72 FARM ANIMALS 



the skin shows a heavy coating of perspiration and 

 the animal soon falls to the ground and moves the 

 legs convulsively. Such cases may result fatally 

 within a few hours and in all cases of azoturia 

 treatment is only partly successful. The disease 

 may be prevented to a great extent by giving the 

 animal a reasonable amount of exercise during the 

 days when it is not at work. In other words, 

 azoturia is caused in most cases by feeding the 

 usual working ration to the horse at rest. 



Lameness. Horses are subject to a great variety 

 of lameness in the shoulders, hips and legs. It is 

 obviously impossible to describe all of the causes 

 which may cause lameness. In some cases it is due 

 to the development of splints which are bony en- 

 largements of the cannon bone between the hock 

 and the fetlock joint, side bones on either side of 

 the coffin bone in the hoof, spavin a bony enlarge- 

 ment of the hock joint, ring bone and various other 

 diseased conditions in the bones of the leg. It is 

 an extremely difficult matter after the initial appear- 

 ance of lameness to locate the cause, and treatment 

 in all cases, in order to be effective, must be applied 

 in the right manner and at the right place. It is 

 desirable, therefore, to call in the services of a 

 qualified veterinarian since by unskillful treatment 

 the lameness may be increased or the horse may be 

 kept out of commission for a much longer period 

 than is necessary. 



CARE OF THE HORSE ? S HOOF 



As a rule the farmer does not shoe his own horses, 

 but depends upon the skill of some blacksmith 

 whom he considers as qualified to do this work. 

 Some points in the care of the hoof, however, may 



