CHRONIC VALVULAR DISEASE OF THE HEART.
This, as already noticed, is a common result of endocarditis, the valves being most obnoxious to disease in such cases. The symptoms are those mentioned under endocarditis as characterizing disease of the different valves, such as incapacity for exertion, difficult breathing, palpitation, irregularity or intermission of pulse, venous pulse, abnormal heart sounds, unsteadiness of the limbs when driven, and dropsical swellings in the limbs and elsewhere. The reader is referred to endocarditis for particulars, it being borne in mind that these symptoms are not in this case associated with fever.
Horses affected in this way are useless. Cattle may sometimes be partially fattened by preserving them from all sources of excitement, by keeping the bowels regular and by combating any paroxysms with sedatives, such as aconite, veratrum, hydrocyanic acid, or opium, and with digitalis.