Special Report on Diseases of the HorseUnited States. Bureau of Animal Industry
Science
Special Report on Diseases of the Horse
United States. Bureau of Animal Industry
Horses -- Diseases
The animal prefers to have the head where the freshest air can be
obtained. When affected with pneumonia a horse does not lie down, but
persists in standing from the beginning of the attack. If pneumonia is
complicated with pleurisy, however, the horse may appear restless and
lie down for a few moments to gain relief from the pleuritic pains, but
he soon rises. In pneumonia the breathing is rapid and difficult, but
when the pneumonia is complicated with pleurisy the ribs are kept as
still as possible and the breathing is abdominal; that is, the abdominal
muscles are now made to do as much of the work as they can perform. If
pleurisy is not present there is little pain. To the ordinary observer
the animal may not appear dangerously ill, as he does not show the
seriousness of the ailment by violence, as in colic, but a careful
observer will discover at a glance that the trouble is something more
serious than a cold. By percussion it will be shown that some portions
of the chest are less resonant than in health, indicating exclusion of
air. If the air is wholly excluded the percussion is quite dull, like
that elicited by percussion over the thigh.
By auscultation important information may be gained. When the ear is
placed against the chest of a healthy horse, the respiratory murmur is
heard more or less distinctly, according to the part of the chest that
is beneath the ear. In the very first stage of pneumonia this murmur is
louder and hoarser; also, there is a fine, crackling sound something
similar to that produced when salt is thrown in a fire. After the
affected part becomes solid there is an absence of sound over that
particular part. After absorption begins one may again hear sounds that
are of a more or less moist character and resemble bubbling or gurgling,
which gradually change until the natural sound is heard announcing
return to health.
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