DK. LEGEAR'S STOCK BOOK. 155 



keeping the animal quiet for two or three weeks. It generally takes 

 from one to three months for a fracture to unite in a horse, so 

 don't be in too big a hurry to put the animal to work after you 

 think a fracture is healed. A horse may be kicked on the inside 

 of the hind leg just above the hock, and although the bone is 

 cracked or broken it may not separate for one or two weeks, and 

 then the bone gives way and the leg breaks clear off. Why it 

 remains in place so long is because the periosteum (covering of 

 the bone) is so thick in this location. If a horse gets kicked in 

 this place he should be kept perfectly quiet for two or three 

 weeks to give the bones a chance to unite if they are broken. 

 If any of the bones of the leg become broken clear off and the 

 bones come through the skin, it is advisable to kill the animal at 

 once, as a recovery is hopeless. 



RICKETS RACHITIS. 



Rickets, or rachitis, occurs in young animals of all kinds, but 

 is more common in puppies than the young of other animals. 

 It is due to a lack of lime salts, or an excess of animal matter, 

 in the bones. 



Causes. It has a tendency to occur among the offspring of 

 stallions or dogs that have been overdone in stud service, and is 

 more likely to appear in weakly or unhealthy animals. Weaning 

 the animal at too early a period, and forcing him to eat food that 

 is only fit for an old animal to eat, or milk deficient in certain 

 elements received from the mother, may also be mentioned as 

 causes of rickets. 



Symptoms. The bones of the limbs are seen to bend unnat- 

 urally; the fore-legs may bend outward and the hind ones bend 

 inward; and in the horse there is a tendency to curb, bog-spavin, 

 11 



