472 



Journal of Aoricidtiire. 



[8 August, 1907. 



Treatment. — The displaced bone must be forcibly pushed back into 

 its place but this can only be done when the limb is fully extended, i.e., 

 stretched forward. To enable this to be done a rope should be looped 

 round the pastern and taken forward and attached collar-wise around the 

 neck so that the limb may be retained in the position shown in Fig. 74, 

 until the bone is pushed or jerked into its place with the hand. The 

 rope may then be slightly relaxed until the toe just touches the ground 

 with the limb well forward, and this position should be maintained prac- 

 tically continuously for a few days. If a blister be applied to the stifle 

 the resultant swelling will act as a bandage and retard movement. When 

 the limb is released the foot should be shod with a long-toed shoe and a 

 rest prescribed. It mav be advisable to put on a long-toed shoe before 

 attempting to reduce the dislocation. In cases where the displacement is 

 so great as to have caused rupture of the internal lateral ligament of the 

 patella, complete recovery never occurs; the lameness is permanent and, 

 except in the case of mares and stallions which may be used for breeding 

 purposes, the patient may as well be shot. 



LAMENESS IN THE GASKIN. 



Lameness in this region is uncommon. It may occur when the leg 

 bone {tibia) is fractured without displacement of the fractured bones taking 



place. 



Williams refers to cases of rupture of the muscle in front of the tibia 

 (the -flexor metatarsi), the symptoms of which are quite characteristic, 

 viz. : — a straightening of the hock and pulling back and lifting up of the 

 whole limb, on account of the uncontrolled action of the posterior muscles 

 of the leg. 



Fig. 75- Rupture of Gastroc-nemeii. Shows the position of the limb when the 

 animal was standing. When moved the hock descended three or four inches (as 

 far as the stretching of the skin would allow) below and behind the position as 

 shown in the sketch. 



The author has elsewhere recorded^ an unusual case of lameness in 

 the region resulting from laceration of those large muscles behind the tibia 

 (the gastroc-nemeii) corresponding to the muscles of the calf in man. In 

 this case the action was similar to that of a hamstrung horse, in that, 



1 The Australasian Veterinary and Live Stock Journal July 1890 and The 

 London Veterinary Record i8go. 



