£ a . x ¥ be Saran 4) THE ARMY HORS nc ‘ IN ACCIDENT AND DISEASE. COMPILED BY « ALEXANDER PLUMMER, D.V.5., “3% VETERINARIAN 47H U.S. CAVALRY, AND RICHARD. H. POWER. V.5., VETERINARIAN ARTILLERY CORPS, - ; U.S. ApmMy, . . od THE INSTRUCTION OF BARRIERS AND HORSESHOERS AT “THE SCHOOL OF APPLICATION FOR CAVALRY AND FIELD ARTILLERY, ? - ‘ FORT RILEY, KANSAS, WASHINGTON: - GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE. 1903. - “a m4 ™ 4 * ~~ 4 ¥ ‘ i a t.a-8 ‘4 “ ’ we ew ae © ie - * Rom ck : ee ‘ ; 1 he Pt A A : Hck ; d/ > i} ¢ = iy (Saute ay J " ~? : Ltd 4 U S Ca nekn tf ONO nH Ub ese ' 1 , at L THE ARMY HORSE 722 IN ACCIDENT AND DISEASE. COMPILED BY ALEXANDER PLUMMER, D.V.S., VETERINARIAN 4TH U. S. CAVALRY, AND RICHARD H. POWER, V. 58., VETERINARIAN ARTILLERY CORPS, U.S. ARMy, FOR THE INSTRUCTION OF FARRIERS AND HORSESHOERS AT THE SCHOOL OF APPLICATION FOR CAVALRY AND FIELD ARTILLERY, FORT RILEY, KANSAS. WASHINGTON: » GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE. 1903. wit CONTENTS. Chapter I.—CoNFORMATION AND POINTS, AND EXTERNAL DISEASES. II.—STABLE MANAGEMENT OF THE SICK AND INJURED. ADMIN- ISTRATION OF MEDICINES. WEIGHTS AND MEASURES. IlI.—ANATOMY. IV.—WOUNDS, SPRAINS, BRUISES, AND CONTUSIONS. V.—DISEASES OF THE RESPIRATORY SYSTEM AND INFLUENZA. VI.— DISEASES OF THE DIGESTIVE, URINARY. NERVOUS, AND LyM- PHATIC SYSTEMS. VII.—MIscELLANEOUS DISEASES. VIII.—DISEASES OF THE SKIN AND EYE. IX.—DISEASES OF THE FEET. X.—DISEASES OF BONE, AND DETECTION OF LAMENESS. XI.—MEDICINES, THEIR ACTIONS AND USEs. (3) AUTHORITIES CONSULTED. FRIEDBURGER AND FROHNER: Pathology and Therapeutics of the Domestic Animals. : WILLIAMS: Principles and Practice of Veterinary Medicine and Surgery. BUREAU OF ANIMAL INDUSTRY: Special Report on Diseases of the Horse. SmitTH; Veterinary Hygiene. MoLueER: Operative Veterinary Surgery. FLEMING: Operative Veterinary Surgery. LIAUTARD: Manual of Veterinary Surgery. Wyman: Diagnosis of Lameness in the Horse. STRANGEWAY: Veterinary Anatomy. CHAUVEAU: Comparative Anatomy of Domesticated Animals. SmitH: A Manual of Veterinary Physiology. Dun: Veterinary Medicines, Their Actions and Uses. Qu1TmMaAN: Notes on Veterinary Medicine. NEUMANN: Parasites and Parasitic Diseases of the Domesticated Animals. Captor: A Treatise on Veterinary Therapeutics of the Domestic Animals. BUREAU OF ANIMAL INDUSTRY: Emergency Report on Surra. (9) p iE THE ARMY HORSE IN ACCIDENT AND DISHASE. CHAPTER I. CONFORMATION AND POINTS AND EXTERNAL DISEASES. CONFORMATION AND POINTS. The forehead should be broad and not bulging. The eyes should be full, clear, and prominent, with a mild expression,and not show - ing any of the white. Themuzzle should not be large, as a coarse, large muzzle indicates ill breeding. The nostrils should be large and open. The face should be straight. The lower jaw should have ample width between the two sides for the development and play of the larynx (Adam’s apple) and windpipe; and, in addi- tion, to allow the head to be nicely bent on the neck. The ears should be of medium size, set well on the head; they should not lop. The parotid and submaxillary regions should be free from large glands and without any loose skin at the lower part of the throat. The neck should be of moderate length, clean, and not too nar- row at a point just in rear of the throat; a short, thick neck does not allow of free movement from side to side, and a long, sim neck is apt to be too pliable. The point of the shoulder should be well developed, and the point of the elbow should not be turned in, as the horse is very apt to turn his be out. The SDE See is indicated by turned-in, or ‘‘ pigeon toes.’ The forearm should be long and muscular; the knee broad, and when looked at from the front should be much wider than the limb above and below, and taper off backward to a compara- tively thin edge. | The leg immediately below the knee should be as large as any other part, and not ‘‘ tied in,’’ which indicates a weakness of the (7) 8 part. A bending of the knee backward is called a ‘‘ calf knee,”’ and is very objectionable. The opposite condition is known as ‘* knee sprung.’’ The fetlock joint should be of good size and clean, the pasterns of moderate length, and form an angle of between 45 and 60 degrees with the cannon bone. The foot should be of moderate size; a flat foot or one too narrow at the heels is objectionable. ' The relative proportions of the shoulders and exact shape desirable vary considerably in cavalry and artillery horses. Thus, when speed and activity are essential, as in the cavalry horse, the shoulder should be oblique (sloping), as it gives elas- ticity to the gait of the horse, while for the artillery horse, work- ing in harness, a straight, upright shoulder enables the pressure of the collar to be more easily borne and allows the animal to exert his strength at right angles to his long axis. The withers should not be thin and high, as this conformation will allow the saddle to shp too far forward and the pommel to rest upon the withers. The bars of the saddle will be forced against the shoulder blades, causing irritation and inflammation. The withers should not be low or thick, as the saddle is then apt to pinch them. The chest should be of moderate width and have considerable depth, as a narrow chest indicates weakness, and a wide, heavy chest is suitable for heavy-draft horses only. The capacity of the lungs is marked by the size of the chest at the girth, but the stamina will depend upon the depth of the back ribs. The barrel should not be broad back of the cinch, as it would cause the cinch to slip forward and chafe the body just back of the point of the elbow. The opposite conformation would allow the saddle and cinch to slip backward. The back should be short, with muscles well developed, and the upper lines of the back should bend down a little behind the withers and then swell out very gently to the junction of the loins, which can hardly be too broad and muscular. The last rib should be placed close to the point of the hip, as this is an indication of strength, and the horse is more easily kept in good condition than one having the opposite conformation. A slightly arched loin is essential to the power of carrying weight; a much arched or ‘‘ hog back ”’ is almost sure to give 9 uneasy action from its want of elasticity. The hips should be broad. The quarters and gaskins should be broad. The muscles of the two quarters should come close together and leave no hollow below the anus, as that conformation would be an indication of a want of constitution. The hock should be of good size, but clean and flat, and with a good clean point standing clear of the joint. The cannon bone should be short, not tied in below the hock, and the line from the point of the hock to the back part of the fetlock should be vertical. The hocks should stand well apart, but not enough to give the horse the appearance of being ‘‘ bow-legged.”’ ‘* Cow-hocked,’’ so called, is when the hocks are placed together and the hind feet wide apart, with the toes turned out. The fet- lock should not bend forward, as it is an indication of weakness, and is known as ‘‘ cocked ankle.”’ The pastern and feet should be formed to correspond with those of the fore extremity. The croup should not have much slope; the dock should be large and muscular; the tail should be carried firmly and well away from the quarters. EXTERNAL DISEASES. Under this heading the diseases appearing upon the outside of the body are considered; they are commonly regarded as blemishes or defects and are the results of injuries more or less severe. They may be enumerated as follows: 1. Diseases of bones. 2. Diseases of synovial membranes. 3. Diseases of muscles, tendons, ligaments, and skin. 4. Diseases of the foot. 1. Diseases of bones. Bone spavin.—Location: Lower and inner part of the hock joint. Splints.—Location: Usually appearing on the inner side be- tween the large and small metacarpal bones. Sidebones (ossification of lateral cartilages).—Location: Sides of the foot just above the coronet. Ringbone.—Location: Between coronet and fetlock joint. 10 2. Diseases of synovial membranes. Bog spavin (blood spavin).—Location: Front part of hock joint. : Thorough pin.—Location: Upper and back part of hock joint. Wind puffs (windgalls).—Location: On the sides of the tendons just above the fetlock joints. Other bursal enlargements may be found located on various parts of the legs, but no special name has been given to them. D> 3. Diseases of the muscles, tendons, ligaments, and skin. Poll evil.—Location: In the region of the poll. Fistulous withers.—Location: In the region of the withers. Sweeny (atrophy or wasting of the muscles).—Location: Usually in the shoulders or the hip. Broken knees.—Location: Front part of the kneejoint. Capped elbow.—Location: Point of the elbow. Capped hock.—Location: Point of the hock. Curb.—Location: Lower and back part of the hock. Sprung knees.—Location: Knees. Cocked ankles.—Location: Fetlock joints. Bowed tendons.—Location: Flexor tendons below the knees and hock. Breakdown.—Location: Sprain of the suspensory ligament. Saddle galls.—Location: On the saddle bed. Cinch galls.—Location: On the parts coming in contact with the cinch. Collar galls.—Location: On the parts coming in contact with the collar. 4. Diseases of the foot. Thrush.—Location: Frog. Canker.—Location: Frog and sole. Chronic laminitis.—Location: Sensitive lamine. Corn.—Location: Between the wall and bar. Quarter crack.—Location: Quarters of the hoof. Quittor.—Location: Top of the coronet. Contracted heels.—Location: Heels. Toe cracks.—Location: At the toe of the hoof. 1 CHAPTER IT. STABLE MANAGEMENT OF THE SICK AND INJURED. ADMINISTRATION OF MEDICINES. WEIGHTS AND MEASURES. CARE OF THE SICK. The sick horse should be, if practicable, immediately removed to a large, clean, light and well-ventilated box stall, free from drafts and located as far as possible from other horses. Clean bedding should be provided, and the stall kept free from manure and moisture. If such a stall can not be provided a double stall, with the kicking bar removed and ropes or bars placed across the front of it, will answer the purpose. If the patient is suffering from a febrile disease (fever) during the cold season of the year paulins or horse covers can be hung up in such a manner as to serve as a protection from drafts, care being taken to allow sufficient air to enter this improvised box stall. Such patients must be clothed according to the season of the year, the blanket drawn well forward on the neck and fastened in front, the legs hand-rubbed and bandaged with red flannels. These should be changed several times daily, and the legs thoroughly rubbed to stimulate circulation. Horses with diseases of the nervous system require to be kept absolutely quiet, to do which they must be removed as far as possible from all noise. It is preferable that only one man be allowed to attend to their wants, as a change of attendants would very likely cause excitement and thus increase the severity of the disease. Animals suffering from debilitating diseases should be tempted with and fed any food that is rich in nourish- ment and easily digested. It should be given only in such quan- tities as the animal will readily eat, and any portion left over should be at once removed, as food constantly placed before a sick animal will have a tendency to deprive it of all appetite. Food that is wet, such as bran mashes or steamed oats, will soon sour in warm weather and will get cold or may freeze during the winter; if eaten in these conditions it may cause diarrhea, colic, etc. Feed boxes, water buckets, and all parts of the stall must be kept clean and free from odor. The hay should be clean and bright, and only the best given to the sick animal. 12 Pure water should be provided, and placed in such a position as to enable the animal to reach it without difficulty; a sick horse will frequently rinse its lips and mouth with water if given the opportunity, even if not thirsty. The water should be changed as often as necessary during the day to insure a pure and fresh supply at all times. A horse suffering from colic requires sufficient space, well bedded, to prevent injuring himself by rolling during a spasm of pain. A man should be constantly in attendance, as there is danger of the animal becoming cast and unable to get up with- out assistance. Undigested matter being the exciting cause in almost all cases of colic, food should be withheld for about twelve hours after all pain has disappeared, and then given only in small quantities during the next twenty-four hours, after which the ordinary ration may be resumed. A few swallows of pure water may be given at short intervals, special care being taken when the water is very cold. CARE OF THE INJURED. If the horse is seriously injured and stands with difficulty, he should be placed in slings to partially support the weight of the body. The slings must be properly adjusted, fitting closely behind the elbows in such a manner as to support the weight of the body on the chest and not on the abdomen. This position is maintained by the use of the breast piece and breeching, which prevent the shifting of the sling. A single stall, having a level floor, free from bedding, is more suitable than one allowing more motion to the animal. ¢ If the horse is but slightly injured, there is no necessity of placing him in slings. An ordinary stall with a level floor is all that is required. After the injury has been dressed he should be allowed to stand without being disturbed. If very lame, and movement is painful, the quieter he is kept the more quickly will recovery take place. Absolute rest and perfect quietude are two very essential things, and when secured they will hasten the process of recovery without inflicting unnecessary pain upon the animal. In some surgical cases it is necessary to restrain the animal so that he can not injure himself by rubbing or biting the affected parts. This can be accomplished by tying up the 13 head, the application of side lines, or the use of the cradle. Bandages may be applied to the legs of horses for three different purposes: First, to give support to the blood vessels and synovial burs; second, as a vehicle for applying cold lotions; and third, for drying and warming the legs. The pulse is the beating of the arteries, and is usually felt at the jaw (the submaxillary artery), or on the inner side of the arm (the brachial artery), and is an important guide in determining the physical condition of the animal; the normal pulsations are about 40 per minute. It is best taken by placing the fore or middle finger transversely on the artery. The slightest excite- ment, when.the horse is sick, will cause an alteration in the pulse; therefore the animal should be approached very quietly. A strong and full pulse is an indication of health. A full and bounding pulse denotes the first stages of fever, afterwards becoming smalland weak. A very slow pulse denotes disease or injury of the brain or spinal cord. An imperceptible pulse indicates the approach of death. At rest the healthy horse breathes from 13 to 15 times per minute. Difficulty in breathing is a prominent symptom of dis- ease of the respiratory organs: it may also be observed in some cases of flatulent colic. Abdominal breathing is the respiratory movement performed with the ribs fixed as much as possible, owing to pain or mechanical obstruction in the chest, and isa symptom of pleurisy and hydrothorax (water in the chest). Irregular breathing is that condition where there is a want of harmonious correspondence between the inspiratory and expira- tory movements, and is observed in the disease commonly known as ‘‘ broken wind ”’ or ‘‘heaves.’’ The inspiratory movement in this affection is performed quickly and with a jerky effort, while the expiratory movement is performed slowly and with a double action, more particularly of the abdominal muscles. Irregular breathing often becomes spasmodic or convulsive during the progress of the disease. The mean temperature of. the horse in those internal parts which are most easily accessible, as the mouth and rectum, may be estimated at from 99° to 101° F. In very young animals the temperature is commonly about- 101°, but in very old ones it has been known to be as low as 96° F. The external parts of the body become lowered in temperature according to their distance 14 from the heart, and are liable to much variation from the state of the surrounding atmosphere. The production of animal heat is due to certain chemical and vital changes which are continually taking place in the body, and consist in the absorption of oxygen by the capillaries in the lungs, the combination of that oxygen with the carbon and hydrogen derived from the disintegration of animal tissues, and from cer- tain elements of the food which have not been converted into tissue. This combination of oxygen, or oxidation, not only takes place in the blood, which may be looked upon as a fluid tissue, but in the tissue cells also, in all parts of the body, the animal heat being maintained by the natural changes which are essential to a healthy condition. The lungs of a horse will contain from 1 to 11g cubic feet of air, and at each inspiration about 250 cubic inches are drawn through the trachea. The surface of the lungs to which this amount of air is exposed is calculated to be equal to 289 square feet. Air, then, containing impurities, is exposed to an absorb- ent area within the body equal to five and a half times the sur- face of the skin. A horse in a state of quiescence gives off from 2 to 3 cubic feet of CO” every hour from the lungs, and a certain, though an undetermined, portion is also given off by the skin; but taking that from the lungs alone it would amount to from 48 to 72 cubic feet in twenty-four hours, or, if converted into car- bon, would give us a solid block weighing about 24g pounds. The air from marshes contains an excess of carbonic acid gas and a diminished proportion of oxygen, consequently horses should not be kept in the vicinity of a marsh, as the blood would then contain an excess of carbonic acid gas (CO?) and an insuffi- cient amount of oxygen; it would be imperfectly purified; the vitality of the animal would be lessened, and he would be more susceptible and succumb more easily to any disease that he might contract. A pure air will contain 20.99 per cent of oxygen; an average air 20.96 per cent. The expired air, in health, in 100 parts con- tains 19 instead of 21 parts of oxygen, and 1 to 2 per cent, instead of 0.08 to 0.04 per cent, of carbonic acid gas, which pure air should contain. 15 One thousand six hundred cubic feet of air space should be provided for each horse in the stable, and the stables be so arranged that fresh air may be admitted without causing drafts. EFFECTS OF AN IMPURE SUPPLY OF WATER. However harmless impure water may have been to animals ina wild state, the more we subject them to an artificial existence the more we remove them from the immunity they may have possessed against common causes of disease and the greater lia- bility is there for the development of diseases which originally may never have existed. ADMINISTRATION OF MEDICINES. Medicines may enter the body through any of the following designated channels: First, by the mouth; second, by the lungs and upper air passages; third, by the skin; fourth, under the skin (hypodermically): fifth, by the rectum, and sixth, by intra- venous injection. 1. By the mouth.—Medicines can be given by the mouth in the form of powders, balls, and drenches. 2. By the air passages.—Medicines are administered to the lungs and upper air passages by inhalations and nasal douches. 3. By the skin.—Care must be taken in applying some medi- cines over too large a portion of the body at any one time, as poisoning and death may follow from too rapid absorption through the skin. For domestic animals medicines are to be applied to the skin for local purposes or diseases only. 4. Medicines may be given by the rectum when we can not give or have them retained by the mouth; when we want local action; to destroy the small worms infesting the large bowels; to stimulate the peristaltic motion of the intestine and cause an evacuation, and to nourish the body. WEIGHTS AND MEASURES. Solid measure. 1 grain (gr.). TEESE EES 2 ea Se ee 60 grains. LSS S02 ie Ae oe 8 drams. COTE C ON cg) Re ee ee 16 ounces. 16 Liquid measure. 1 minim (min.). i faididram (andr oe ee Oe ee le 60 minims. 1 eard*oqnnee {Ch s03) 5 2 See eee ate 8 fluid drams. de spuirt, (O))) seat ew ce Et tcl en eae ee 16 fluid ounces. f quart (OMe es ear eee ee 52 fluid ounces. A rallone (OT ie Rt pes eee ee clk ears 4 quarts. CHAPTER ITI. ANATOMY. The skeleton is the framework for the support of the softer structures, and is composed of 216 bones, exclusive of the teeth, of various sizes and forms. Flat bones are found covering vital organs, i. e., skull, ribs, and scapula: long bones are found principally in the extremities, for the support of the body. The spinal column is composed of bones of very irregular shape, which are divided into five groups according to their location, and are known as vertebrae. Commencing at the back of the head, the first seven are called the cervical vertebree, or bones of the neck; the next eighteen are called the dorsal vertebree, form- ing the main part of the back; the next six or seven, the lumbar vertebre, form the loins; the croup or sacrum, composed of five bones, which in the adult animal are united together as one bone; and following this are found the coccyx or tail bones, numbering from thirteen to twenty. The ribs are eighteen on each side, attached above to the dorsal vertebre and below, the first eight (true ribs) by cartilage to the sternum or breastbone: the remaining ten, known as false or floating ribs, are attached by cartilage to one another and indi- rectly to the sternum: they form the walls of the chest and serve as a protection for the heart, lungs, and large blood vessels. The skull, containing cavities (or chambers), is composed of irregularly-shaped flat bones, the most important of which is the cranium, or brainpan, occupied by the brain and communicat- ing with the bony channel passing through the center of the cervical, dorsal, lumbar, sacral, and sometimes the first two or e7 three coccygeal vertebra. These cavities communicate with the brain by narrow passages, through one of which the optic nerve passes. On each side, below the eye, are two closed cavities known as the superior and inferior maxillary sinuses; in the lower third of the skull are found the nasal chambers extending from the nos- trils backward to the pharynx, and separated by a thin partition of bone and cartilage, the floor of these cavities forming the roof of the mouth. From the orbital fosse the skull gradually becomes narrower and terminates a short distance below the nostrils in the premaxilla, which contains the six upper incisor _ teeth, which, with the corresponding teeth in the lower jaw, form the anterior boundary of the mouth, which extends back- ward to the pharynx. On the posterior upper portion of this cavity are found six molar teeth on each side, and that portion of the jaw between them and the incisors is called the interdental space. Situated on each side near to the incisor teeth in this space are found, in the male, the tushes or canine teeth. The inferior maxilla, or lower jaw, a bone whose two segments are firmly united anteriorly, diverges backward somewhat in the form of a letter V, each branch terminating superiorly in an articulated surface which unites it to the skull proper. The diverging branches of the jaw, include a space appropriately called the maxillary space. Found in the united or front part of this bone are the inferior incisors, and in the male the canine teeth, and in the branches the inferior molars or grinders, which correspond with those of the upper jaw. The space between the molars and incisors is the same as that in the upper jaw. The front leg is composed of the following-named bones and joints, given in order from above downward: Scapula and humerus, forming the shoulder joint; humerus, radius, and ulna, forming the elbow joint; radius, carpus (seven or eight small bones), and metacarpus, forming the knee joint; metacar- pal, os suffraginis, and two sesamoids, forming the fetlock joint; os suffraginis and os corone, forming the pastern joint; os corone, os pedis, and os navicularis, forming the navicular or coffin joint. The hind leg is composed of the following bones: The pelvis, situated underneath the sacrum and part of the coccygeal 6829——2 1 CO vertebrae, and formed of three irregularly shaped bones on each side, united at the bottom, and forming a cavity occupied by the bladder and the rectum; the femur, united with the pelvis, forms the hip joint; the femur, tibia, and patella form the stifle joint; the tibia, tarsus (six bones), and the metatarsal bones form the hock joint; the metatarsal, os suffraginis, and two sesamoids form the fetlock joint; below this the bones and joints are the same as in the fore leg. JOINTS AND LIGAMENTS. The joints are all formed between two or more separate bones, having a soft elastic substance interposed, whose structure varies with the amount of motion. Where this is extensive, as in the joints of the limbs, the adjacent surfaces are covered with a peculiar kind of cartilage arranged in a thin and very smooth layer upon them. In addition to this protection against friction and vibration the bones are firmly bound together by strong bands of white, fibrous, inelastic tissue under the general name of ligaments.