434 IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
the cause is discovered and removed. If, when shoeing, a nail is driven 
into the quick (sensitive laminae) and allowed to remain, the horse grad- 
ually evinces mere pain from day to day; but if the nail has at once 
been removed by the smith, lameness does not, as a rule, show^ itself for 
some days or, if the nail is simply driven "too close," not actually prick- 
ing the horse, he may not show any lameness for a week or even much 
longer. At this point it is due the blacksmith to say that, considering 
how thin the walls of some feet are, the uneasiness of many horses while 
shoeing, the ease with w^hich a nail is diverted . from its course by strik- 
ing an old piece of nail left in the wall, or from the nail itself splitting, 
the wonder is not that so many horses are pricked or nails driven "too 
close," but rather that many more are not so injured. It is not always 
carelessness or ignorance on the part of the smith, by any means, that is 
to account for this accident. Bad and careless shoers we do meet with, 
but let us be honest and say that the rarity of these accidents points 
rather to the general care and attention given by these much-abused me- 
chanics. 
From the construction of the horse's foot (being incased in an, im- 
permeable horny box), and from the elasticity of the horn closing the 
orifice, punctured wounds of the feet are almost alw^ays productive of lame- 
ness. Inflammation results, and as there is no relief afforded by swelling 
and no escape for the product of inflammation, this matter must and does 
burrow between the sole or wall and the sensitive parts w^ithin it until 
it generally opens "between hair and hoof." We can thus see w^hy pain is 
so much more severe, why tetanus (lock-jaw) more frequently follows 
wounds of the feet, and why, from the extensive, or at times complete, 
separation and "casting" of the hoof, these wounds must always be re- 
garded with grave apprehension. 
Symptoms and Treatment. — A practice which, if never deviated from — 
that of picking up each foot, cleaning the sole, and thoroughly examining 
the foot each and every time the horse comes into the stable — w^ill enable 
us to reduce the serious consequences of punctured wounds of the feet 
to be the minimum. If the wound has resulted from pricking, lameness 
follows soon after shoeing; if from the nails being driven too close, it 
usually appears from four to five days or a week after receiving the shoe. 
We should always inquire as to the time of shoeing, examine the shoe 
carefully, and see w^hether it has been partially pulled and the horse 
stepped back upon some of the nails or the clip. The pain from these 
wounds is lancinating; the horse is seen to raise and lower the limb or 
hold it from the ground altogether; aften he points the foot, flexes the 
leg, and knuckles at the fetlock. Swelling of the fetlock and back ten- 
dons is also frequently seen and is apt to mislead us. The foot must be 
carefully examined, and this cannot be properly done without removing the 
shoe. The nails should be drawn separately and carefully examined. If 
there is no escape of pus from the nail holes, or if the nails themselves 
are not moist, we must continue our examination of the foot by carefully 
pinching or tapping it at all parts. With a little practice w^e can detect 
the spot w^here pain is the greatest or discover the delicate line of scar 
left at the point of entrance of the foreign body. The entire sole is then 
