Special Report on Diseases of the Horse | Page 4

By observing the amount of
shrinkage in the muscles one has some indication as to the duration of
the unfavorable conditions under which the animal has lived.
By constitution we understand the innate ability of the animal to
withstand disease or unfavorable conditions of life. The constitution
depends largely upon the conformation. The type of construction that
usually accompanies the best constitution is deep, broad chest, allowing
plenty of room for the lungs and heart, indicating that these vital organs
are well developed; capacious abdomen, allowing sufficient space for
well-developed organs of digestion; the loins should be short--that is,
the space should be short between the last rib and the point of the hip;
the head and neck should be well molded, without superfluous or
useless tissue; this gives a clear-cut throat. The ears, eyes, and face
should have an expression of alertness and good breeding. The
muscular development should be good; the shoulders, forearms, croup,
and thighs must have the appearance of strength. The withers are sharp,

which means that they are not loaded with useless, superfluous tissue;
the legs are straight and their axes are parallel; the knees and hocks are
low, which means that the forearms and thighs are long and the
cannons relatively short. The cannons are broad from in front to behind
and relatively thin from side to side. This means that the bony and
tendinous structures of the legs are well developed and well placed.
The hoofs are compact, tense, firm structures, and their soles are
concave and frogs large. Such a horse is likely to have a good
constitution and to be able to resist hard work, fatigue, and disease to a
maximum degree. On the other hand, a poor constitution is indicated by
a shallow, narrow chest, small bones, long loins, coarse neck and head,
with thick throat, small, bony, and muscular development, short thighs
and forearms, small joints, long, round cannons, and hoofs of open
texture with flat soles.
The temperament is indicated by the manner in which the horse
responds to external stimuli. When the horse is spoken to, or when he
sees or feels anything that stimulates or gives alarm, if he responds
actively, quickly, and intelligently, he is said to be of lively, or nervous,
temperament. On the other hand, if he responds in a slow, sluggish
manner, he is said to have a sluggish, or lymphatic, temperament. The
temperament is indicated by the gait, by the expression of the face, and
by the carriage of the head and ears. The nature of the temperament
should be taken into consideration in an endeavor to ascertain the
severity of a given case of illness, because the general expression of an
animal in disease as well as in health depends to a large extent on the
temperament.
THE SKIN AND THE VISIBLE MUCOUS MEMBRANES.
The condition of the skin is a fair index to the condition of the animal.
The effect of disease and emaciation upon the pliability of the skin
have been referred to above. There is no part of the body that loses its
elasticity and tone as a result of disease sooner than the skin. The
practical herdsman or flockmaster can gain a great deal of information
as to the condition, of an animal merely by grasping the coat and
looking at and feeling the skin. Similarly, the condition of the animal is

shown to a certain extent by the appearance of the mucous membranes.
For example, when the horse is anemic as a result of disease or of
inappropriate feed the mucous membranes become pale. This change in
the mucous membranes can be seen most readily in the lining of the
eyelids and in the lining of the nostril. For convenience of examination
the eyelids can readily be everted. Paleness means weak circulation or
poor blood. Increased redness occurs physiologically in painful
conditions, excitement, and following severe exertion. Under such
conditions the increase of circulation is transitory. In fevers there is an
increased redness in the mucous membrane, and this continues so long
as the fever lasts. In some diseases red spots or streaks form in the
mucous membrane. This usually indicates an infectious disease of
considerable severity, and occurs in blood poisoning, purpura
hemorrhagica, hemorrhagic septicemia, and in urticaria. When the liver
is deranged and does not operate, or when the red-blood corpuscles are
broken down, as in serious cases of influenza, there is a yellowish
discoloration of the mucous membrane. The mucous membranes
become bluish or blue when the blood is imperfectly oxidized and
contains an excess of carbon dioxid. This condition exists in any
serious disease of the respiratory tract, as pneumonia, and in heart
failure.
The temperature of the skin varies with the temperature of the body. If
there is fever the temperature of