At the first indication of any stiffness of the jaws, or contraction of the eye-brows or any other muscle, which are usually the earlier symptoms of Lock-jaw, give fifteen drops of A.A., and repeat the dose every hour.
If the disease has been occasioned by a prick of the foot or any injury of any tendon or like structure, give B.B., in alternation with A.A. In like manner the H.H. may be indicated and given in alternation with the A.A., where the kidneys have been implicated in the cause and there is scanty, suppressed, or difficult Staling as the result.
Food.—When the jaws are firmly set, no food can be given, but there are times when the spasms relax, and the jaws are rather wider apart than at other periods. Green food and gruel may then be offered to the horse. When the jaws become more open, he may have bran-tea, clover-tea, or hay tea, gruel and such similar food. If the jaws cannot be opened, or he cannot swallow, meal or oatmeal gruel may be injected, by means of a large syringe, into the fundament, and life be thus prolonged and a chance thus given for the Remedy to act.
Care must be taken to feed sparingly when recovering, or indigestion and a fatal relapse may be the consequence.
Spinal Meningitis
This disease has become quite common in late years, sometimes appearing in isolated cases, but more frequently prevailing in certain cities or sections of country; and to such an extent as to warrant the idea of an epizootic influence. Often a large number of horses in a City, County or State, are more or less seriously attacked. It is mostly observed in the Winter and Spring, and is favored by changeable weather, damp or too close stables. Epizootics of this disease have also been observed in low-lying sandy regions, doubtless favored if not caused by hauling heavy loads over deep sandy roads and being exposed when heated and sore from such effort to cold drenching rains. The disease having once been developed from such conditions readily extends itself without the originating conditions being present. It is also more common among mares, from their being over-worked or strained when in heat.
The Earlier Symptoms are: Dullness, indisposition to move, head hanging low, and evident pain and stiffness on moving, and especially on being turned around. It loses intelligence and takes no notice of things going on around him. There is more or less tenderness and shrinking on pressure on some portion of the spine or along the entire spine, from the hips forward, or on each side over the kidneys. The animal does not stand or move firmly, but sways from side to side or staggers in walking, or seems to drag the hind legs after him, or is easily pushed one side, or even over, or leans against the stall when standing. Finally the back gives out, and the horse falls down, or cannot rise; he has no strength in the hind legs. The pulse at first is not much, or but slightly increased in frequency or force, but by degrees becomes more rapid. The urine is often scanty or suppressed, the dung dry, and the animal has from the first a distressed, suffering look.
When the disease has attained its height, the pulse becomes quick and the temperature raised, and there is swelling of the throat and congestion of the lungs, and in some cases high delirium. Later there is increasing stiffness, paralysis and death.
The disease is frequently fatal in the more severe cases, in two or three days, but often continues from seven to ten days, and recoveries are usually quite slow.
Treatment.—A.A. should be given in doses of fifteen drops at first, every hour; then, after six or eight hours—the intervals may be every two hours, and as the animal improves, the intervals between doses may be prolonged to three hours.