STRANGLES. This is a disease prevalent in young horses, under the common name of dis temper. It used to be thought that horses must at some age have the distemper. The same thing used to be held in re-gard to measles in the human family. Both are, however, fallacious. The dis ease is highly con iagious, and hence when an animal in a stable is affected, all are liable to attacks. The liability depend ing on the more or less virulence of the attack. M. Reynal, professor at the Al fort School, submits _a number of observa t ions corroborat i ve of the contagious char- , acter of Strangles. Ile states that young horses having stran gles, put into stables with horses of adult age, doing regular work, have communicated the disease to those of the _ latter who have stood in adjoining stalls, though some few have only exlfibited the disease in a catarrhal form. Even the foal has been known to suck the disease from its dam. Experi ments have been had recourse to, to inoculate for strangles. 31. Damalix smeared with a sponge, impregnated with matter taken from the abscess of strangles, twice daily, both sides of the pituitary membrane and the internal sur faces of the linings of the eyelids, in a sound horse, about to be cast for spavin. This was continued for seven days. On the eighth, lie remarked, the horse had lost his appetite, bad commenced running from both nostrils, coughed softly and loosely, had swelling under the jaw, which ended in resolution; all the symptoms terminating eight days from their commence ment. It has been remarked that strangles is more surely communicated at an early than a late stage, and in a certain form more readily than in others. Strangles will assume the herpetie character, will simulate farcy and glanders, will settle in the mesenteric glands, or may follow castration. In regard to contagion may be mentioned, as most readily communiea ble, that form of strangles, which assumes the character of eruptions on the lips, nose, and pituitary membrane. Strangles usually com
mences like a common cold. There is a cough, sore throat, the animal is dull, loses appetite, and swallows with difficulty. Then there is quick ened pulse, rapid breathing, and running at the nose. A hot, tender swelling will appear within the lower jaw bone, sometimes on one side and sometimes on both, in which latter case the whole cavity is filled. If the attack is virulent, the swelling is sudden and great, filling up the mouth, and the animal shows those signs of strangulation from which the disease takes its name. There is great distress, the breathing (difficult) is accompanied with a loud blowing noise, and unless the animal soon gets relief, it dies of suffocation. If the attack is light, but little will he required, except to keep the animal warm, and to apply warm fomentations and poultices to the swollen glands, allowing an ounce of saltpetre to the pail of water, night and morning. Give soft, easily eaten, and digestible food. When the tumor comes to a head and bursts, keep it poulticed to induce suppuration. If it seems indolent, put on a fly blister to bring it to a head, when it may bg opened with the knife. Again_ if the swelling is languid and does not come to a head, it may be painted with iodine, or it may be rubbed with iodine. In the treatment of strangles, the condition must be kept up with good food and stimulants, if necessary. Avoid medicines which deplete the system. If suffocation is imminent, the wind pipe may be opened and a silver, or even a tin tube may be inserted as a last resource, to enable the animal to breathe. (See Tracheotomy.)