No. «. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 417 



TREATMENT. 



Pare the hoof well dowu so ;»s to bring the foot in as near perfect 

 balance as possible, at the same time cutting away the frog so as not 

 to have any frog pressure, using a plate shoe with thickened heels 

 or the centre bearing shoe No. I, clipping the hair aff around above 

 the hoof, putting on a Spanish tly blister once in two weeks, follow- 

 ing the blister with a dressing of veterinary petroleum to soften 

 and hasten the growth of the hoof, filling the bottom of the hoof 

 every night with White Rock Hoof Packing, which helps to reduce 

 inflammation. 



INTERFERING. 



An animal is said to interfere when one foot strikes the opposite 

 leg as it passes by, during locomotion. The inner surface of the fet- 

 lock joint is the part most subject to this injury, although under 

 certain conditions, it may happen to any part of the ankle. It is 

 seen more often in the hind than in the forelegs. Interfering 

 causes a bruise of the skin and deeper tissues, generally accom- 

 panied by an abrasion of the surface. It may cause lameness, dan 

 gerous tripping and thickening of the injured parts. 



CAUSES. 



Faulty conformation is the most prolific cause of interfering. 

 When the bones of the leg are so united that the toe of the foot 

 turns in (pigeon toed) or when the fetlock joints are close together 

 and the toe turns out, when the leg is so deformed that the whole 

 foot and ankle turn eitluM' in or out. interfering is almost sure to 

 follow. 



It may happen, also, when the feet grow too long; from defective 

 shoeing; rough or slippery roads; from the exhaustion of labor or 

 sickness; swelling of the leg; high knee-action; fast work, and 

 because the chest or hips are too narrow. 



SYMPTOMS. 



Generally, the evidence of interfering are easily detected, for the 

 parts are tender, swollen and the skin broken. 



But very often, especially in trotters, the flat surface of the hoof 

 strikes the fetlock without evident injury, and attention is directed 

 to these parts only by the occasional tripping and unsteady gait. 

 In such cases, proof of the cause may be had by walking and trotting 

 the animal, after first painting the inside toe and quarter of the 

 suspected foot with a thin coating of chalk, charcoal or paint. 



27—6—1003 



