AMPUTATION OF THE CLAWS OF RUMINANTS. 175 



pedal articulation can be felt, about 3 cm. below the coronary 

 band, by grasping the claw with the left hand in such a man- 

 ner that the thumb rests upon the thinly rasped horn while 

 with the other hand the claw is moved from side to side. 

 At the lowest point of the articulation push the double- 

 edged sage knife into the joint, the concavity of the knife 

 being directed tow r ard the fetlock, and make a curved incis- 

 ion at first forward and upward to the neighborhood of the 

 coronary band, then with strong flexion of the foot a second 

 curved incision backward and upward which, how 7 ever, ex- 

 tends only to the navicular bone. By this incision the oper- 

 ator divides the horn, the sensitive lamina, the external 

 corono-pedal ligament and the capsular ligament of the 

 corono-pedal articulation. Pass the knife between the na- 

 vicular and pedal bones and extend the incision downwards 

 perpendicular to the solar surface through it, separating the 

 navicular bone from the os pedis. In this manner the na- 

 vicular bone is preserved as well as the ball of the heel, the 

 latter of which is of special significance in healing. The 

 inner wall of the claw with the powerfully developed corono- 

 pedal ligament is divided from before backward. After the 

 vessels which can be seen are ligated, the articular surfaces 

 of the navicular and coronary bones curetted and the necrotic 

 remnants of tendon removed an antiseptic bandage is applied 

 and a tar bandage placed over it for protection. The band- 

 age remains for 12 or 14 days. 



If the structures above this point of amputation are 

 irremediably involved the digit should be amputated higher 

 up, at the articulation of the first and second phalanges or 

 through the first phalanx. In these higher amputations a 

 flap operation is generally practicable. 



