CHAPTER XVII 



DISEASES OF BONES, JOINTS, ETC. 

 SPLINTS. 



HORSES of every breed in all parts of the world are liable 

 to have one or more of these small bonv deposits upon 

 their cannon bones, commonly on the fore-limbs, though 

 by no means rare upon the hind cannons. Although splint is 

 very common on both vanners and horses required for heavy 

 draught, the significance attachable to it is nothing like so great 

 as with animals required for fast work, e.g., hackneys, etc. 



Many — in fact, the majority of horses — have splint ; yet 

 it does not necessarily produce lameness, and some veterinary 

 surgeons do not look upon their presence as much of a detriment. 

 However, one can never say whether such will ever produce 

 lameness, and the writer does not look upon a horse having 

 splint as a sound animal for the foregoing reasons. 



In some instances the bony deposit is situated upon the 

 outside, or even the front, of the cannon bone, so that if the 

 animal receives a bruise about this region, a renewal of infiam- 

 matory activity is likely to be started, lameness and inability 

 to work for a time being the natural results. 



Sometimes there are one or more small splints in the meta- 

 carpal channel, i.e., a channel formed by the cannon and small 



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