COMMON AILMENTS 515 



Mallenders and Sallenders are forms of eczema involving 

 the deep layers of the skin in the flexures of the hock and 

 knee joints, most common in heavy horses, and particularly 

 in heavy stallions. "The first signs are roughness of the 

 hair and scurfiness of the skin ; then deep cracks appear 

 right through the skin. This condition, if not taken early, 

 is difficult to cure. The diet should be lowered, a dose of 

 physic given, the part well washed with soap and water, 

 and iodine ointment or oleate of mercury ointment applied." 



Thrush is a diseased condition of the frog, characterised 

 by a fetid discharge, and is aggravated by horses standing 

 in damp and ill-kept stables, and also by the practice of 

 stopping horses' feet with cow dung. It produces tenderness 

 in the feet, and at times short action and lameness. Treat- 

 ment. " Remove the shoe, and pare all loose and diseased 

 horn from the frog; thoroughly irrigate the cleft with 'Jeyes' 

 fluid ' ; poultice for a couple of days in bad cases, then dust 

 into the cleft calomel, and push in a pledget of tow and 

 tar, or dress daily a few times with blue mercurial ointment." 



Canker is a condition of the foot that may arise de novo, 

 or may be a sequel to neglected thrush. " The horn-secreting 

 structures of the frog and sole are chronically inflamed, and 

 produce, instead of horn, an abundance of soft cells which 

 readily degenerate into an extremely fetid semifluid material 

 under-running the horn, and causing its separation. Treat- 

 ment. Give always a dry standing. Apply strong astringent 

 lotions like those suggested for grease. Chloride of zinc, 

 sulphate of zinc, sulphate of copper, and sulphate of iron 

 in strong solution, with dark common carbolic acid added, 

 is frequently used. The disease is, however, of an extremely 

 intractable nature, and may defy all treatment. Sometimes 

 all four feet are affected, indicating that there is an affection 

 of the body generally, as well as the local malady." 



Pink Eye is a specific infectious disease like influenza, 

 spreading from horse to horse, but not to other animals. 

 It varies much in its acuteness. Horses of all ages are 

 attacked, but those badly housed and badly fed suffer most 

 " The common symptoms are extreme prostration and mus- 

 cular debility, accompanied with high fever and irregularity of 

 external temperature ; and usually there is a dry, hard cough. 

 The mucous membrane of the eye has a yellowish-red colour, 



