DISEASES OF THE SKIN and SUBJACENT TISSUE
Abscess—Ulcers—Fistulas
An abscess is a collection of matter. Any tumor softening, or in other
words coming to a head, forms an abscess. They are usually the result of
injuries, such as a blow or contusion, or may be occasioned by a thorn,
nail or splinter entering the flesh. In the more severe cases these act
in connection with a constitutional predisposition or peculiar state of
the blood.
SYMPTOMS.—A hot and painful swelling; in the earlier stage, hard, and by
degrees softening or fluctuating in the center, and gradually
approaching the surface, attended with more or less heat and fever,
according to its situation and nature.
Abscesses which penetrate deeply along the sheaths of muscles and
tendons, or even to the bones are termed FISTULAS. Shallow abscesses are
known as ulcers, and these may be mild, readily healing, and secreting a
healthy, thick, cream-like pus; or ill-conditioned, unhealthy, secreting
a thin sanious discolored matter, and healing with great difficulty.
Such are the general characteristics of all abscesses, wherever located,
and their situation and extent mark their relative importance and
danger.
TREATMENT.—During the inflammatory stage or before softening, while
there is merely a hard, more or less hot and painful tumor, we should
endeavor to disperse it without its softening. To this end, give three
times per day, ten drops of A.A., and also bathe the tumor as often with
HUMPHREYS’ MARVEL WITCH HAZEL which will frequently disperse it.
But if the swelling increases and fluctuates, or a yellowish spot is
observed in its center, denoting the presence of matter, it should be
lanced at once, in the most depending portion, and the matter drawn off,
and fifteen drops of the I.I., should be given morning and night to
facilitate the healing. Apply the VETERINARY OIL to the cut or open sore
with end of the finger, three times per day, to facilitate the healing.
For ULCERS or SORES, apply the VETERINARY OIL, as above.
In fistulas where the canal is long and crooked, or runs into cavities
of pus, it may be laid open with the knife, so as to heal from the
bottom, or better, the VETERINARY OIL may be injected daily, with a
small syringe, or the OIL may be inclosed in a _gelatine capsule_ and
gently pressed down into the bottom of the cavity, after having pressed
out the accumulated matter. The use of the capsule (which may be had for
a trifle at the druggists, or from this Company), is the safest and most
convenient.
Abscess of the Poll, Poll Evil
Is often from neglect a very formidable disease. It is generally the
result of severe injury upon the top of the head, such as the chafing of
the bridle or halter, pressure, or a blow against the manger or stall,
or frequent hanging back against the headstall.
SYMPTOMS.—At first a tumor forms at the polls or junction of the head
and neck. It soon becomes hot, tense and painful; the horse carries his
head low; looks to one side; eats but little from the pain of chewing,
especially if the food is hard. If the tumor is not dispersed, it comes
to a head, either discharges externally, or the matter failing to come
to the surface, sinks downward, burrowing along beneath the surface
among tendons, ligaments and bones, forming deep and obstinate fistulous
ulcers.
TREATMENT.—Before the tumor has softened, give the A.A., fifteen drops
three times per day, keep the horse on low diet, and bathe the swelling
frequently with HUMPHREYS’ MARVEL WITCH HAZEL. This course will usually
disperse the swelling or should it fail to do so will limit it to the
smallest possible extent.
If the tumor has come to a head, is soft or fluctuating, lance it at
once, evacuate the contents, and give fifteen drops of the I.I., morning
and night, apply HUMPHREYS’ VETERINARY OIL three times per day to the
sore. For old neglected cases apply the VETERINARY OIL, and give I.I.,
daily.
Fistula of the Withers—Sweeny
This disease very much resembles Poll Evil in the textures involved and
the difficulty in curing it. It begins with an inflammation of the
connecting tissues of the spinous processes of the dorsal vertebræ and
the ultimate formation of an abscess. Being confined by the fascia or
ligamentous structures, the matter cannot find its way to the surface,
but forms sinuses or pipes, and by the force of gravity, burrows down
among the muscles which connect the shoulder with the trunk. Sometimes
it consists of a cyst filled with a serum, and then is easy to cure. As
the muscles of the withers are connected with all the movements of the
neck as well as the back and legs, the disease rapidly increases, and
the inflammation extends; the shoulder becomes lower, the ligaments,
cartilage, and spinous process are involved, and extensive mischief
ensues.
CAUSE.—A badly fitting saddle, and most commonly a side-saddle, which,
pressing on the spinous processes of the vertebræ, produces first
soreness and subsequent inflammation.
SYMPTOMS.—Swelling and tenderness either on the top of the withers or a
little on one side of the spinal process at that point; and in a short
time fluctuation under the finger. Should the skin have been much
bruised, a circular portion sloughs out and leaves an unhealthy looking
sore, from which there is a discharge, and on further examination with a
probe we find a cyst from which there is only one outlet, or we find
fistulous ducts (“pipes,” in farriers’ language) leading in various
directions. In many more advanced cases we only discover a hard tumor on
the withers, which will neither suppurate nor disappear by resolution,
and to which, although coming under the head of Fistulous Withers, the
term is evidently inappropriately applied.
TREATMENT.—First remove the cause by taking off and quite altering the
bearing of the saddle. If the swelling is recent and does not fluctuate,
thoroughly rub in the VETERINARY OIL, repeating the operation every day,
giving a dose of B.B. also morning and night. If a cyst exists and
fluctuation is perceptible, it must be opened at the most dependent
portion, and the matter drawn off, and the part rubbed with the
VETERINARY OIL, and a portion of it injected into the sack or opening
every day. If long pipes or sinuses exist, they must also be opened and
the VETERINARY OIL injected. Give also, morning and night, I.I. daily.
Dropsy
While dropsy is not a common disease in the horse it is sometimes met
with; particularly in horses which are fed on the refuse from sugar
factories and distilleries.
It may be caused from improper feeding, or may be only a symptom of some
other disease, particularly diseases of the heart, lungs, liver and
kidneys.
Dropsy is a morbid accumulation of watery fluid confined to certain
parts of the body. The disease is divided into varieties corresponding
to the respective localization of the accumulated water, as for
instance, anasarca (water in the skin); ascites (water in the abdomen);
hydrothorax (water in the chest).
SYMPTOMS.—In the first form (anasarca) it is first noticed on the lower
parts of the body, as the legs, under surface of the chest, etc. The
skin is swollen and doughy to the touch and retains the impression of
the fingers; but is neither painful nor of abnormally high temperature.
In ascites there is a gradual enlargement of the abdomen and when
pressed upon, the fluid can be felt to flow from side to side and the
part with the water gives a dull sound on being struck. Breathing is
quicker and impeded and the appetite diminished, but there is no fever.
In hydrothorax the symptoms are much the same except that it takes place
in the region of the chest instead of the abdomen.
TREATMENT.—It will generally be relieved by giving the H.H., in doses of
fifteen drops three times per day for trifling cases, or ten drops every
three hours for the more severe ones. After a free discharge of urine is
established, giving the medicine three times per day will be sufficient.
Eczema
(See also Mange page 23)
In the horse, eczema represents practically all forms of skin disease
except the parasitic and is seen in the following forms and regions.
1—A form seen in hot weather and variously known as herpes, lichen,
summer or saddle mange, and heat pimples. This occurs under the harness
where sweating is most profuse, at first as scabby pimples, after which
the hair sticks together and falls, leaving scaly bare patches.
2—Then there is a form of scaly eczema which attacks the head, neck,
shoulders, elbows, etc. This is a chronic form, with the production of
branny scales with thickening of the skin accompanied by itching.
3—A pustular form which attacks chiefly the skin under the mane and
tail. The skin is raw and weeping, while the hair mats together in
masses and falls and there is a tendency to the chronic scaly form.
4—Eczema attacking the legs is known as mallenders and sallenders if on
the back of the knee, or the front of the hock, while if above the
heels, in the bend of the pastern it is known as grease. This is
characterized by heat, swelling and redness, followed by a vesiculated
weeping surface with the formation of a greasy, offensive discharge,
scabs and cracks in the skin, followed by loss of hair. Sometimes the
irritant secretion gives rise to production of fungus wart-like
granulations, known as “grapes” accompanied by great thickening of the
skin and swelling of the limbs.
Eczema probably comes from both external and internal causes. Among the
external causes are improper grooming and cleansing of the skin,
exposure of the animal to constant rain and the use of irritant soap.
Grease may be caused by clipping the hair about the fetlock in cold
weather and cleaning before the hair has entirely dried.
Among the internal causes are hereditary disposition, improper diet and
use of drugs.
TREATMENT.—First clean the sores, removing all dirt, scabs, etc. For
this purpose olive oil is better than water as soap and water are apt to
cause further irritation. (If about the tail or mane, clip the hair
around the sores). Apply Zinc Ointment at night and morning. Give A.A.
three time per day for two days, then I.I. instead of the A.A.
When in the form of “Grease” on the fetlocks, remove the hair from the
sores and cleanse them well. In bad cases the application of a bran
poultice cleanses them beautifully. Keep the legs as dry as possible.
Feed with relaxing or green food, bran mashes, and less stimulating
food, especially in the early stage, and give fifteen drops of A.A. Keep
the legs as free from dirt as possible. If the horse is not worked let
him have exercise daily, and each night and morning after the leg is
cleaned apply Zinc Ointment.
Hidebound
This condition is not a disease of itself, but a mere symptom of some
other disease, most frequently of the stomach; such as a disordered
stomach; poor food, or long exposure to rough, stormy weather. It not
unfrequently exists in connection with Glanders, Grease, Founder or old
disease of the lungs.
SYMPTOMS.—It manifests itself by the hair looking rough and unthrifty,
without its natural smoothness and gloss; and the skin feels hard, firm
and fixed to the flesh.
We can most successfully treat it by ascertaining and removing the cause
upon which it depends. But in the absence of any special indication, we
may give with the best success a dose of fifteen drops of J.K., each
morning, and the same of I.I., each night. A few days treatment will
generally produce a most marked improvement.
Mange
(See also Eczema page 21)
Mange is a disease of the skin which has much the same appearance as
eczema but is caused by parasites while eczema is not.
There are three forms of mange in the horse.
1—Sarcoptic mange caused by a burrowing mite which feeds and propagates
in the lower layers of the skin. This form is usually found on the head,
neck, shoulders and outer parts of the body.
2—Dermatodecic mange caused by sucking mites which live on the outer
layers of the skin and suck up serum and lymph. This form is usually
found on the inside of the thighs, root of the mane and tail, sheat,
etc.
3—Symbiotic mange caused by scale eating mites which live and feed on
the surface of the skin. This form is usually found on the feet and
pasterns.
The last two varieties of mites can be seen by the naked eye but better
by a magnifying glass. The first variety can be seen only by a glass and
that with difficulty due to their burrowing under the skin.
One should be careful to distinguish mange from eczema as the origin and
treatment of the two diseases are quite different, although the eruption
looks much the same in each case.
1—Eczema is much more common in the horse than mange.
2—In mange there is a more definite boundary to the patches than in
eczema.
3—In mange the itching is much more intense.
4—The actual discovery of the parasites by the aid of the magnifying
glass is of course the final test.
TREATMENT.—Consists of clipping the hair around the infected patches,
then cleaning them with oil or glycerine containing five per cent of
creolin or lysol. Then apply a thick lather of green soap and leave on
for twenty-four hours. This is to soften the scabs and prepare the skin
for the actual remedy. For this purpose sulphur ointment (equal parts of
sulphur and lard) is an old standby or a three per cent solution of
creolin or lysol is good. The remedy must be thoroughly rubbed with a
brush into the infected parts and when rubbed off by the animal
reapplied for a period of a week. Then wash off and repeat the treatment
two or three times.
In addition to this the horse should be removed from the other animals
and all stalls, blankets, etc., that he has used should be cleaned by
boiling water and a five per cent solution of creolin and lysol. This is
necessary in order to destroy the mites which remain on such articles
and which might infect the other animals or reinfect the horse.
Swelled Legs
This affection is of frequent occurrence in horses, and is more
especially observed in coarse and badly groomed animals. The hind legs
are most subject to it, although it frequently extends to the fore legs.
Sometimes from metastasis of disease from other parts, the legs swell to
an enormous degree, and it is attended with some degree of heat,
tenderness, and peculiar lameness. The pulse is quickened, and there is
evident fever. In such cases there is some inflammation of the cellular
tissue, and an effusion of fluid forming the swelling. In these cases
when there is heat and tenderness, a few doses of fifteen drops each of
A. A., for FEVER, will soon relieve the lameness and swelling. If the
legs are swelled without being lame or painful, the I.I., should be
given morning and night, with careful grooming and exercise, this will
soon reduce the swelling. If the swelling is accompanied with SCANTY
URINATION, the H.H., given three times per day is the proper remedy for
the difficulty. Sometimes swelled legs are merely the result of a change
of feed, and hence often occur in spring and fall, or when horses are
taken from pasture and confined in close stables. Consult also GREASE or
SCRATCHES.
Swelling of the Teats
Sometimes from cold or injury, the teats in mares are subject to
inflammatory swelling. A few doses, ten drops each, of A. A., for FEVER,
will relieve, and if the parts seem quite tender, bathe them with
HUMPHREYS’ MARVEL WITCH HAZEL or apply the VETERINARY OIL.
Ringworm
Ringworm is a disease caused by a vegetable parasite, or fungus, which
lives on hair follicles and the hair itself.
SYMPTOMS.—It makes its appearance most frequently on the seat of the
saddle, on the croup or flanks and sometimes on the head. The spots
range in size from a dime to a half dollar and usually form a fairly
regular circle. The hair has fallen out or is broken off and there is a
scaling of the skin inside the circle. The surrounding hair can easily
be pulled out. Itching is generally absent.
TREATMENT.—Same as for mange. (See Mange page 23).
Lice
Horses taken up from a straw yard, with long, shaggy coats, in poor
condition, are sometimes found infested with lice.
CAUSE.—Contagion.
SYMPTOMS.—The animal is seen continually biting his sides and quarters,
rubs himself against walls and posts, or anything within his reach,
denuding the skin of hair in patches and making it bleed. On close
examination we have no difficulty in discovering the lice in bare
patches.
TREATMENT.—The horse should be removed from the other animals. The
stalls, blankets, etc., that he has used should be thoroughly cleaned by
boiling water and a five per cent solution of creolin or lysol, to
destroy the lice which will cling to stalls, blankets, etc.
The horse should be washed with green soap and water and kerosene (Coal
Oil) should be applied night and morning for two days and then removed
by soap and water. This must be done three times at intervals of a week,
in order to kill the new generations of lice which hatch from the eggs
in about six days.
Tubercles
These small, sluggish swellings are caused by friction, contusion, cold,
stings of insects, internal disease, etc.
TREATMENT.—If they are the result of external violence, HUMPHREYS’
MARVEL WITCH HAZEL or VETERINARY OIL, applied externally, is beneficial.
The I. I., may be given with advantage morning and night.
Sponge
This term is given to a round, spongy excresence on the knee, generally
caused by some external injury. It is at first a hot, painful swelling;
then becomes a cold, hard, indolent tumor. It sometimes occasions
considerable itching and emits purulent matter.
TREATMENT.—If sponge arises from some injury, the VETERINARY OIL should
be well rubbed in, two or three times a day; or applied morning and
night; at the same time, also administer I. I., morning and night.
Sweating
Sometimes on very moderate exercise, horses sweat to excess. It is often
the result of weakness, poor food or some internal condition. Give J.K.,
a few times, in doses of fifteen drops, morning and night.
Tumors, Swellings
Any unusual or morbid growth or enlargement may be termed a tumor, and
when one is found upon any part of an animal, care should be taken to
ascertain, if possible, its nature and cause. They are variously named,
according to their locality and the nature of their contents.
Sometimes they are globular or conical, or again flattened, or again
pedunculated (having a neck). Some are quite firm and hard, others
spongy, and others contain fluid.
Encysted Tumors (so called because the enlargement is closed in a sack)
are frequent, more or less round, movable beneath the skin, painless,
and sometimes attain to a considerable size. They are the result of some
internal cause not easily defined.
TREATMENT.—In all cases where a tumor or swelling is hot or painful,
give A.A., every two, four or six hours, in doses of fifteen drops,
according to the urgency of the case. Keep the animals on low diet and
thus seek to disperse it. If caused by external pressure or injury,
annoint the part frequently with VETERINARY OIL. If the tumor,
notwithstanding the treatment, has softened, grows whitish at some
point, painful and smaller, open it, then treat it as an ulcer, giving
I.I., morning and night.
In case of _cold tumors_ or hot tumors, after the heat has been reduced,
simply give I.I., at night, or noon and night, and the J.K., in the
morning, in doses of fifteen drops, until the tumor is dispersed or the
condition favoring the production is destroyed. Encysted and fatty
tumors will generally have to be taken out by the knife and the opening
annointed with VETERINARY OIL and again neatly brought together to
prevent a scar.
Warts
Warts are so well known as to require no description. Certain horses and
young animals are most subject to them. They vary in size and
appearance, are smooth or shaggy, pedunculated or have a large base and
some are soft, moist or spongy. They sometimes arise after chafing or an
injury, but depend essentially upon an internal cause.
TREATMENT.—Give I.I. in doses of fifteen drops, every two or three days
for a few weeks, this should cause their entire disappearance. Apply
also daily the VETERINARY OIL, scraping off the rough outside of the
wart with the thumb nail before or while applying the OIL.
CHAPTER II.—PART I.
MECHANICAL INJURIES AND WOUNDS
The treatment of injuries and wounds is a branch of Veterinary Surgery
of the utmost importance to the owners of horses, for accidents are of
every day occurrence. We shall, however, not be able to devote so much
space to the subject as some would deem desirable.
Flesh Wounds may be classified as _Contused Wounds_, when there is an
injury inflicted on the surface of the body by mechanical violence
without rending the skin; _Incised Wounds_, when such an injury is
inflicted by a clean cutting instrument; _Lacerated_ or _Jagged Wounds_,
when the parts are torn and the lips of the wound are irregular; and
_Punctured Wounds_, when the injury is deep rather than broad, and the
effect of piercing as by a stab.
Contused Wounds
DEFINITION.—Wounds are said to be “contused” when the skin, although
bruised, is not cut through or broken; they are followed by the usual
symptoms of inflammation, namely, redness, swelling, heat and pain.
CAUSES.—These can be best understood by one or two illustrative
examples. A horse gets the collar chain around his heels at night when
he becomes fast, and, in struggling to free himself, he bruises and
excoriates the hollow of the pastern. Next morning he is found very
lame, with swelling and great tenderness of the parts, but there is no
rent in the skin. He has what is called “Contused Wound.” Or, another
cause of injury commonly occurs in cavalry stables, where the horses are
separated from each other by an iron bar, over which one of them manages
to get one of his hind legs. In struggling to get back, he bruises the
inside of his thighs, and probably his belly as well. Next day we find
him with his leg considerably swollen, lame, and tender on pressure,
from “Contused Wounds.” Other causes are kicks from horses, blows from
bad-tempered grooms, and falling on hard ground.
TREATMENT.—Apply the VETERINARY OIL to the part two or three times per
day, and give the first day or two, the A.A., three times per day, after
which, an occasional dose of I.I.
Incised Wounds
DEFINITION.—Incised wounds are those in which a clean cut is made
through the integuments or parts underneath, merely dividing textures
without lacerating them, and are generally caused by some sharp
instrument.
TREATMENT.—In such cases it is necessary to bring the lips of the wound
together, and retain them so by what are called sutures, the best of
which is an ordinary pin passed through the skin a quarter of an inch
from the edges of the wound, whose lips are then kept close together by
the further addition of a small piece of tow passed over, under and
around the pin, forming a figure thus $, after which the point of the
pin may be cut off with a pair of scissors. These pins, or, as they are
called, “twisted sutures,” may be placed one inch apart from each other.
Most Veterinary Surgeons use what is called the “interrupted suture,” as
follows: A curved needle, armed with a strong thread, well waxed, is
passed through the skin on each side of the wound, when the ends of the
thread are drawn together and tied in a common knot. As many of these
stitches are to be made as the length of the wound renders necessary,
but they should be about three-quarters of an inch apart. These sutures,
as a general rule, should be allowed to remain as long as they will; but
should an effusion of serum or matter take place in the interior of the
wound, the lower or most dependent one should be taken out, and the
fluid allowed to escape; and then, but not before, warm applications may
be applied. Exceptional cases, however, do occur when, from the extent
of the injury, considerable swelling takes place about the third day,
and constitutional disturbance intervenes. In these cases the sutures
may be removed; but in the majority, the swelling must be looked upon as
a natural consequence attendant on the formation of lymph, which may be
seen oozing from the lips of the wound, and which is necessary to glue
them together, till the small vessels pass from side to side and form a
permanent bond of union. Always dress the wound and keep the edges of
the opening moist with the VETERINARY OIL, applying it from day to day,
to prevent inflammation, suppuration and to promote healing by “first
intention.” The interrupted or thread suture is preferable for wounds
about the head, as the horse would probably tear out the pin by rubbing
it against the rack or manger. Previous to applying sutures, we should
remove all foreign bodies and clots of blood from the wound, and oil
every part well with the VETERINARY OIL, and give A.A. four times a day.
_Hemorrhage_, although causing great alarm to the uninitiated in
veterinary science, is generally a matter of very little consequence,
except a large artery is divided, as the bleeding will soon stop without
our assistance. But should the blood come in jets, be of a bright
scarlet color, and not stop in a reasonable time, we should either seize
the open mouth of the vessel with forceps and pass a ligature around it
or apply a compress of tow and a bandage. Cold water dashed on the part,
or HUMPHREYS’ MARVEL WITCH HAZEL will frequently have the desired
effect.
Lacerated or Jagged Wounds
DEFINITION.—By these are meant that description of injury to the soft
parts where the skin and subtextures, instead of being simply divided,
are torn asunder and present a jagged and irregular appearance, and are
often much bruised.
CAUSES.—They are caused by mechanical injuries, such as hooks and nails
in stables, or by carriage poles or shafts running into a horse.
TREATMENT.—Our first object is to remove all foreign bodies from the
wound, and to cut off all lacerated portions, whether of skin, muscle or
tendon, which cannot be retained in their original position. Then all
grit or sand must be washed away by dashing cold water on the wound,
should there be much hemorrhage; or bathing it with warm water, should
the bleeding be inconsiderable. Having thus produced a tolerably even
and clean wound, and removed those parts which we know would be removed
by sloughing, we assist nature by sewing up such portions of skin and
muscle as are not too much injured to preclude the hope of their growing
in their original position, although we may abandon all hopes of the
wound uniting by the first intention. This we accomplish by thread
sutures, as in the case of incised wounds, but with this difference,
that we do not bring the lips of the wound together, but at once have
recourse to hot applications and bandages wherever they can be applied.
The use of the latter is to preserve the lacerated parts in their
original position, to exclude air, and to prevent the water washing away
the lymph, which is necessary for the filling up of the wound;
consequently the bandage should not be removed for a few days, except
that the swelling renders it actually necessary to do so. The warm
application reduces the tension in the part, favors circulation and the
exudation of lymph, and by its soothing effects prevents that
constitutional disturbance which is so much to be dreaded in this class
of wounds. In about a week the inflammation will have partially subsided
and suppuration will most probably have taken place, when we remove the
bandage and discontinue the hot application, merely letting a little
water run over the wound to remove superfluous matter. It is undesirable
to use a sponge, because it would remove the lymph at the same time and
expose the small vessels to the atmosphere, which are busily engaged in
repairing the injury, which, acting on them as an irritant, causes them
to secrete exuberant and unhealthy granulations called “proud flesh.”
For the same reason, unless the matter is very plentiful and has a bad
smell, it is better not to apply even water, or in any way remove the
lymph.
The best possible dressing for all such injuries is HUMPHREYS’
VETERINARY OIL, which should be applied to all the raw or cut surface
before being sewed or bound up, and then kept applied to the raw
surface, both to prevent inflammation and to promote healing, and to
hasten the process of cicatrisation, or the skinning over of the wound.
Apply the VETERINARY OIL twice per day. Should the granulations rise
above the surrounding skin, or “proud flesh” appear, VETERINARY OIL is
still the best application, and will soon reduce the unhealthy growth
and induce a natural healing.
Punctured Wounds
DEFINITION.—These have small openings externally, but are usually deeper
and of a much more serious nature than others. Because from their depth
they are liable to implicate blood-vessels, nerves, viscera, and other
deep-seated parts of importance. And because the parts which they
traverse are stretched and torn, and consequently disposed to inflame
and suppurate. And because matter, when formed, has no free exit, and is
liable to burrow extensively. Finally, because foreign bodies may be
carried into great depths without being suspected, and create long
continued irritation, and because they are most liable to be followed by
Tetanus.
CAUSES.—These wounds are caused by any sharp pointed instrument, such as
a pitch-fork, nail or scissors, or by stabs or thorns, bayonet or sabre
thrusts.
TREATMENT.—Our first object is to remove all foreign bodies, such as
splinters, thorns, or balls, should it be a gun shot wound. Should the
puncture not be in the neighborhood of a joint, or penetrating a tendon
or bursal cavity, it is then generally advisable to enlarge the orifice
of the wound by passing a sharp knife to the bottom of it, and convert
the punctured into an incised wound, when it must be treated by
injecting VETERINARY OIL in all cases where it is possible to do so, and
in all cases by keeping the OIL applied to the open wound or sore until
it is entirely healed. Give also A.A. morning, noon and night; after
which give I.I. morning and evening.
When a tendon is punctured and the thecal fluid escapes, the nature of
the injury in no way differs from an open joint in the mode of treatment
to be pursued, which will be found fully explained in the Section on
open joint, page 44.
Laceration of the Tongue
This wound may be caused by a high port bit, by the forcible and
careless administration of balls and drinks; by the end of a halter
being passed over the tongue to guide the horse instead of a bit; by a
fall when the tongue is between the incisors; by rough, long or
irregular teeth; by thorns, sharp bones, needles, etc.
SYMPTOMS.—Slavering from the mouth and inability to feed will lead to an
investigation of the mouth, when the laceration can be plainly seen.
TREATMENT.—Foreign bodies should be removed. The horse should be fed on
green food, if it can be procured, and no bit put in the mouth for some
days. The best application is the VETERINARY OIL applied daily. If
ulcers form, I.I. should be administered also.
Saddle Galls—Warbles—Sitfast—Serous Cyst
DEFINITION.—When a saddle or collar has galled the skin of the back and
shoulders, effusion takes place into the tissue underneath. If a small
circumscribed tumor is the result, we call it a “Warble”; or, if a large
flat swelling with abrasion of the skin be found, the name of “Saddle
Gall” or “Harness Gall” is given to it.
CAUSES.—These disorders often arise from a ill-fitting saddle or collar,
also by removing the saddle too soon. After a march soldiers are not
allowed to strip their horses until they cool under the saddle.
TREATMENT.—Apply the VETERINARY OIL morning and night, and give I.I. as
often, until the healing begins; then give J.K. morning and noon, and
I.I. at night.
Staking
In leaping fences or gates, the belly of the horse is sometimes impaled
and wounded. The extent of the injury is not always apparent outwardly,
and can only be ascertained by careful examination with the finger.
There may be no wound in the skin, but the muscle underneath may be
injured and torn, and the bowel may enter the part torn; or the stake
may pierce the abdomen and a portion of the bowel may protrude
outwardly.
TREATMENT.—In the former case, a well fitting pad must be made and
bandaged on; the bandages or pad being well oiled with VETERINARY OIL.
In the latter case, the horse must be kept quite still, and treated
where he is. The protruding bowel must be gently and carefully washed
from all blood, dust and grit with warm water, then oiled and replaced
by very gentle pressure. The lips of the wound must then be oiled and
drawn together and kept in place with pins. A pad saturated with the
VETERINARY OIL should then be placed on the wound and kept in place by a
bandage around the body. If the bowel itself is wounded, it must be
stitched with catgut ligatures, and then replaced. If this is
impracticable at the time, a pad and bandage should be placed on injured
part until surgical aid can be obtained.
As there is danger of inflammation, A.A. should be given at two-hour
intervals, and also a dose of I.I. each day. The horse should be kept
very quiet and fed sparingly on soft food.
Capped Elbow
This is a swelling formed at the point of the elbow, consisting of an
infiltration of bloody serum, and thickened skin. It may be the result
of a blow, but is most generally caused by the horse in so lying that
the calks of the shoe press upon the elbow joint. In some cases,
inflammatory action sets in, and the tumor softens and is discharged, or
if the pressure is continued, the swelling becomes hard and firm.
TREATMENT.—When the injury is recent, apply hot water three times per
day, and afterwards apply the Veterinary Oil. Alter the shoe by removing
the calks and smoothing the shoe, as far as possible, to prevent any
further irritation. Should it have become soft and matter formed it
should be treated as an abscess.
Capped Hock
This form of injury most frequently results from kicking or some similar
violence, and manifests itself either as a swelling at the point of the
hock, which consists of an effusion of bloody serum and thickened skin;
or the swelling bulges out on each side of the hock, making the
enlargement more prominent at the sides. This is found to consist of an
enlargement of the bursa or small bags, which contain the lubricating
fluid for the part, and over which the sinews glide.
TREATMENT.—Give ten drops of B.B., three times per day. Wash the part
with hot water morning and night, applying the VETERINARY OIL afterwards
as for capped elbow. After the heat and irritation are reduced, careful
hand-rubbing and the use of I.I., at night will do much to disperse the
enlargement of the bursa.
Curb
At the back of the hock, three or four inches below its point, an
enlargement or swelling arises which has received the name of _curb_. It
is a strain of the ring-like ligament which binds the tendons in their
place, or of the sheath itself. It comes on in consequence of a violent
strain of the flexor tendons, or from a blow, kick, or contusion upon
the part. It is most likely to occur in cow-hocked horses, where the
hocks are turned inward, and the legs form a considerable angle outward,
as in such cases the angular ligament must be continually on the stretch
in order to confine the tendon.
When it first occurs, the swelling may not be great but is attended with
warmth, pain and lameness, the leg being moved with caution and
awkwardly.
TREATMENT.—In recent cases, frequent bathing of the part with the
HUMPHREYS’ MARVEL WITCH HAZEL diluted one-half water, allowing the horse
to rest, and give A.A. at first, then B.B., three times per day. The
application of HUMPHREYS’ VETERINARY OIL, morning and night will be
better after the heat and swelling have mostly subsided. Rest is
absolutely essential. If prematurely put to hard labor it is very likely
to return again. If the curb is permitted to run its course, the acute
stage will pass off leaving a hard, cold tumor, which may materially
interfere with the motion of the joint. All old cases require B.B., once
or twice daily, for some weeks.
Docking
By docking the tail of a horse, his shape and external appearance are
sometimes improved, yet the operation is not without its consequences,
such as inflammation, nervous irritation, fistulous ulcers, tetanous,
etc. It is hoped that the time is not distant when this barbarous and
senseless custom will be abolished, and the stern hand of the law laid
upon every man who thus mutilates God’s creatures. Yet if the senseless
operation is done, dress the wound with HUMPHREYS’ VETERINARY OIL, which
keep applied to the wound. Give first fifteen drops of A.A., and after a
few hours, the same of B.B., which may be repeated from time to time to
relieve the soreness and inflammation.
Fractures
Fractures of the bones of the horse occasionally occur in consequence of
some severe blow, contusion, fall, or other injury. They are
discoverable from the _difference in shape_, _swelling_, _lameness of
the part_, and especially by the “CREPITUS,” or grating sound, which
occurs from moving the two fractured ends of bone together. In all
doubtful cases, this crepitation is the reliable criterion. In the more
palpable cases, the distortion, loss of the use of the part, and
extensive swelling, remove all doubt.
Among the most common are fractures of the ribs, forming a swelling over
the place, which is very sensitive to pressure. Of the pelvis, rendering
one hip lower than the other. Of the leg, rendering movement and use of
the limb impossible, the point below the fracture swinging about
useless.
Fractures are _simple_ where a single break occurs in one bone,
_compound_ when the surrounding parts are lacerated, and _comminuted_
when bones are broken up or fractured in different directions.
The treatment of all fractures rest upon very simple principles. Bring
the broken parts to their natural position, keeping them there until
they unite, the more perfectly this is done, the more perfect will be
the result. Unfortunately, from the weight of the animal, and often his
intractability, this is not always easy or even possible. But, on the
other hand, nature will eventually heal even the worst cases, requiring,
it is true, a longer time, and leaving behind very sad traces of her
faulty workmanship. So that in treating a fracture, all these elements
should be taken into consideration.
_Fracture of the ribs_: Bathe the swelling with HUMPHREYS’ MARVEL WITCH
HAZEL, and the parts will soon unite.
_Fracture of the haunch bone_ cannot be reduced, but nature will ere
long heal it, though with some distortion, one hip will be lower than
the other.
_Fractures of the leg_, from the weight of the animal, are extremely
difficult to manage. It can only be done by suspending the animal by
stout canvas passing under the belly and attached to rollers on either
side and by means of pulleys raising him up so that the feet just touch
the ground, the canvas being supplied with heavy bands, before and
behind, to keep the body securely fixed in the canvas. The fractured
ends of the limb should then be carefully adjusted and the limb wound
well with a roller-bandage, then a pair of iron splints, grooved so as
to fit the limb, and well wadded with tow; the splint that is behind two
or three inches longer than the foot, should be securely bound on. The
whole internal bandage should be bathed with HUMPHREYS’ MARVEL WITCH
HAZEL and kept wet with it, from time to time, for a week. This will
subdue inflammation and hasten the union of the parts. After eight days,
the splints should be removed and the limb examined, and again replaced,
to remain five or six weeks, at the end of which time the splint may be
removed and a simple bandage and lighter splint retained until the cure
is perfected in some six weeks longer, when the animal may be trusted to
use his limb. If the ends are in proper apposition and maintained there,
the union will be perfect, with but little swelling or deformity.
The general treatment of all fractures is to place the parts in
apposition, keep them there by proper splints and bandage, and keep the
place wet with HUMPHREYS’ MARVEL WITCH HAZEL until the heat and swelling
have subsided. Give also a dose of A.A., every two hours, for the first
three days, to reduce the heat and fever; then alternate the B.B. with
A.A. a dose every three or four hours during the day, to promote
reunion.
Sprains or Strains and Dislocations
Sprains of various joints or parts occur which are more or less grave or
serious, depending upon the extent of injury or the joint involved. If a
bone is displaced it is termed a dislocation. The joint becomes painful,
swelling soon ensues, and on comparing the joint with its fellow, we
perceive the distortion; the limb is longer or shorter, and the animal
moves it with great difficulty or not at all. If the bone is not moved
from its position, but the ligaments are merely injured, or torn, or
joints otherwise bruised, it is termed a sprain. The swelling in this
case is often as severe and even more so than in case of actual
dislocation. Yet the accident is not so serious, because in cases of
horses and cattle, a dislocation is not always curable, and if the joint
be replaced the danger of new dislocation is far more imminent than
though it had never occurred.
CAUSES.—Sprains and dislocations occur from false steps, slipping,
leaping across ditches, sudden springing, violent effort in drawing a
load, or sudden turning, or from falls, blows, kicks, contusions, etc.
TREATMENT.—In all such cases the indications are simple, yet the
execution of them is sometimes very difficult. For sprains, bathe the
parts with HUMPHREYS’ MARVEL WITCH HAZEL, to keep down the swelling and
inflammation, renewing the application from time to time at intervals of
two, four, or six hours, according to the urgency of the case, and give
six doses of A.A. three hours apart, then B.B. morning, noon and night.
=Sprains of the Fet-Lock.=—A sprain of this joint sometimes occurs,
manifested by heat, swelling, and lameness more or less decided, and
especially manifested when the horse is moving on uneven ground. When
recent, bathe the part with HUMPHREYS’ MARVEL WITCH HAZEL, and saturate
a bandage with it, wrap it up, moistening it from time to time, and
giving B.B., two or three times per day, fifteen drops at a dose. The
pain and lameness will gradually abate.
=Luxation of the Patella, or Stifle.=—Under the influence of a severe
blow, a sudden leap or strain, the patella, or knee-pan is sometimes
displaced. The animal holds his leg stiff and extended, cannot rest on
it, and when obliged to walk, draws it along. This displacement of the
patella is called being STIFLED. The displacement can be reduced by the
aid of sufficient help, and placing a side-line with a hopple on the
pastern of the affected limb, and drawing the hind leg forward, the
surgeon will then, with both hands, bring the bone to its place.
Often the reduction is effected of itself if the horse makes the
slightest effort. The part should be bathed in HUMPHREYS’ MARVEL WITCH
HAZEL, as the ligaments are always injured; give fifteen drops of B.B.
three times a day.
Injuries of the stifle, bruises, strains, etc., often occur, and should
be treated by bathing the part with HUMPHREYS’ MARVEL WITCH HAZEL, and
giving the animal the above Remedy for injuries.
Sprain of the Psoas Muscles.—This occurs from drawing heavy loads on
soft ground, or from horses’ hind legs slipping back on ice, or from
jumping a bank.
SYMPTOMS.—Difficulty in bringing up the hind legs when made to move, and
sometimes inability to stand. It may be mistaken for spinal injury, but
the difference is as follows: When the spine is injured, complete
paralysis takes place, whereas in Sprain of the Psoas Muscles the animal
is able to kick and to extend the leg with great force. Examination _per
rectum_ will leave no doubt as to the nature of the injury, for pain on
pressure, and swelling of the muscles, will be evident.
TREATMENT.—Give B.B., morning and night.
=Sprains of the Muscles of the Haunch.=—The gluteal muscles are
sometimes sprained by violent exertion. The injury will be followed by
effusion, swelling, and stiffness of the quarters, and afterwards by a
gradual wasting of the muscles, which can be perceived by standing
behind the animal and comparing the quarters.
TREATMENT.—Warm applications, A.A., and, after the inflammation has
somewhat subsided, the B.B. four times per day.
=Hip Joint Lameness.=—This lameness may be produced by a sprain of the
round ligaments, or gluteus externus muscle; but it more frequently
arises from a sprain of the tendon of the gluteus maximus at its
insertion into the trochanter major.
SYMPTOMS.—A dragging and rotary motion of the leg, pain on pressure, and
a swelling which fills up the natural furrow, so well defined in well
bred horses, formed by the semi-membranous and gluteus externus.
TREATMENT.—This is the same as for Sprain of the Muscles of the Haunch.
=Sprain of the Stifle Joint.=—This is not very common, but when it does
occur it may be easily recognized by the swelling, which, being
superficial, can be easily felt, and by the pain caused by pressure. The
action is also peculiar, the animal is unwilling to advance the hind
leg, and drags it after him in trotting.
TREATMENT.—Warm applications frequently applied, and HUMPHREYS’ MARVEL
WITCH HAZEL morning and evening. As soon as the inflammation subsides
the warm application must be discontinued, and a dose of B.B. given
three times per day.
=Sprain of the Hock.=—The tendons and ligaments of this joint are all
liable to be sprained in leaping and galloping through heavy ground. The
tendons of the gastrocnemii internus, or those which retain the latter
in its place, sometimes become lacerated, and allow the cap formed by
the gastrocnemii tendon to slip off the os calcis to the outside. In
such an accident we cannot replace the tendon, but with rest and warm
applications the animal may become fit for road-work.
The tendon of the flexor pedis perforans, which passes down the back of
the hock, is occasionally sprained, and the sprain is followed by a
thickening, and sometimes ossification of the tendon. The extensor pedis
at the front of the hock may also be sprained, and this occurs just
where the tendon passes under the inferior annular ligaments, and, being
accompanied by distension of the bursa, may be mistaken for sprain.
The ligaments connecting the bones of the hock may suffer from an
ordinary sprain, which, if discovered and properly treated, may be
easily cured. But, unfortunately, the sprain is seldom discovered until
the inflammation has wrought an important pathological change in the
tarsal ligaments, whereby their structure loses its elasticity and
becomes converted into a cartilaginous or bony substance. If this takes
place in the inner part of the hock, we call the disease Spavin; but if
on the posterior part we call it Curb. These are usually classed as
diseases of the bone, but they more properly belong to this category, as
they are an effect of long continued and neglected Sprain.
Give fifteen drops of B.B., three times per day.
Cutting, Brushing, Speedy-Cut,
Over-Reach and Tread.
These are names given to bruises caused by one foot striking against
another foot or leg.
=Cutting or Brushing= is caused by a foot striking the opposite fetlock
or cannon bone. It may occur before or behind; usually behind. It arises
from defective structure of the legs, or from wasting of the legs in
horses badly fed, so that they are brought abnormally near to each
other.
=Speedy-Cut.=—The inside of one or both feet usually strikes the fetlock
joint of the opposite foot in passing it; but sometimes the cannon bone
is struck just below the knee; the bruise thus caused is called
“Speedy-cut.” It occurs during fast action, generally in horses with
badly shaped legs. It is more dangerous than common cutting, because the
pain is more severe and the shock to the system greater, so much so that
sometimes the horse falls as if he were shot. Examination may discover a
small bare place, partially concealed by adjacent hair, or a contusion,
or an abrasion of the skin, or a scab on the inside of the cannon bone.
In bad cases the periosteum may be swollen and the bone itself enlarged.
TREATMENT.—This should be the same as for common cutting; but in all
probability the only effectual remedy will be the construction of a
speedy-cut boot, with a pad on the inside of the leg reaching from the
knee to the fetlock, kept in position by buckles, and resting on the
fetlock joint.
=Treads and Over-Reaches.=—These are names given to a wound between hair
and hoof, inflicted either on the fore coronary substance by the shoe of
the hind foot, or on the hind leg by another horse treading on it. Cart
horses may inflict the injury on themselves with the calk of the shoe.
These wounds are sometimes difficult to heal in consequence of the
difference in organization of the parts injured, the exterior being
highly vascular, but the interior cartilaginous.
TREATMENT.—Every portion of detached _horn_, _hair_ or _skin_ must be
removed and the wound cleansed and dressed with the VETERINARY OIL
placed on soft tow and bound up with broad tape. On the third and every
subsequent day the dressing may be removed, but warm applications and
poultices must be avoided. In cases of neglect or ill-treatment the
suppurative process may have become established, and the warm
applications may be necessary. If neglected the disease may end in
Quittor.
In all cases of INJURIES or BRUISES, give A.A., and B.B. in alternation,
two doses of each per day.
Broken Knee
This is a very vague term and may imply simply to a bruise, an abrasion
of the skin, or a division of the tendons or of the capsule of the
joints.
CAUSES.—Mechanical, such as falling or striking the knee against some
hard and sharp substance.
SYMPTOMS.—There may be a simple bruise, without perforation of the skin,
which, though not strictly speaking a broken knee, may be conveniently
regarded as such; the knee is hot, swollen and painful, and sometimes
hair is removed, or there may be abrasion of the skin, or it may be cut
through, torn and jagged, and the underlying tissues more or less
injured, the sheath of the tendon being exposed. If no glairy fluid
issue at the time the joint is not open, and there is no cause for
uneasiness about anything except the blemish which may remain, but which
will generally be very slight if suitable treatment be adopted. A more
serious form of Broken Knee is where it is bruised, cut or lacerated,
and opened down to the joint, accompanied by the escape of clear
synovial fluid, “joint oil,” like the white of an egg;
TREATMENT.—The horse’s head must be racked up for a few days or placed
in cradles, to prevent his biting the wound. In broken knees where the
skin and subtextures are very much contused, and where such a quantity
of sand has become imbedded that suppuration is a necessary consequence,
it is well to put on a turnip or carrot poultice (but never bran, for it
acts as an irritant). A leg of a woolen stocking should be drawn up over
the knee and fastened around the leg at the lower part with a piece of
tape, then, from above, the space in front of the knee can be filled
with mashed turnip; the upper part of the stocking can then be fastened
as the lower. The poultice may be repeated morning and evening for about
three days, when suppuration will most probably be established, and no
further treatment be necessary unless the granulations become too
luxuriant, when the VETERINARY OIL may be applied, but not too freely or
too often. In a few days the scab will fall off, and if cicatrisation
has not taken place, the process may be hastened by washing the part
three times a day with tepid water, or better, with the HUMPHREYS’
MARVEL WITCH HAZEL. Give B.B.
Stings of Bees, Hornets, &c.
Sometimes where a horse has been tied near a swarm of bees, if sweaty or
offensive to them, the swarm has been known to attack him, producing
pain, inflammation, swelling, and sometimes death. Hornets are as bad or
worse. Apply freely HUMPHREYS’ MARVEL WITCH HAZEL. Give A.A., fifteen
drops, and repeat it every hour.
CHAPTER III.—PART I.
DISEASES OF THE FEET AND LEGS
Lameness
The adage “No roof, no house,” is matched by “No foot, no horse,”
because in either case the value of the thing is measured by the part
that is wanting. So lameness or its absence is the essential part to be
looked after in a horse. Fortunately it is not always necessary to
decide in our practice the precise point, structure, tendon or muscle
involved in order to cure, but it is always desirable. Hence the
following points are suggested.
If the lameness has come on _suddenly_ during a drive or work, it
suggests some accident, or other very recent cause, such as _picking up
a nail_ or a _stone_, a _bruise of the sole_, an _over-reach_, or a
_strain_ of a _tendon or joint_. If it has come on _slowly_ or
_gradually_, it would suggest some more deep-seated or constitutional
cause.
If it occurs of having been out, or worked in cold rains, or after work
standing uncovered in a cold chill wind, it suggests _rheumatism_ or
rheumatic lameness, or _laminitis_, “founder of the feet.”
An examination must always be made quietly. If the horse is excited you
are liable to be put upon the wrong track. If the _fore feet_ are
affected the hind feet will be likely to be brought far forward in order
to take the weight off the sore place. If one fore foot _points_ or is
advanced some inches beyond the other, it suggests some difficulty in
the heel of that foot or back part of that limb; while, bending the knee
and fetlock, and resting the foot or the toe without advancing it,
suggests a disease of the shoulder or elbow. In all cases of lameness of
_one foot_, that one will rest more lightly on the ground, and be raised
more quickly than the other. In exercise when one limb is affected, that
foot comes to the ground less heavily than the other, and the head and
fore part of the body are elevated, when it comes down and drops again
when the sound foot comes down. With lameness in _both_ fore feet the
_step is short_, and the stroke on the ground weak, the shoulders stiff,
head raised, and hind feet brought unnaturally forward. In lameness on
_one side behind_ the rising and falling of the hip on the affected side
is more marked than on the sound side. When _both sides_ behind are
involved, the fore feet will be kept well back under the animal to
relieve the weight. With these hints in mind the location of the trouble
may be usually ascertained and the treatment by external applications
facilitated. Consult also the special form of lameness or disease which
the examination has indicated as the directions or hints given therein
may be valuable as _sprain_, _rheumatism_, _bruises_, _corns_, _stifle_,
_founder_, _spavin_, _splint_, _etc_.
TREATMENT.—In general, when the point of difficulty is known, and if
recent, the place swollen, or heated, apply HUMPHREYS’ MARVEL WITCH
HAZEL diluted one-half with water, two or three, or more times per day.
In severe cases, put on a compress wet with diluted MARVEL, which renew
as often as it gets dry, and give A.A., if there is much heat or fever
in the part, a dose say four times per day. When the heat has subsided,
or if there is no special fever or heat apparent, give B.B. as often at
first, and later or in more indolent or chronic cases a dose morning and
night. Later, and especially if the lameness is worse on first morning,
give I.I. in place of B.B., or alternate the one morning and the other
night.
THE VETERINARY OIL, may be used after the use of the MARVEL, or when
there is local swelling, bruise, or any _chafing_, _cut_, _scratch_, or
_ulceration_ or for _bruised_ or _broken hoof_ or _corn_. Apply it
daily.
Laminitis, Inflammation of the Feet or Founder
This is one of the most frequent diseases of the horse, and one in which
the resources of my HOMEOPATHIC REMEDIES are very efficient. The
sensible lamina or fleshy plates on the front and sides of the
coffin-bone, are, like all other vascular structures, very liable to
inflammation, particularly from violence or long continued action of the
part. Hence, standing long in one position, as in sea-voyages; battering
or bruising the feet in severe or long journeys; sudden changes from
heat to cold, or from cold to heat, acting directly oil the feet;
standing in snow or cold water after a journey, are the more common
causes of this disease. It sometimes occurs as a mere transition of the
disease from some other part, and occasionally from _excess of food or
indigestible food_, or _food when heated_. Many cases of so called
FOUNDER are really only attacks of _Acute Rheumatism_; hence consult
what is said on that disease, and compare the two chapters for a better
understanding of the subject.
SYMPTOMS.—The disease generally begins with a shivering, shaking chill;
the flanks heave; the breathing becomes quick and labored; the pulse
full and frequent; the horse shifts his feet from one place to another;
lies down and rises frequently, but does not paw the ground nor kick his
belly; he will sometimes place his lips on the fevered feet, as if to
tell where his pain is; he places his hind legs under him, as if to take
the weight of his body from the fore-feet; he moans or groans from the
severity of the pain and at last lies down, unable to stand upon the
inflamed feet. The feet are intensely hot and painful. If one foot is
taken up, he can scarcely stand upon the other and may tumble down. He
does not like to get up from the ground, and is moved with difficulty
from one place to another. If the disease be not arrested, matter may
form inside the hoof, which even may be thrown off.
The disease may exist in a more chronic form, coming on by degrees, and
eventually resulting in the ruin of the horse.
It is more common to see it in a milder form than the first mentioned
presenting the following symptoms: The horse is feverish, out of
spirits, refuses to eat, cannot raise his limbs without evincing pain,
trails his feet along with difficulty; cannot readily be made to go
forward, or backward scarcely at all. In the stable, horses bring the
four feet near together, and there is no little difficulty in making
them relinquish this attitude.
TREATMENT.—In the more severe cases, the shoes should be removed from
the feet, and the hoof pared down until the horn yields to the pressure
of the thumb. Give the horse rest, and allow him to lie down, wrap the
hoofs in cloths soaked in water, and renew them from time to time. If
the disease is from the feet having been battered by long driving or
riding, bathing them with HUMPHREYS’ MARVEL WITCH HAZEL will be of great
value. In some cases, a cold poultice, made of mashed turnips or
carrots, is of excellent service.
The remedy is B.B., of which a dose may be given every three hours, in
acute cases. In recent cases, when there is _fever_, _decided lameness_
and _heat of the foot_, and indeed in almost every case, you may better
begin with A.A., of which give a dose every two hours, and after three
or four doses, alternate with B.B., as often as every two hours, and
after the force of the disease has abated, the B.B., may be continued
alone at increasing intervals, until entire restoration.
When the disease is clearly traceable to _over-feeding_, the B.B. and
J.K., may be alternated from the first, every three or four hours, in
doses of fifteen drops.
In case of chronic founder, the B.B. should be given, a dose of fifteen
drops, each morning and night, and the treatment continued for some
time. An occasional dose of J.K. will be useful as a constitutional
intercurrent remedy, and may be given at noon, while the B.B. is given
morning and night.
On the Formation of Joints
Joints are formed of bones which fit into each other by unequal
surfaces, whose cavities and eminences mutually correspond. As the
roughness of the bones would prevent their moving freely without
friction, we find an intervening smooth elastic substance called
cartilage, which not only obviates this inconvenience, but in a great
measure takes off the jar that would otherwise ensue when the horse
moves on hard ground. To render the motion still easier, we find the
cartilage covered with a fine synovial membrane, secreting a fluid of an
albuminous and oily character, which acts in the same capacity as oil to
machinery, namely, to prevent friction.
Besides the membranous connection of bones which enter into the
formation of joints, there are strong, flexible substances of a fibrous
texture called ligaments, which are the chief bond of attachment, and
support the lower joints; while others are further strengthened by
muscles and tendons. Bursæ mucosæ are small closed sacs which surround
the tendons wherever there is friction; they are analogous in structure
to the synovial membrane, and secrete a similar fluid.
Synovitis
DEFINITION.—Idiopathic or constitutional inflammation of the synovial
membranes. The inflamed membranes never extend beyond a certain size,
nor do they burst, nor do they terminate healthily without treatment,
but remain in the same condition from year to year. The inflamed
condition is most frequently observed at the hock, when it is called
Bog-spavin and Thorough-pin. But it is also found affecting the knee and
fetlock, and in the latter case is sometimes confounded with Windgalls,
which are inflamed bursæ mucosæ.
CAUSES.—Rheumatic Fever; exposure to heat and cold; also friction from
quick work on a hard road; sprains.
SYMPTOMS.—Lameness quickly succeeded by swelling of some joints, not of
the surrounding fibrous texture, as in true Rheumatism; the swelling in
this disease is in the synovial cavity, and the effusion is at first
generally serous and unattended by the fever which ushers in the
muscular or fibrous Rheumatism. As the inflammation proceeds, coagulable
lymph may be thrown out and the joint be permanently enlarged, or, from
adhesions, the horse be left with a stiff joint.
GIVE A.A., four times per day at first, then B.B., morning and night.
Ulceration of Articular Cartilage
The inflammation in the synovial membrane sometimes extends to the
cartilage, covering the ends of the tibia or astragalus. In such cases
there is a diminution of the synovial secretion, also ulceration and
wearing away of the cartilage, and a polishing of the surface of the
bone, which has been erroneously called a porcelaineous deposit. We have
seen this ulceration of the cartilage, and even caries of the bone, in
the navicular more commonly than in the bones of the hock; but not a few
cases of occult lameness in the hock may be attributed to it. Give B.B.
two or three times per day.
Windgalls—Puffs
In the region of the joints, and wherever friction is likely to take
place, we find the tendons supplied with little sacs (_bursæ mucosæ_)
composed of membrane similar to the synovial, and secreting in health an
oily fluid from their internal surface, in very small quantities; but
when the tendons become strained, or increased action is set up in them
from over-exertion, nature comes to the rescue by increasing the bursal
secretion, and we then perceive a slight elastic tumor, called
_Windgall_ or _Puff_.
CAUSES.—Tendinous sprains or over-exertion of any kind, and long
continued friction from quick work on hard roads. Low, marshy pastures
seem to have a tendency sometimes to produce a dropsical effusion in and
around the joints of young horses, very similar to the enlarged bursæ
from hard work; but they soon yield to constitutional treatment.
SYMPTOMS.—Soft, elastic, circumscribed swellings, at first about the
size of a nut, but eventually becoming hard and much larger, which
appear in the neighborhood of some of the joints, such as the knee,
hock, or fetlock. To the latter, however, the name is usually
restricted, although equally applicable to the former; so that when we
say that a horse has Windgalls, we mean that he has above, or on each
side of, the fetlock, or back sinew, one or more elastic tumors, usually
unattended by lameness or any active inflammation. The seat of these
bursal enlargements is either between the perforatus and perforans
tendons, or between the latter and the suspensory ligament. There is,
however, another fetlock Windgall found on the front of the joints,
between it and the extensor tendon; and a similar swelling occurs at the
supero-posterior part of the knee from the distension of the bursa,
between the perforatus and perforans tendons.
PATHOLOGY.—These enlargements were formerly supposed to contain wind,
and so obtained their absurd name; but, from what has been already
stated, the reader will perceive that they consist in an increase of
bursal fluid similar to joint oil, and in a majority of cases do no
harm, but are rather to be considered as a beautiful provision of Nature
to obviate the baneful effects of friction from over-exertion of the
muscles and tendons. Morbid changes, however, do occasionally take place
in the bursæ, either from inordinate increase of their contents setting
up inflammation in their tissue, or from an extension of the
inflammation to contiguous parts, in which not only the bursal sacs, but
also the lining membrane of the tendinous sheath, participate, when we
find the puffy swelling extending up the leg, above the ordinary seat of
Windgall, and very tender on pressure. The effect of this inflammation
on the bursæ mucosæ is to cause a thickening of the membrane and a total
change in the contents of the sac; the fluid, instead of being a
straw-color, becomes reddened from the effusion of blood, which, after
death, we find clotted and of a dark color. Lymph also is occasionally
effused, giving the tumor a firm, hard feel, which, from calcareous
deposits, produces lameness.
I.I., given morning and night, often clears up these blemishes
wonderfully.
Seedy Toe
This disorder, frequently a sequel to laminitis, often arises without
any assignable cause. It can sometimes be attributed to the clip of the
shoe pressing on a hoof predisposed to the disease from deficiency in
its natural glutinous secretions, whereby the horn becomes dry and loses
its cohesive property, and is unable to resist the pressure from the toe
clip, which a healthy hoof would do with impunity. It may also be
consequent on gravel or dirt working in at the edge of the sole.
SYMPTOMS.—The horn at the toe (of the fore-feet of troop and riding
horses, but frequently the hind feet of cart horses) becomes “seedy,”
and crumbles away like so much saw-dust or the dry rot in wood; while at
the junction between the wall and sole a fissure will be apparent,
leading upward between the outer and inner crusts of the wall, sometimes
extending up to the coronet, and in old cases laterally, so that there
is some difficulty in finding a piece of horn sufficiently sound to hold
a nail, and side clips become necessary in keeping the shoe on.
Percussion on the wall of the hoof with a hammer will show to what
extent the separation has taken place.
TREATMENT.—The whole of the crust, as far as it is separated from the
horny laminæ underneath, must be cut away, and the foot bound up with
tar, tow, and broad tape. VETERINARY OIL applied to the coronet will
hasten the downward growth of the wall. Keep the horse standing in
clay, daily anointing the hoof with VETERINARY OIL. Both means have
been successfully tried. Give J.K. morning and night.
Navicular Joint Disease
This disease is far more frequent than is usually supposed, and many
horses are ruined by it, the lameness being generally referred to the
shoulder or to some other part not at all in fault.
Behind and beneath the lower pastern bone in the heel of the horse, and
behind and above the heel of the coffin-bone, is a small bone called the
navicular, or shuttle-bone. It is so placed as to strengthen the union
between the lower pastern and coffin-bone, and to enable the flexor
tendon which passes over it to be inserted into the bottom of the
coffin-bone and to act with more advantage. It thus forms a kind of
joint with that tendon. There is a great deal of weight thrown on this
bone and from this navicular bone on the tendon, and there is
considerable motion or play between them in the bending and extension of
the pasterns.
It is easy to conceive that from sudden concussion or from rapid and
over-strained motion, and at a time when, from rest and relaxation, the
parts have not adapted themselves to the violent motion required, there
may be excessive play between the bone and tendon, and the delicate
membrane which covers the bone or the cartilage of the bone, may become
bruised, inflamed and injured, or destroyed, and that all the painful
effects of an inflamed and open joint may result, and the horse be
incurably lame. Numerous dissections have shown that this joint thus
formed by the tendon and bone, has been the frequent and almost
invariable seat of these obscure lamenesses. The membrane covering the
cartilage becomes inflamed and ulcerated; the cartilage itself is
ulcerated and eaten away, the bone has become carious, and bony
adhesions have taken place between the navicular and pastern and
coffin-bones, and this part of the foot has become completely
disorganized and useless.
SYMPTOMS.—The degree of lameness is various; the horse may show lameness
the first hundred steps, or the first mile or two, and then less or
scarcely at all; he is inclined to “point” or keep the affected foot in
advance of the other when standing; he may show lameness on stone or
pavement and not on turf or ground; if both feet are badly affected, the
horse favors his heels, has short action, and wears away the toes of his
slices, leaving the heels undiminished in thickness; the hind feet may
be kept well under him to diminish the pressure upon the fore-feet; in
the stable, he is mostly lying down; heat of the foot and heel,
especially the heel.
TREATMENT.—In the earlier stages when there exists only irritation and
inflammation, and no changes of structure or disorganizations have yet
occurred, the A.A., together with cold applications kept to the foot
will be sufficient. Give a dose of fifteen drops four times per day.
In more extreme or advanced cases, the sole should be pared down and the
quarters rasped, and shoe worn without nails on the inner quarter, to
unbind as far as possible the imprisoned bone, and the foot kept
anointed with the VETERINARY OIL, and the use of B.B., the main remedy.
These will be successful in the incipient or milder stages of the
disease and will vastly benefit old or chronic cases.
Sand Crack, Quarter Crack
That is a separation of the fibres of the hoof from above
downward—rarely crosswise. The usual treatment is to drill two holes
through _each side of the crack_ and then pass copper or iron wire
through them. Both ends of the wire are then drawn and clinched down and
fastened in the same way as the nails in shoeing. The crack itself is
then to be filled with cobbler’s wax after having been thoroughly
cleaned out. Give also, ten drops of the J.K., morning and night, to
promote the growth of the hoof.
A yet better method is to properly prepare a _horse shoe nail_ by
cutting _bards along in it_, _from head to point_. Then drive the nail
from one side of the crack through to and beyond the other at least half
an inch from the crack. The clinching of the point of the nail will
drive the bards back and firmly fasten them, and the head and point may
be filed down and smoothed off. A long crack should have two nails. The
shoe should be so fitted and the hoof so pared away, as to _take the
bearing off from the cracked portion_, and as the hoof again grows down,
it should be again _cut away between the hoof and shoe with a saw_, so
as to keep the bearing of the cracked part of the hoof free. You thus
rivet the broken parts together, and by taking off the strain allow the
crack to grow out, and heal up. Of course a horse with a quarter crack
should only be put to the most moderate work, if any, as violent
exercise or hard work will be sure to aggravate and increase the
difficulty, and may render a cure impossible.
Quarter crack only occurs when some brittleness or defective horny
growth is present. Correct this defect by giving the J.K., fifteen
drops, morning and night, and apply HUMPHREYS’ VETERINARY OIL to the
crack as often.
Corns
A corn is a bruise upon the sole of the foot at the angle between the
wall and the bar, and has this resemblance to the corn in the human
subject, that it is produced by pressure and results in lameness. It may
be caused by contracted feet; cutting away the bars: too thick-heeled
shoes or weak, flat feet; dirt getting between the shoe and heel of the
foot; or from not having the foot sufficiently pared out.
SYMPTOMS.—The pressure arising from these causes produces an irritation,
congestion, soreness, and even extravasation of blood under the horn,
with often a reddish appearance and a softer feel than other parts of
the sole. The place is painful when pressed upon, the horse flinches and
is more or less lame. In bad cases matter may form, and unless a vent is
made, may underrun the sole or appear at the coronet in the form of a
Quittor.
TREATMENT.—In most cases, simply apply the VETERINARY OIL to the sore
place night and morning after having properly cleansed the foot. See
that the shoe does not press upon the sore place, but has its bearing
upon the outer crust of the hoof. If matter has formed under the corn,
the dead horn may be removed and a vent made and a poultice applied to
soften and discharge the matter, after which apply the VETERINARY OIL
until the soreness is removed. Give I.I. mornings and J.K. at night, and
keep the OIL applied to the surface. Change the poultice and dressing
each night and morning. In a few days the foot will be ready to shoe in
the usual way, using, however, a leather sole to keep out the dirt. If a
quittor has formed, it should be treated as such.
Prick in the Foot
Sharp substances, such as nails, glass, pointed stones, or similar
substances, not unfrequently penetrate the foot in traveling, or the
shoe may be partly torn off, and the loosened nail be thrust into the
foot, or a nail may go wrong in shoeing.
When a sharp pointed object is picked up on the road, it may enter the
toe of the frog and wound the navicular joint, or the flexor, at its
insertion into the pedal bone, and let out the “joint oil,” in which
case there is danger of permanent injury. The wound may lie further
back, and be in the bulbous heels or cushion of the frog; in this case
there is less danger.
In shoeing, the nail may be driven too near the laminæ, or even wound
them; in the latter case the horse _will flinch_; in the former he may
not feel the nail till he _puts his foot to the ground_. If on the day
after shoeing he walks lame, the foot is hot to the touch, the horse
flinches when the crust is tapped with a hammer, especially where there
is a nail, it may be assumed that the shoeing is at fault.
SYMPTOMS.—Lameness, with heat in the foot and tenderness on pressure. In
some cases, no matter will be found, but in others a black serous or
purulent discharge will issue from the wound when opened, and the sole
will probably be underrun.
TREATMENT.—If there is simply _heat of the foot_ and _lameness_, remove
the shoe, see that all nails or parts of nails, or other foreign
substance is taken out. Apply and keep the foot wet with HUMPHREYS’
MARVEL WITCH HAZEL and give the A.A., once in three hours, to reduce the
inflammation. If matter has formed, LET IT OUT. Apply the VETERINARY OIL
to the hole or orifice, and give A.A. and B.B., in alternation, a dose
four times per day, and later the B.B. and I.I., to dry up the
discharge. If the horse is required for work before the horn has covered
the wound, a leather sole and the VETERINARY OIL dressing must be used.
Quittor
This is a deep, narrow ulcer, opening upon the coronet, and leading into
an abscess in the foot. It may be caused by treads, or overreaches, or
corns, but most commonly from prick of a nail or other sharp substance.
It is attended with more or less lameness; heat and pain in the foot,
and discharge of matter from the open wound. But if it has been caused
by the matter from a corn, the coronet above the heel will have upon it
a hard, painful swelling, which afterward becomes softer and larger.
TREATMENT.—If the quittor arises from a wound of the sole or prick,
after the wounded part has been pared out and poulticed, then with a
probe gently find out the direction and number of pipes, and with a fine
syringe, inject HUMPHREYS’ MARVEL WITCH HAZEL of full strength into the
opening, two or three times per day. The VETERINARY OIL is better if you
can get it into the opening.
When it arises from a corn in the heel, and matter has got into the
coronet, the swelling must be cut into and the discharge let out; then
poultice night and morning, inject the MARVEL as before, rasp down the
wall of the hoof until it yields to the pressure of the thumb, and put
on a bar-shoe. Roll a bandage around the coronet to keep the dirt out
from the quittor.
If there is some considerable heat and fever, the A.A., may come in play
giving fifteen drops four times per day. But the I.I., should be given,
fifteen drops three times per day, at first, and then morning and night.
Spavin
This is an affection of the tendons, ligaments, and bursa connected
with the hock. From a strain, violent exercise, or similar cause, an
increased action is set up in these parts which glide upon each other,
irritation results and the parts enlarge. Or, an exudation of serum
occurs, tinged or not with blood, which may be absorbed afterward or
remain for a long time a soft movable tumor; or by degrees an ossific
or bony deposit takes place, resulting in a firm, hard, bony tumor.
These several stages or degrees of the same common affection have been
termed _Bog-Spavin_, _Blood-Spavin_, and _Bone-Spavin_. Windgalls and
Thorough Pins are but local variations of the same essential
condition—enlargements of the bursa and tendons of the joint. It
usually shows itself on the inner and lower side of the hock at the
lower portion of the joint. A careful comparison of the two legs with
the eye and hand will best disclose the evil. “Sometimes it appears as
a soft swelling of the femoral vein along the inner surface of the
hock. Or, again, as a hot, painful, lameing swelling, extending from
the posterior border of the hock downward, which may afterward become
a hard, bony tumor, insensible, causing the animal to limp only when
making some exertion. Or, the swelling extends along the inner surface
of the hock, oblong, a little broader above than below, bony,
sometimes involving the entire joint, and occasioning more or less
limping. Or a soft round swelling over the whole internal surface of
the hock, at first not impeding the horse’s gait, but afterward
becoming indurated and causing a rigidity of the hock and consequent
lameness. Or a hard osseous swelling at the upper and inner side of
the femur, causing a lameness depending upon the extent to which the
ligaments of the joints are involved.”
At first the animal seems afraid to use one or the other of the hind
legs, and a little lameness is noticed on first starting off. Afterward,
when returning to the stable after exertion, the horse stands on the toe
of the affected limb, and limps considerably on turning around and first
commencing to walk; after moving a little, the lameness disappears, and
only returns again after he has been standing some time. This will soon
be followed by swelling.
CAUSES.—There is a predisposition to this affection in some families of
horses, and when this predisposition exists, strains, violent exertion,
over-work, a blow or other injury, readily develops the spavin. Horses
with high legs, from three to seven years of age, are most liable to it.
TREATMENT.—In the earlier stages, while the lameness is yet recent, and
little or no swelling has appeared, bathing the joint with HUMPHREYS’
MARVEL WITCH HAZEL and giving B.B., night and morning, doses of fifteen
drops, will be sufficient to remove the lameness and generally prevent
the swelling. When the swelling is still soft and recent, bathing the
joint with THE MARVEL and giving the B.B., night and morning, will
reduce the swelling and relieve the lameness.
In all other cases of spavin, whatever may be its particular form or
situation, give fifteen drops of B.B., each morning and night, see that
the legs are well rubbed, with but moderate daily work or exercise. The
pain, lameness, and subsequent exudation of bony matter depend upon the
affection of the ligaments of the joint. This being relieved, the whole
affection disappears. All recent and soft spavins may be successfully
treated thus, and even the most inveterate ones will be relieved and
benefited. It is not pretended or presumed that old chronic, years’
standing spavins, when there are extensive ossific dispositions or
necrosis, are to be caused to disappear by this or any medicine. But all
those incipient cases may be thus cured and even the old enlargements
vastly improved.
Splint
In consequence of an injury a bony tumor arises in the inside of the
fore-leg below the knee; sometimes, though rarely, it is seen on the
outside, and even on the hind legs. After having existed some time, they
seldom occasion lameness, except so situated as to interfere with the
action of the tendons or ligaments of the legs. During the forming
stage, the horse is lame because the periosteum or covering of the bone
is inflamed, but after this has subsided and the bony exudation is
thrown out, it disappears, except in the case above mentioned. In some
cases, in the beginning, the feet are hot and painful, the animal likes
to remain lying down; and if only the fore-feet are affected, he puts
them down with great care and evident pain, and there is general fever
and suffering, which passes off with the more decided local
manifestation. If the tumor is of some standing, it may be quite
difficult or impossible to cause its disappearance. But happily these
old hardened tumors seldom interfere with the essential usefulness of
the animal.
TREATMENT.—In most cases if there is heat and feverish excitement of the
system, give fifteen drops of A.A., and B.B., alternately, five times
per day, that is, a dose of B.B. morning, noon and night, and a dose of
A.A., at say ten o’clock in the forenoon and at three in the afternoon,
until the heat and lameness are partially subdued, and then give B.B.,
morning and night, until the lameness and irritation have entirely
subsided. Old cases may only require a dose every day.
Ring Bone
Consists of an enlargement and ossific deposit (near the fetlock joint)
in consequence of a strain and inflammatory action. It may appear on one
or both sides of the foot, or completely surround it, giving rise to the
name. One or more feet may be affected by it. It is generally recognized
by a mere bony enlargement on one or both sides of the pastern, and the
lameness is not very considerable.
TREATMENT.—At the commencement bathe the part with HUMPHREYS’ MARVEL
WITCH HAZEL or VETERINARY OIL from day to day, and give fifteen drops of
B.B., three times a day. In chronic cases, give a dose morning and
night, or even only once per day. Cases of considerable standing will
materially improve, and recent or fresh cases may be permanently
restored.
Thrush and Canker
This disease is an inflammation of the lower surface of the sensible
frog, which secretes matter of a peculiar offensive smell, instead of
healthy horn. The matter issues from the cleft of the frog. In a sound
frog the cleft is shallow, but when contracted or otherwise diseased,
the cleft deepens even to the sensible horn within, and through this the
matter issues. Afterwards the discharge becomes more abundant and
offensive; the frog wears off and a fresh growth of horn fails to
appear. It then becomes thin, shriveled, contracted and fissured; and as
the disease extends, the matter becomes still more fetid, and may
terminate in a yet more unmanageable form of disease, namely, _canker_.
In Thrush, the frog is painful when pressed upon by the thumb or
pincers, or when the animal treads upon a stone. As a consequence of
neglected thrush, the horn may separate from the sensible part of the
foot, and unhealthy vegetations, proud flesh, fungous matter spring up,
occupying a portion or the whole of the sole of the frog, and finally
involving frog, sole and bars, in a mass of putrefaction, constituting
the worst form of _canker_.
TREATMENT.—As thrush is often caused by uncleanliness and constant
moisture of the feet, the greatest care must be taken to keep them dry
and clean, and especially from dung and urine. If connected with
contracted fore-feet, particular care must be given to shoeing.
The frog should be carefully pared down and all loose, ragged portions
removed in order to prevent the accumulation of matter and dirt. The
discharge wiped off by means of a tow pressed down into the cleft with a
thin piece of wood. Then smear the frog and cleft with a mixture
composed of half an ounce of _sulphate of copper_ (blue vitriol) and six
ounces of tar made into a paste or the VETERINARY OIL. A small piece of
tow dipped in this mixture should also be placed in the cleft, or in
whatever part of the frog a sinus, hole or cleft exists. In bad cases,
repeat the dressing daily; in others, once in two or three days is
sufficient. If the dressing is properly applied it will not fall out or
admit the entrance of dirt. Should the frog be extensively diseased, a
bar-shoe may be necessary, and the dressing will then be kept in place
by the cross bar of iron, or a leather sole may be used under the shoe.
Throughout the treatment give fifteen drops of I.I., each morning and
fifteen drops of J.K., every night, for the growth of healthy hoof.
CHAPTER IV.—PART I.
DISEASES OF THE EYES
Albugo, or Spot in the Eye, Opacity of the Cornea
In consequence of a blow, stroke of a whip, or similar injury, an
inflammatory action is set up in the eye, the result of which is an
effusion of serum between the lamina of the outer coating of the eye,
which renders the cornea or clear part of the eye, whitish or opaque in
spots, interfering materially with the sight and usefulness of the
organ. But little can be done to remove those of long standing, but
recent cases, or those where inflammation is just subsiding and the
opacity only forming, will be dispelled by frequently bathing the eye
with HUMPHREYS’ MARVEL WITCH HAZEL, and giving fifteen drops of A.A.,
three times per day. In many cases of opacity a portion of soft honey,
the size of a small pea, put in the eye daily, has been known to have a
wonderful effect in removing such opacities.
Amaurosis, Gutta Serena
This disease consists in entire or partial loss of vision in consequence
of paralysis of the optic nerve, or interruption of its communication
with the brain. Injuries of the head, or ball of the eye, or some
disease of the brain, are the usual causes. The horse walks cautiously,
head elevated, and ears move quickly backward and forward, the eye has a
peculiar glassy appearance, and the pupil does not dilate and contract
when light is brought near or removed from the eye.
But little can be done for these cases. In the earlier stages a dose of
A.A., may possibly arrest its progress, but generally it is incurable in
man or beast.
Cataract
In consequence of injuries to the eye, blows, contusions, etc., or as a
consequence of severe and repeated inflammation, the crystalline lens
becomes opaque so as to interfere with or altogether destroy the sight.
On examining the eye, deep in the pupil, a whitish, yellowish, or
brownish body is discoverable. Sometimes, especially in the
commencement, white streaks run from the center outward, or the whole
chamber within the pupil looks dim and whitish.
Old Cataracts are incurable, but recent and forming cases may be
benefited by giving A.A. and B.B., a dose of fifteen drops, every night,
alternately.
Ophthalmia, Inflammation of the Eye
There are in the horse two well marked forms of sore or inflamed eyes.
ACUTE OPHTHALMIA and PERIODIC or MOON BLINDNESS. Acute inflammation
occurs usually in consequence of some irritating substance, hay seed,
dust, etc., having got into the eye, or from overheating, heated foot,
or from hereditary predisposition.
SYMPTOMS.—It comes on with heat and uneasiness, the animal keeps the eye
closed, or dreads the light, the eye-ball and inside of the lid look
red, and the ball is protruded and the eye secretes a quantity of water,
which runs down on the cheek, or of humor, which becomes purulent, and
glues the lids together. The cornea is dim and whitish, or covered with
a scum, the haw is swollen and red.
TREATMENT.—Examine the eye for dirt, hay seed, hair, or other
substances, and if found, carefully remove them. They are more
frequently under the upper lid, which may be turned inside out over the
point of the finger, by taking the lashes between the finger and thumb,
and turning the lid upward. The eyes should be bathed with HUMPHREYS’
MARVEL WITCH HAZEL, diluted one-half with water, or if this be not at
hand, make a lotion by putting four or five drops of A.A., in a
half-pint of pure, soft water, and the eye should be bathed with this
two or three times per day, so long as the heat and swelling exist. Give
at the same time, in recent cases, fifteen drops of A.A., four times per
day, and in old cases the same dose morning and night. Arnica is of
little consequence, except where the inflammation is the result of a
bruise.
PERIODIC OPHTHALMIA is really a general affection, the result of
teething, and usually appears on the cutting of the middle incisors, the
molars, and tusks, and hence, at the age of from three to five years.
SYMPTOMS.—Generally only one eye is attacked; the eye looks smaller,
swims in tears, and is sensitive to the light, the cornea becomes dim
and leaden, and the lens look gray. The pulse is full and frequent; the
mouth hot, tongue dry, the water scanty and bowels constipated. There is
evidently feverish excitement of the system and congestion of the blood
to the head. Not unfrequently the inflammation passes from one eye to
the other. Severe or repeated attacks are very apt to return again or
leave as results, dimness of the cornea, opacity of the lens or cataract
behind them.
TREATMENT.—Exclude the animal from the glare of the light, and give at
once ten drops of A.A., every four or six hours. Bathe the eye from time
to time with HUMPHREYS’ MARVEL WITCH HAZEL diluted with an equal
quantity of soft water, or with the lotion mentioned in the case of
Acute Ophthalmia. Keep him on low diet and the case will generally be
soon relieved. As the eye improves, the intervals between the doses of
medicine should be prolonged. Often a dose night and morning is
sufficient. Given early it will prevent the development of serious
consequences.
The Haw
We mention in this connection a curious mechanism of the eye more to
guard against abuses than to cure disease. Concealed within the inner
corner of the eye, the margin only visible, is a black or pied
triangular-shapen cartilage called THE HAW, with its broad part forward.
It is concave, exactly to suit the globe of the eye, and convex without,
so as to adapt itself to the mucous lining of the lid, and the base of
it is reduced to a thin, sharp edge. At the will of the animal this is
rapidly protruded from its hiding place, and passing swiftly over the
eye, shovels up every nuisance mixed with tears, and then being suddenly
drawn back, the dust or insect is wiped away as the haw again passes
under the corner of the eye. The haw is subject in common with other
parts of the eye to inflammation and swelling and senseless grooms term
this “the HOOKS,” and have been known to draw the haw out and cut it
off, to the lasting injury of the organ.
Such an inflammation only requires the usual treatment, and will be
subdued by bathing the eye with HUMPHREYS’ MARVEL WITCH HAZEL, diluted
one-half water, and giving A.A. internally, ten drops as a dose and
repeated morning and night.
Injuries to the Eye
Must be treated both internally and externally.
REMEDIES.—HUMPHREYS’ MARVEL WITCH HAZEL and A.A.
The MARVEL, if the injury has been produced by a mechanical cause, as
blows from a whip, punctures, etc., and there is much soreness and
inflammation, it should be applied externally, in the form of a lotion
of one part of MARVEL to three parts of water, and the injured part
bathed three times a day, at the same time A.A. should be given
internally.
The A.A. should be given, if there is much inflammation, or the eye is
congested.
H.H. may be used later, if there is any dimness of the eye left.
Sometimes pieces of hay or chaff get into the eye and cause a great deal
of irritation; of course the first thing to be done is to carefully
remove them, and then apply the MARVEL, diluted with half water, which,
in the majority of cases, is all that is necessary to be done.
CHAPTER V.—PART I.
DISEASES OF THE CIRCULATORY SYSTEM
Structure and Action of the Heart
Before entering on a description of the diseases of the Heart, it may be
well to give a brief description of that organ and its functions, for
the benefit of non-professional readers.
The heart is placed in the center of the thorax, in the space between
the lungs, and opposite the third, fourth, fifth and sixth ribs. It may
be described as a muscular forcing pump, for the transmission of blood
to all parts of the body. The texture of the heart is muscular, with
tendinous or cartilaginous bands around the openings between the
auricles and ventricles, and between the latter and the arteries. It
contains four chambers, viz.: two auricles and two ventricles; each
auricle communicates with its corresponding ventricle; but the auricles
do not communicate with each other, nor do the ventricles. The opening
in each pair is guarded by a little valve, in order to ensure the flow
of blood in one direction, and to prevent any regurgitation or re-flow
from the ventricles into the auricles. We find valves for a similar
purpose placed at the origin of the pulmonary artery and the aorta,
which proceed from the right and left ventricles, and are the channels
by which the blood flows through the former to the lungs, through the
latter to the general circulation. The chambers of the heart are lined
by a smooth membrane of a serous character, called the endocardium,
which is often the seat of disease; and the whole is enclosed in a
fibro-serous sac, called the pericardium.
On examining the heart, it will be found externally divided by a furrow,
which corresponds with a muscular septum, dividing the organ into two
parts, or two hearts, having no direct communication with one another,
except in the fetus. The right side, whose parts are thinner than the
left, may be called the venous heart, as it receives the blood in an
impure state from the veins, and transmits it through the pulmonary
arteries to the lungs, where it becomes exposed to the atmosphere, and
converted from venous into arterial blood. It is then conveyed by the
pulmonary arteries to the left auricle and ventricle, whence it is
propelled through the aorta and its branches to all parts of the body.
The dimension and weight of a healthy heart vary so much that it is not
possible to give them accurately, but the average is stated as follows
by Mr. Walsh: “It is about ten and a quarter inches from the base to the
apex, seven inches in its antero-posterior diameter, and five and a
quarter from side to side. In weight, it varies from six and a half to
seven pounds. The auricles have much thinner walls than the ventricles,
and the muscular substance or the left ventricle, occupying the apex of
the heart, is very much thicker than that of the right.”
The nerves which supply the heart are the pneumogastric and sympathetic.
Idiopathic disease of the heart in the equine race is a very rare
occurrence; but, as a consequence or accompaniment of influenza and
fevers of a low type, is by no means uncommon; it is therefore of
importance that we should know how to diagnose both the organic and
functional derangement of so important an organ, which can only be done
by making ourselves familiar with.
THE ACTION OF THE HEART IN HEALTH.—There are three means by which this
knowledge may be attained: first, by _Percussion_, which, in the human
subject, affords an index to the size and position of the heart; but in
consequence of the less exposed position of that organ in the horse, is
of little value, except in diagnosing Hydrops Pericardii. Second, by
_Impulse_, or the force of the beat imparted to the hand placed flat on
the near side of the chest, just behind the elbow. Third, by
_Auscultation_, which is the only reliable way of ascertaining the
condition of the heart, and consists in placing one ear, or a
stethoscope, in the same position as that already described. Two
distinct sounds can be heard; the first, termed the “systolic,” is
louder and more prolonged than the second (which immediately follows),
and seems to depend upon the contraction of the ventricle; during this
contraction the organ elongates and rotates on its axis from right to
left, thus producing the impulse and sound on the left side of the
thorax. The second, “diastolic,” or “flapping,” sound, cannot be heard
in a fat, circular-chested horse; it is supposed to arise from the
regurgitation of the blood, which is in the aorta and pulmonary
arteries, forcibly closing the valves placed at their origin in the
ventricles, so as to prevent the blood coming back into the heart. These
sounds together form what is called the “beat,” and are succeeded by a
brief interval of repose. In the healthy animal these beats are uniform
and regular, corresponding with the pulse; but in disease there may be,
first, increase or diminution in the frequency and strength of the
beats; second, irregular or intermittent action of the heart. In the
latter case, we hear two or three beats in quick succession, and then a
longer interval of repose than is natural, followed by the consecutive,
quick beats and long repose, the number of the former and duration of
the latter being singularly uniform. Third, the systolic and diastolic
sounds may increase, diminish, or be succeeded by other sounds
indicative of disease hereafter described.
Pericarditis—Dropsy of the Heart
DEFINITION.—Inflammation of the fibro-serous membrane which invests the
heart, causing the effusion of a serous fluid. It occurs as a primary
affection and as a complication in Influenza, Rheumatism and other
constitutional diseases.
CAUSES.—When met with in an idiopathic form, which is very rare, it may
depend upon exposure to damp, cold, changes of temperature, and those
unhealthy conditions which also cause acute diseases of the respiratory
organs. It may also arise from a sudden change from low, to rich heating
food, or from the field to a hot stable. But it usually occurs as an
accompaniment of Pleurisy or Rheumatism.
SYMPTOMS.—The horse stands quiet, showing signs of pain and anguish,
with sunken head, anxious expression in the face, dilated nostrils,
frequent (100 to 120), wiry, and sometimes IRREGULAR or intermittent
PULSE, and general intense fever.
The breathing is also accelerated (36) and difficult, and is accompanied
by a movement of the flank similar to that seen in broken wind, and by a
deep depression along the margin of the costal cartilages. In the early
stages, pressure on the left side, and smart percussion in the region of
the heart, cause flinching and expression of pain; and auscultation,
_before exudation has taken place_, reveals friction—_to and
fro_—sounds. These sounds are, however, not uniformly present in this
disorder, nor is their presence an unquestionable proof of its
existence, for similar sounds may be do to pleural disease, the latter
being characterized by synchronism with the respiratory movements. The
friction sounds are therefore of little value, except as concurrent with
other symptoms. They also cease when exudation or adhesion has taken
place; then the heart’s beats are muffled. In the later stages, the
heart, which at first palpitates, soon becomes fluttering and uncertain
in its beat, conveying a peculiar pulsation to the hand, not easily to
be described. No impulse can be felt when the effusion is considerable.
Percussion gives a dull sound over the region of the heart, but not so
in other parts of the chest, where the respiratory and bronchial sounds
may be heard, thus distinguishing Hydrops Percardii from Hydrothorax.
The breathing gradually becomes more distressing, and movement
aggravates the distress; the pulse more feeble and even imperceptible at
the jaw; the ears and legs cold; the legs, sheath, chest, abdomen, etc.,
œdematous; and the general wasting rapid till death ensues.
DIAGNOSIS.—The friction sounds, and pain on percussion in the region of
the heart, with irregularity in its beats, and a peculiarly anxious
expression of countenance, are the principal pathognomic symptoms—to
which Delafond adds dyspnœa, attended by an action of the flank like
that of a broken winded horse. The great difficulty is to distinguish
this disease from Pleurisy, which may be done by accurately marking the
period at which the frictional sounds occur, viz.: during the systole or
beat of the heart, whereas for Pleuritis we hear it during the
respiratory movements of the lungs. When the pericardial fluid becomes
much increased, the friction sound ceases, as does also the impulse of
the heart, which at first usually palpitates, then becomes fluttering,
feeble, and intermittent, and at last can with difficulty be heard.
Percussion gives a dull sound in the region of the heart, but just
behind it, as well as in other parts of the lungs; if there is no
disease in them, or Hydrothorax, the resonance in those parts will serve
to distinguish Hydrops Pericardii from Hydrothorax.
PROGNOSIS.—In the strong, and in the majority of cases, favorable.
TREATMENT.—A.A., given every three hours, and later, four times per day,
will be proper.
Endocarditis
DEFINITION.—Inflammation of the fibro-serous membrane which lines the
heart.
This is a very common complication in Rheumatism, and is very acute and
dangerous; the danger arising less from the fatality of the acute stage,
than from the lesions which are consequent upon it.
SYMPTOMS.—In Endocarditis the contractions of the heart are energetic,
vibratory, and often irregular; the pulse is also irregular, and
frequently intermittent, and there is a contrast between the feebleness
of the pulse and the violence of the heart beats. Leblanc states that
this last symptom is characteristic of Endocarditis. He has also
observed a loud metallic tinkling, and a _bruit de souffle_, or sound
like the blowing of a pair of bellows, or a sawing noise, like bronchial
respiration, accompanying the systole of the heart. In the early stages,
the breathing is not so difficult as in Pericarditis; but if the
auriculo-ventricular valves are thickened, it becomes distressing.
Sometimes the whole of the membrane is thickened; in other cases the
lesion is limited; in others, the abnormal growth forms a cardiac
Polypus, which may grow to an enormous size. The legs are usually cold.
PATHOLOGY.—The endocardium, although a serous membrane, is mixed with
fibrous elastic tissue at its valvular reduplications, which accounts
for the disease being so frequently associated with rheumatism, and for
the morbid appearances more commonly witnessed in the valvular structure
of the heart than elsewhere. The natural result of inflammation in this,
as in other serous membranes, is the effusion of lymph, and consequent
thickening, which sometimes interferes with the play of the valves, or
narrows the auriculo-ventricular openings, thus producing the
bellows-sound which has been described as one of the chief symptoms. The
inflammation may extend to the muscular substance of the heart, which
becomes darkened in color and easily broken down; while in some cases
large quantities of fibrin are thrown out, which quite block up the
auriculo-ventricular openings and orifices of the large blood-vessels.
To Endocarditis may also be traced Tumors and Polypi, as well as
Hypertrophy and Dilatation. Abscess in the walls of the heart has also
been observed as a consequence of Endocarditis.
DIAGNOSIS.—The pathognomic symptoms of Endocarditis are frequently very
obscure, being like those of Pericarditis; but it is of very little
consequence, as the treatment must be similar. However, the
bellows-sound in the former, and the friction sound in the latter, are
sufficient in the majority of cases to point out the nature of the
disease when taken in connection with other symptoms which have been
mentioned.
PROGNOSIS.—Owing to the various terminations of Endocarditis, nearly all
of a serious character, our opinion as to the ultimate result must be
unfavorable, although in the majority of cases the animal appears to
recover; but he is found afterwards not as good in his wind as formerly,
easily distressed, and when going at an ordinary pace with hounds, will
probably fall down and expire suddenly. A.A. will be our best resource.
Hypertrophy—Enlargement of the Heart
DEFINITION.—An abnormal growth of the muscular tissue of the heart by
thickening of the walls.
VARIETIES.—There are three. Simple Hypertrophy is the thickening of the
walls without any change in the capacity of the cavities. Eccentric
Hypertrophy is the thickening of the walls with dilatation of the
cavities. Concentric Hypertrophy is the thickening of the walls with
diminution of the cavities. The lesion is usually associated with other
diseases, and especially with affections of the lungs.
The disorder is slow in its progress, though it soon interferes with the
working capacity of the animal. It predisposes to other lesions, such as
congestion of the lungs, hemorrhage, etc.
CAUSES.—Excessive effort of the heart to overcome obstruction to its
action; constriction of the vessels and of the openings between the
different cavities of the heart; deposits on the semi lunar valves;
Aneurism of the aorta or the pulmonary artery; excessive physical
exertion and consequent exhaustion of the heart. Mr. Pritchard remarks
that “horses, particularly those employed in quick draught, are commonly
called on to perform arduous tasks with full stomachs, by which the free
action of the lungs is considerably impeded; thus, obstruction being
given to the circulation through the pulmonary vessels, corresponding
increase of force in the action of the heart is the consequence.”
Hypertrophy has been often observed in broken winded horses.
SYMPTOMS.—Strong, impulsive movement of the heart, which remains
constant; intensity of sound, with a loud, hollow thumping beat; a
metallic _bruit_ or “clack”; irregularity of rhythm; dullness on
percussion. The horse is easily distressed, palpitation comes on with
ordinary quick work, and there is an anxious expression in his eye on
these occasions, which leads us to suspect that there is something amiss
with the animal. These symptoms are attended with languor, coldness of
legs and ears, dyspnœa, giddiness or Megrims, loss of appetite, and, in
a later stage of the disease, with œdematous swelling of the chest,
abdomen, and extremities.
PATHOLOGY.—The thickening of the walls of the heart may be regarded as a
beautiful provision of nature to strengthen the organ and enable it to
overcome the obstacle which exists to the free circulation of blood
through it. The thickening of the muscle depends upon excess of
nutrition consequent on increased action; similar to the change in the
biceps muscle of the blacksmith’s arm from hard work.
It may be an idiopathic disease not dependent on obstruction; but such
cases are very rare. The obstruction will usually be found to depend on
disease of some of the valves, or constriction of the aorta or pulmonary
artery at its origin. The Hypertrophy may be general, or we may find
only one auricle or ventricle (generally the latter) whose walls are
thickened.
DIAGNOSIS.—The increased impulse of the heart, especially after quick
work; the irregularity of the pulse and thick wind, without any lung
disease being present; and the dullness on percussion over the cardiac
region, are the chief pathognomic symptoms.
PROGNOSIS.—Although the disease is incurable, a horse may live for years
with enlarged heart.
TREATMENT.—Doses of A.A. will be of value in conjunction with only
moderate work and good care.
Atrophy of the Heart
DEFINITION.—Emaciation or wasting away of the walls of the heart.
CAUSES.—Similar to those of dilatation. Loss of nervous power through
the degenerating influence of fevers induces Atrophy by weakening the
muscular fibres of the heart.
SYMPTOMS.—Feeble impulse of the heart, with louder sounds than are
usually heard on applying the ear to the chest. The pulse is generally
slow, feeble and intermittent. The veins in the neck may also be
observed to pulsate. The animal is dull and fastidious in his appetite;
dropsical swellings appear on the chest and belly; the legs become cold
or œdematous. There is difficulty in breathing on the slightest
exertion, and sometimes palpitation or fluttering of the heart.
PATHOLOGY.—There are two forms of Atrophy, one in which there is a
wasted and flabby appearance of the organ, whose parietes are so weak
that when removed from the body it does not retain the rounded symmetry
of a natural heart, but becomes a shapeless mass when thrown on the
ground. This form of Atrophy was frequently met with during the
prevalence of the Cattle Plague, and it has been observed in connection
with some forms of Influenza. The second form of Atrophy is termed Fatty
Degeneration of the heart. Of this there are two varieties. In one the
fat grows on the surface of the organ, encroaching on and insinuating
itself between the muscular fibres, impoverishing them, and ultimately
causing them to waste; the result is that the muscular walls become
thin. In the other variety, fat in a molecular form takes the place of
the muscular element, and ultimately fills the sheaths, which previously
contained muscular fibre.
Dilatation of the Heart
DEFINITION.—Enlargement of one or more of the cavities of the heart.
CAUSES.—Some defect in the valvular apparatus, allowing the blood to
regurgitate and to distend the cavity, which, by pressure on the walls,
causes absorption and attenuation; loss of power in the nervous system;
fevers of a sthenic or typhoid character, which weaken the muscular
fibres.