Note 34 — PART II.

For example, an animal is in nearly a hopeless state from inflammation of the lungs and pleura, perhaps as a complication of distemper. Suddenly there is an amelioration in the symptoms; the hurried breathing resumes the characteristics of ordinary respiration—the owner, or veterinary surgeon in attendance, pronounces the patient to be out of danger—the improvement is regarded as almost miraculous. But in about twenty-four hours, often less, the horse is observed to move with difficulty in the stable; if he lies down, he is disinclined to get up; when standing, the fore feet are kept considerably more in advance than usual, the hind ones far forward under the body, so that they may as much as possible relieve the fore feet and legs from the superincumbent weight. In aggravated cases, as the heels of the fore feet are the parts which bear the most weight in progression, the horse, when forced to walk, which he can only accomplish with great difficulty, elevates the toe at every step, bringing the heel, instead of it, to the ground. The horse is then suffering from acute laminitis, or what is more generally in horse-parlance termed “founder.”