordinary catarrh 

 (p. 367). If there be constipation, give | pint of linseed oil as a 

 drench, and administer an enema. Reasoning from the fact already 

 stated, that cases in which spontaneous diarrhoea or profuse staling 

 appears, as a rule rapidly recover ; it may be concluded that it is 

 good treatment to promote these actions. Recollect, however, 

 that if there be symptoms of abdominal complications, as would 

 be evinced by continued colicky pains, a purgative should on no 

 account be given ; as its action would be directed in still further 

 localising the malady in the intestines, and would, thus, seriously 

 endanger the life of the patient; for the abdominal form of this 

 disease is much more dangerous than the catarrhal one. If 



