882 CHRONIC LAMINITIS. 



the quantity abstracted. Poultices of linseed meal, made very soft, should 

 cover the whole of the foot and pastern, and be frequently renewed, which will 

 promote evaporation from the neighbouring parts, and possibly through the pores 

 of the hoof, and, by softening and rendering supple the hoof, will relieve its 

 painful pressure on the swelled and tender parts beneath, More fully to accom- 

 plish this last purpose, the shoe should be removed, the sole pared as thin as 

 possible, and the crust, and particularly the quarters, well rasped. All this 

 must be done gently, and with a great deal of patience, for the poor animal 

 can scarcely bear his feet to be meddled with. There used to be occasional 

 doubt as to the administration of physic, from fear of metastasis of inflam- 

 mation which has sometimes occurred, and been generally fatal. When, 

 however, there is so much danger of losing the patient from the original attack, 

 we must run the risk of the other. Sedative and cooling medicines should be 

 diligently administered, consisting of digitalis, nitre, and emetic tartar. 



If no amendment is observed, three quarts of blood should be taken from 

 each foot on the following day. In extreme cases, a third bleeding of two 

 quarts may be justifiable, and, instead of the poultice, cloths kept wet with 

 water in which nitre has been dissolved immediately before, and in the propor- 

 tion of an ounce of nitre to a pound of water, may be wrapped round the feet. 

 About the third day a blister may be tried, taking in the whole of the pastern 

 and the coronet ; but a cradle must previously be put on the neck of the horse, 

 and the feet must be covered after the blister, or they will probably, be sadly 

 blemished. The horse should be kept on mash diet, unless green meat can be 

 procured for him ; and even that should not be given too liberally, nor should 

 he, in the slightest degree, be coaxed to eat. When he appears to be recover- 

 ing, his getting on his feet should not be hurried. It should be left perfectly 

 to his own discretion ; nor should even walking exercise be permitted until he 

 stands firm on his feet. When that is the case, and the season will permit, 

 two months' run at grass will be very serviceable. 



It is not always, however, or often, that inflammation of the feet is thus 

 easily subdued ; and, if it is subdued, it sometimes leaves after it some fearful 

 consequences. The loss of the hoof is not an unfrequent one. About six or 

 seven days from the first attack, a slight separation will begin to appear be- 

 tween the coronet and the hoof. This should be carefully attended to, for the 

 separated horn will never again unite with the parts beneath, but the disunion 

 will extend, and the hoof will be lost. It is true that a new hoof will be formed, 

 but it will be smaller in size and weaker than the first, and will rarely stand 

 hard work. When this separation is observed, it will be a matter of calculation 

 with the proprietor of the horse whether he will suffer the medical treatment 

 to proceed. 



CHRONIC LAMINITIS. 



This is a species of founder, insidious in its attack, and destructive to the 

 horse. It is a milder form of the preceding disease. There is lameness, but it 

 is not so severe as in the former case. The horse stands as usual. The crust is 

 warm, and that warmth is constant, but it is not often probably greater than in 

 a state of health. The surest symptom is the action of the animal. It is dia- 

 metrically opposite to that in the navicular disease. The horse throws as much 

 of his weight as he can, on the posterior parts of his feet. 



The treatment should be similar to that recommended for the acute disease 

 blood-letting, cataplasms, fomentations, and blisters, and the last much sooner 

 and much more frequently than in the former disease. 



