378 HEALTH AND DISEASE 



vein, particularly in the case of plethoric animals. To relieve the feet 

 of the weight of the body and mitigate suffering, the patient may be 

 put into slings and kept there as long as he is able to endure the position. 

 Should he become restless, he may be liberated and allowed to lie down, 

 where he should be encouraged to remain. In either case a good bed is 

 to be provided, compinsing a foundation of peat-moss, with a fair cover- 

 ing of straw. The latter will be re(juired to pack the body and protect 

 the head from injury when struggling on the ground. 



When practicable, the shoes should be removed without delay, and 

 the feet placed in hot bran poultices, which will require to be renewed 

 frec[uently, and in no case allowed to become cool. If the j^ain is very 

 severe and the constitutional disturbance runs high, a full dose of morphia 

 may be injected beneath the skin, and repeated once or oftener accord- 

 ing to the requirements of the case. 



When substantial relief has been afforded and the inflammatory 

 symptoms subside, poulticing may be discontinued, and the feet freely 

 and repeatedly irrigated with cold water, and as soon as possible the 

 patient may be made to move about the box. If a pond is accessible, 

 he should be led into it and allowed to remain with the affected feet in 

 water for several hours at a time, or, failing this, a deep layer of wet 

 clay may be laid in the stall, where he should be made to stand. Gentle 

 walking exercise on a soft surface of tan or manure should be enforced 

 for short periods two or three times a day, and finally a sharp blister 

 should be applied to the legs, from the coronets as high as the middle 

 of the canon, and repeated once or more at suitable intervals if required. 

 AVhen the soreness has passed away from the blistered surface the patient 

 may be turned into a soft meadow, liy preference one adjoining a river. 

 If shoes are applied to the feet, they should be short and moderately 

 thin at the heels, so as to admit of the weight being thrown on to the 

 posterior part of the foot. 



Death from laminitis is by no means rare in severe attacks of the 

 disease, and structural changes with or without deformity of tlie feet 

 almost invariably result in a greater or less degree. 



QUITTOR 



This is a fistulous wound on any part of the coronet just above the 

 hoof, having one or more oj)enings communicating with each other under 

 the skin by pipes or channels (sinuses), and usually involving the deeper 

 structures at this part. 



The cause of quittor is an injury to the coronet, such as a tread. 



