AZOTURIA. 
187 
of play, jumping and scaring at objects he ordinarily would not 
observe. The driver will often remark that the horse is “ feeline 
his oats.” After going one, two or three miles he begins to 
check-up—drive sluggishly, stumble, break out in a sweat, sway 
from side to side and suddenly stop. The owner may strike him 
and he may start off and go very well for a short distance and 
then stop again, looking round as though suffering abdominal 
pain. The owner may try to lead or drive him, but he will move 
or tramp with his anterior limbs, while his posterior limbs stand 
stiff, rigid and trembling, as if his feet were glued to the ground, 
and when forced to move he will go down, making a few efforts 
to rise, but falling. He may become delirious and uncontrollable, 
dragging and bruising himself against the ground. 
Or he may drive along and suddenly go lame for a short 
distance, as though he had interfered. Then apparently he re¬ 
covers, but soon the lameness reappears. The owner may sus¬ 
pect the picking up of a nail and may thoroughly examine the 
foot, but finding nothing, he places the foot down and steps back 
to make a careful inspection of the animal; then he sees the quiv¬ 
ering muscles in the region of the flank, with a profuse sweat¬ 
ing, the horse looking around at his side with an expression de¬ 
noting distress, nostrils dilated and congested and respiration 
rapid. The driver immediately becomes cognizant of the pre¬ 
carious condition and tries to force him on to the nearest barn 
or to some place where medical aid may be secured; consequently 
the horse goes down, whereas if a veterinarian had been called 
to him he might have been on the road to recovery by the time 
aid reached him. I try to teach my clients the importance of 
stopping a horse as soon as the slightest symtonis are detected. 
If they chance to be crossing a railroad track they should even 
stop and flag the train , should one be approaching. 
Differential Diagnosis .—-With the previous history and the 
present condition of the horse known to us, we are usually able 
to recognize this disease, but we are not always able to get the 
history, as the driver may know nothing of the management and 
keep of the horse, as, for instance, a livery horse. 
