DISEASES OF DOMESTIC ANIMALS. 18^ 



Question . Will not horses frequently point their feet when stand- 

 ing and yet not limp an}'. 



Dr. Cressey. There may be other types of sore feet that would 

 make a horse point, besides the navicular disease, but you will not 

 often see a horse in this position that is not lame. In relation to 

 treatment I would say that the blister, which is naturally resorted to, 

 can never reach the case ; the trouble is deep seated in the bottom of 

 the foot. It is, at least, an inch from the surface in any direction, 

 and you can see that it would be of no use to blister the fetlock. 

 The majority of veterinary surgeons all over the country do that and 

 take their pay for it ; it is not only useless but it is an imposition 

 upon the public for a professional man to do that ; and yet some of 

 the professors in colleges recommend it. It is a species of quacker}', 

 that should be exposed. Bat the proper treatment is not one that 

 any of you will care to undertake, because it is prett}' difficult, and 

 ma}' seem severe. The point of injury is an inch from behind, an 

 inch and a quarter from the sides, and there is only one way to reach 

 it, and that is by a seton through heel and frog. Soften the foot 

 well, hold it up and plunge a large seton-needle right in at the hol- 

 low of the heel and carrv it throusrh to about the center of the frog; ; 

 tie the seton around and draw it to and fro every day for about a 

 month. It will bleed quite freely and thus relieve the parts some- 

 what. Apply some blister salve to the seton and make it run fear- 

 fully ; get up an issue there. That will cause the diseased part to 

 heal, for your seton passed within a quarter of an inch of the dis- 

 eased part, and when well done, rarely fails to cure. 



In the hind leg, we have no difficultv to treat until we come down 

 to the knee joint, which is the stifle near the flank and corresponds 

 to our knee. The hip joint is buried in the muscles and therefore 

 not easily got at by way of treatment. The stifle bone is our knee- 

 pan. It is pretty hard work to dislocate ours, but in the horse it is 

 very easily done — dislocated on the outside. When that has occurred 

 you can throw it back into place by a certain motion, and there will 

 be no further trouble from it, unless the horse by accident throws it 

 out again, in which case it would be well to resort to treatment. 

 A stifle shoe, with three calks about three inches long, coming together 

 at a point, and put onto the well foot. This will raise that foot 

 up so he cannot stand on it ; if the horse attempts it, he will fall ; he 

 will try it once or twice, but will give it up after a few efforts, then 

 he will be obliged to stand on the leg we are treating, and that is 



