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
_Treatment._--The animal should be taken out of harness at once, with
prompt removal of all mechanical obstructions to the circulation. If it
is caused by venous obstruction by too tight a collar, the loosening of
the collar will give immediate relief. The horse should be bled freely
from the jugular vein. If due to tumors or abscesses, a surgical
operation becomes necessary to afford relief. To revive the animal if it
becomes partially or totally unconscious, cold water should be dashed on
the head. Give a purge of Glauber's salt. If the limbs are cold,
tincture of capsicum or strong mustard water should be applied to them.
If symptoms of paralysis remain after two or three days, an active
cathartic and iodid of potassium will be indicated, to be given as
prescribed for inflammation of the brain. In confirmed cases, treatment
is not advisable, as there is considerable danger to the owner should an
attack occur in a crowded street.
_Prevention._--Well-adjusted collar, with strap running from the collar
to the girth, to hold down the collar when pulling upgrade; regular feed
and exercise, without allowing the animal to become excessively
plethoric; moderate checking, allowing a free-and-easy movement of the
head; well-ventilated stabling, proper cleanliness, pure water, etc.
SUNSTROKE, HEAT STROKE, OR HEAT EXHAUSTION.
The term sunstroke is applied to affections occasioned not exclusively
by exposure to the sun's rays, as the word signifies, but by the action
of great heat combined generally with humid atmosphere. Exhaustion
produced by long-continued heat is often the essential factor, and is
called heat exhaustion. Horses on the race track undergoing protracted
and severe work in hot weather often succumb to heat exhaustion. Draft
horses which do not receive proper care in watering, feeding, and rest
in shady places and are exposed for many hours to the direct rays of the
sun suffer very frequently from sunstroke.
_Symptoms._--Sunstroke is manifested suddenly. The animal stops, drops
his head, begins to stagger, and soon falls to the ground unconscious.
The breathing is marked with great stertor, the pulse is very slow and
irregular, cold sweats break out in patches on the surface of the body,
and the animal often dies without having recovered consciousness.
The temperature becomes very high, reaching 105 deg. to 109 deg. F.
In heat exhaustion the animal usually requires urging for some time
prior to the appearance of any other symptoms, generally perspiration is
checked, and then the horse becomes weak in its gait, the breathing
hurried or panting, eyes watery or bloodshot, nostrils dilated and
highly reddened, assuming a dark, purple color; the pulse is rapid and
weak, the heart bounding, followed by unconsciousness and death. If
recovery takes place, convalescence extends over a long period of time,
during which incoordination of movement may persist.
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