The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1917-05-25

prepared by the United States Depart
ment Of A~griculture.)
In examining the system Of organs
and their functions In a horse it Is
customary to begin by noting the fire.
quency of the respiratory movements.
This point can be determined by OBJ
serving the motions Of the nostrils or
the TANKS; on a cold day n can see
the condensation Of the moisture OF
the warm air as 1t comes from the
lungs. The normal rate Of respira-
ton for a healthy horse at rest is
from 8 to 16 per minute. The rate Is
faster in young animals than In old,
and is increased by work, hot wealth
er, overfilling Of the stomach, preg-
nancy, lying upon the side, etc. Ac-
c~eleration Of the respiratory rate
where no physiological cause operates
is due to a variety Of conditions.
Among these is fever; restricted area
of active lung tissue, from filling Of
portions of the lungs with infiamma-
tory exudate, as in pneumonia COM
preston Of the lungs or loss of elas-
ITCHY; pain in the muscles control
ling the respiratory movement; ex-
cess of carbon dioxide in the blood;
and construction of the air passages
leading to the lungs.
Dyspnea.
Difficult or labored respiration Is
known as dyspnea. It occurs when 1t
is difficult, for any reason, for the anil
NAL to obtain the amount of oxygen
that 1t requires. This may be due to
filling of the lungs, as in pneumonia;
to painful movements Of the chest, as
in rheumatism or pleurisy; to tumors
of the nose and paralysis Of the throat,
swellings Of the throat, foreign bod
les, or weakness of the respiratory
passages, fluid in the chest cavity, adj
hesions between the lungs and chest
walls, loss of elasticity of the lungs.
etc. Where the difficulty Is great the
accessory muscles Of respiration are
brought into play. In great dyspnea
the horse stands with his front feet
apart, with his neck straight out, and
his head extended upon his neck. The
nostrils are widely dilated, the face
has an anxious expression, the eye
balls protrude, the up-and-down mo-
ton Of the larynx is aggravated, the
amplitude of the movement of the
chest walls increased, and the TANKS
heave.
The expired air is Of about the tenn
p%erature Of the body. It contains con-
siderable moisture, and it should
come with equal force from each nos
tril and should not have an unpleasant
odor. If the stream of air from one
nostril is stronger than the other,
there is an indication Of an obstruc-
ton in q nasal chamber. If the air
possesses q bad odor, 1t Is usually an
indication of putrefaction of a tissue
or secretion in some part Of the
respiratory tract. A bad odor is
found where there Is necrosis Of the
bone in the nasal passages or In
chronic catarrh. An u%lcerating tu-
NOR of the nose or throat may cause
the breath to have an offensive odor.
The most offensive breath occurs
where there is necrosis, or gangrene,
Of the lungs.
In some diseases there Is a dis
charge from the nose. In order to de-
termine the significance Of the dis
charge it should be examined closely.
One should ascertain whether 1t comes
from n or both nostrils. If but from
one nostril, 1t probably originates In
the head. The color should be noted.
A thin, watery discharge can be COM
posed of serum, and it occurs In the
earlier stages Of coryza, or nasal ca
tarrh. An opalescent, slightly tinted
discharge Is composed of mucous and
indicates a little more severe irrita-
ton. If the discharge is sticky and
puslike a deeper difficulty or more adj
vanced irritation Is indicated. II the
discharge contains fakes and clumps
of more or less dried, agglutinated
particles, it is probable that it orig
mates within a cavity Of the head,
as the sinuses or cultural pouches.
Examining Nasal Passage.
In examining the interior Of the
nasal passage one should remember
that the normal color of the mucous
membrane is a rosy pink and that Its
surface is smooth. If ulcers, nodules,
swsllings, or tumors are found these
indicate disease.
Between the lower jaw there are
several clusters of Emphatic glands.
These glands are SO small and so soft
that it is difficult to find them by feel
ing through the skin, but when a
s%uppurative disease exists in the upper
mart of the respiratory tract these