Ruptures 177 



tail to the opposite side and to retain it in that posi- 

 tion by tying to a girth until the wound has partially 

 or wholly healed. 



Switching the Tail 



Some mares of a nervous disposition have a bad 

 habit of switching the tail while being driven, espe- 

 cially when spoken to or touched with the whip. In 

 some cases, breeding the mare and allowing her to 

 raise a colt will correct the habit; in other cases, 

 spaying the mare through the vagina will stop the 

 vice. But in extreme and persistent cases the only 

 treatment is to cut the muscles from both sides 

 of the roots of the tail. 



Hernia * 



A hernia, commonly called a rupture, in most 

 cases is caused by external violence, such as a kick 

 or a blow, that breaks the muscular walls of the 

 abdomen, or belly, and allows some of the contents 

 usually the omentum, a thin curtain of fat, or a loop 

 of the intestines to protrude through the opening and 

 press outward against the skin. 



There is a rounded, rather firm mass that causes 

 the skin to bulge out as if the part were badly 

 swollen, but there is a well-defined line of separation 

 between the swelling and the other tissues. The hernia 

 is not tender to the touch, and seldom causes the 

 animal any inconvenience. By carefully manipulating 

 the bunch, the protruding mass can gradually be 



