DISEASES OF THE HORSE 19 



the stable in the morning is the proper moment for ex- 

 amination. Therefore, you should be prepared to form 

 judgment quickly in these cases, for the longer the 

 animal is trotted up and down the less lame will he 

 generally become. 



We may have a visible sign of Spavin, swelling and 

 hardness of the part, without lameness. If there be heat 

 and tenderness on pressure, lameness will almost always 

 be present. A careful comparison should be made of 

 the hocks. 



Tkeatment: An important factor in treating Spavin 

 is keeping the animal quiet. This can be accomplished 

 by placing the animal in a very narrow stall, carrying 

 his feed and drinking water for a month or six weeks, 

 and apply the following ointment : Eed Iodide of Mer- 

 cury, two, drams; Pulverized Cantharides, three drams; 

 Turpentine, thirty minims; Pine Tar, two drams; lard, 

 two ounces. Mix well and rub in well for twenty minutes 

 every forty-eight hours until three applications have 

 been applied. Repeat this treatment again ia two weeks, 

 and grease well with lard. 



To cure a bone spavin it is necessary to unite two or 

 more bones of the hock, and a fractured bone cannot 

 unite if moved frequently. The same thing exists in 

 bone spavin as in a fractured bone, only we have no 

 ragged edges like that of a fractured bone to unite; 

 therefore, keep the animal quiet. The younger the 

 animal the easier the spavin is to treat, because the bones 

 hardened with age contain more mineral matter and less 

 flexible animal matter. While treating the animal, feed 

 food that is easily digested. 



BOG SPAVIN 



Cause : Faulty conformation, slipping, falling through 

 a bridge or culvert ; large loosely built draft horses are 

 prone to this blemish. Bog Spavin is hereditary, and 

 you should, therefore, select a good type of animal for 

 breeding purposes. 



