8 April, 1907] Lameness in Horses. 219 



Summarized, the main symptoms are: — 



{a) Dragging the toe and bringing the limb forward with an out- 

 ward swing so as to describe an arc, thus ''^ . and ti\ing to 

 avoid much motion of the joint 



{b) A kind of outward slipning or oscillating movement of the 

 shoulder joint at each step, when the weight is thrown on the 

 affected limb. 



{e) When standing, if the lameness is severe, the knee ami fetlock 

 joints are parti v bent, head elevated, and toe resting on the 

 ground — no pointing. 



{d) Ini some instances, actual lameness does not occur until the 

 affected muscles have become wasted or shrunk, when there 

 will be a hollow- space on each side of the scapula or 

 blade bone. 



{e) Pain, heat, and perhaps swelling in the sprained muscl<-s. and 

 tenderness evinced on the application of pressure. 



(/) Flinching on extreme flexion of the shoulder and elbow ioints. 



Treatment. — In the earlv stages, hot fomentations, continued for 

 about an hour, if the injury is obvious by local pain, heat and swelling, 

 should be applied two' or three times a day, after which "white lotion " 

 or other cooling application should be sopped on. Complete rest should 

 be enjoined, and a high-heeled shoe should be put on to relieve muscular 

 tension. The food should be soft and non-heating, and the bowels should 

 be kept open bv giving 2-oz. doses of Epsom salts in the drinking water 

 twice daily. Later on, when the heat and other local symptoms have 

 disappeared, the parts mav be blistered with a fly blister {vide page 75). 

 The blistering may require to be repeated two or three times.. A 

 lengthened spell at grass (three to six months) is advisable, because, after 

 the lameness has disappeared, the muscles are still weak and liable to 

 a recurrence of sprain if the horse is put to work too soon. 



Sometimes the wasted condition of the muscles referred to above re- 

 mains permanent, in which case there is always more or less inability, 

 evidenced by a dragging or swinging action, and the horse qualifies for 

 the appellation of "three legs and a swinger." This permanent shrunken- 

 ness occurs when the muscular fibres have become completely destroyed 

 or diminished in number bv wasting (numerical atrophy). If the 

 shrinkage has onl\ Ijeen in size of the fibres, and none have been de- 

 stroved (simple atrophx ). then complete restoration of power mav be 

 expected. 



Sprain of the Flexor Brachii or Biceps Muscle. 



This muscle is situated in front of the arm bone {humerus), running 

 down from the point of the shoulder blade to the upper end of the bone 

 of the fore arm in front of the elbow, and its main action is to assist 

 prominentlv in bringing the upper part of the limb forward. The seat 

 of the sprain is usually in the sinewv or tendinous part of the muscle, at 

 its upper end, near the front of the shoulder joint, where it passes over 

 the groove in the head of the humerus, and where also it is liable to 

 bruising and other injury from external x-iolence, such as may be sus- 

 tained by bumping against trees when galloping through the bush, or 

 against a fence-rail or wall when jumping, or in a collision or other 

 accident. 



