8 April, 1907] Lameness in Horses. 213 



being above the fetlock. When both fore feet are '' pointed '' alternately, 

 navicular disease or some lameness involving both feet ma\ be suspected. 

 In shoulder lameness, the limb is allowed to swing semi-pendulous, and 

 the foot rests behind its fellow. In elbow lameness, the elbow is usuallv 

 depressed, the knee greatly flexed with the foot either level with or behind 

 the other. In founder (laminitis) of the fore feet, both are thrown for- 

 ward at one time with the weight borne on the heels, and the hind feet 

 are at the same time advanced to partly ease the strain of weight on the 

 inflamed and painful fore feet. In this case, the horse rests on the 

 heels because the inflammatory pain is in the region of the toe or front 

 part of the hoof, while in navicular disease the seat of pain is in the 

 navicular or shuttle bone at the back of the coffin bane {os pedis) towards 

 the heel, which is consequently raised to relieve the strain of the tendon 

 passing over and pressing on the diseased navicular bone. 



Lameness Behind. — When lame behind, if the foot is placed in ad- 

 vance of its fellow, the lameness is below the hock. If the lameness is 

 in both hind feet, they are advanced and the fore feet are placed nearer 

 the centre of gravity. Disinclination to urinate on account of inability to 

 '"stretch" without pain is often evident in stallions and geldings when 

 lame in both hind feet ; and death from uremic poisoning, preceded bv 

 acute fever, may result from the retention of urine so caused. To avoid 

 this it is often advisable, in laminitis and other such acutely painful 

 diseases of the hind feet, to relieve the animal of its weight by slinging. 

 " Knuckling over " at the hind fetlocks — a common evidence of lameness 

 or " wear " — may be best observed in the stable before the horse has been 

 "warmed up" by exercise, as may also be the "carrying" or continuous 

 holding up off the ground of the limb in cases of acute pain in the foot. 



Some horses manifest lameness when "put over" in the stall. This 

 may be the only objective sign in some occult cases of bone spavin, in 

 which on sudden movement the weight is more quickly shifted on to the 

 sound limb; and in such cases this sign may be corroborated by keeping 

 the hock fully flexed for a minute or two when acute pain will be evinced 

 on straightening. Shivering and stringhalt may also be detected by sud- 

 denly moving the horse from side to side in the stall. Any undue wear 

 of 'the shoes at the toe or heel resulting from lame action; anv special 

 method of shoeing for corns and sand crack and the like, and for the 

 avoidance of clicking, over-reaching, brushing, and speedy-cutting; as 

 also objective signs of these, may be best observed when the animal is at 

 rest. 



Examination when in Motion. 



Close observation of the animal when he is being- brought out of the 

 stable is very necessary ; for, in the incipient stages of such diseases as 

 bone spavin and navicular disease, the slight lameness exhibited on first 

 moving may quickly disappear. On the other hand, when lame from 

 corns, and from splints in some positions, the horse comes out of the 

 stable apparently sound but shows lameness after going for a time, and 

 of course the observation of this sequence of events is of material assist- 

 ance im " spotting " the seat of lameness. 



Many horses in quite a number of lamenesses, and most horses in 

 some forms of lameness, mav go quite sound in the walk. For the detec- 

 tion of the lame limb, when m motion, an easy jog-trot is the best gait. 



