imb, from indefinite cause, succeeding to some sudden exertion
and attended by a dusky-brown color of the membranes of the eye and nose
and some wincing when the last ribs are struck. The severe forms come on
after one or two days of rest on a full ration, when the animal has been
taken out and driven one hundred paces or more: The fire and life with
which he had left the stable suddenly give place to dullness and
oppression, as shown in heaving flanks, dilated nostrils, pinched face,
perspiring skin, and trembling body. The muscles of the loins or haunch
become swelled and rigid, the subject moves stiffly or unsteadily,
crouches behind, the limbs being carried semiflexed, and he soon drops,
unable to support himself. When down, the body and limbs are moved
convulsively, but there is no power of coordination of movement in the
muscles. The pulse and breathing are accelerated, the eyes red with a
tinge of brown, and the urine, if passed, is seen to be highly colored,
dark brown, red, or black, but it contains neither blood clots nor
globules. The color is mainly due to hemoglobin and other imperfectly
elaborated constituents of the blood.

It may end fatally in a few hours or days, or a recovery may ensue,
which is usually more speedy and perfect if it has set in at an early
stage. In the late and tardy recoveries a partial paralysis of the hind
limbs may last for months. A frequent sequel of these tardy cases is an
extensive wasting of the muscles leading up from the front of the stifle
(those supplied by the crural nerve) and a complete inability to stand.

_Prevention._--The prevention of this serious affection lies in
restricting the diet and giving daily exercise when the animal is not at
work. A horse that has had one attack should never be left idle for a
single day in the stall or barnyard. When a horse has been condemned to
absolute repose on good feeding he may have a laxative (one-half to 1
pound Glauber's salt), and have graduated exercise, beginning with a
short walk and increasing day by day.

_Treatment._--The treatment of the mild cases may consist in a laxative,
graduated daily exercise, and a daily dose of saltpeter (1 ounce).
Sudden attacks will sometimes promptly subside if taken on the instant
and the subject kept still and calmed by a dose of bromid of potassium
(4 drams) and sweet spirits of niter (1 ounce). The latter has the
advantage of increasing the secretion of the kidneys. Iodid of potassiu