CHAPTER XIV 



DISEASES AFFECTING THE SKIN AND ETE 



Diseases of the skin of animals can usually be 

 traced to one of the following causes: parasites, 

 either animal or vegetable; uncleanliness, which inter- 

 feres with the functions of the glands of the skin; 

 improper food or feeding; a disease of the nerves 

 which is shown by an intense itching of the skin. 

 Some of the commoner skin manifestations are brought 

 together in this chapter for the convenience of the 

 reader, even though they may not be closely related 

 as to cause. 



"hidebound" 



This is not a disease, but only a symptom; although 

 the term is commonly used by horsemen as if it meant 

 a disease. In "hidebound" horses, the skin appears 

 dry and shrunken on the bones. Such animals are 

 out of condition, usually from being poorly nourished, 

 either from a lack of sufileient food of good quality, 

 or from inability to assimilate the food. In most cases, 

 the remedy is abundance of nourishing and easily di- 

 gested food; when this has been supplied without relief, 

 other causes, such as diseased teeth, derangement of 

 the digestive tract, or some chronic disease, as tuber- 

 culosis, must be looked for. 



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