72 The Management and Treatment of the Horse, 



as a counter-irritant and prevent suppuration. Some- 

 times a thorn can be seen, yet it is so deep that it 

 cannot be taken hold of even with a pair of forceps ; to 

 take a thorn out under these circumstances, you must 

 put a small key over the thorn and press tightly so as to 

 force the thorn up the pipe of the key and enable you to 

 lay hold of it with the forceps. Another thing of the 

 thorn class, only worse, is a stub. This is met with by 

 the horse putting its foot upon newly- cut brushwood, in 

 going through gaps in hedgerows, or through newly- cut 

 woods. Sometimes they inflict wounds that are very 

 deep, often going through the sole of the foot and 

 lamella to the coffin bone. Many valuable horses have 

 died of tetanus or lockjaw, from the effect of a wound 

 of this class. As soon as the groom finds a stub in the 

 horse's foot he should have its shoe taken off, and the 

 hoof round the wound cut away with a small sharp knife; 

 lay the wound well open, probe the wound carefully, and 

 ascertain if any chip is left behind ; if you find any, 

 remove it with the forceps, and be quite sure you leave 

 nothing in the wound. In probing a wound of this 

 class, do not use a metal probe, but a gutta-percha one, 

 as you would be liable to further injure the sensitive 

 lamella. Having made sure the wound is clear and 

 clean, pour into it carboiised oil, put a piece of cotton 

 wool, saturated with the oil, on the top of the wound, 

 and bind up. Remove the wool every morning, and 

 bathe the wound with warm water, re-dress it and bind 

 up, and in most cases the animal is well in a few days. 

 Many persons use tincture of myrrh for wounds, but it 

 should not be used in deep wounds, as it dries up the 



