DISEASES OF THE HORSE 39 



sible for the tear duct to carry it away ; hence, there will 

 be a continuous overflow of tears down the horse's face. 

 The formation of a film or scum over the eye need not 

 cause alarm if the eye shows no sign of puncture. 



Treatment: Examine the eye carefully and remove 

 any foreign body with clean cloth or feather and apply 

 the following : Yellow Oxide of Mercury, three grains ; 

 Lanolin, one ounce. Mix well together and apply to the 

 eye three or four times daily. Avoid the use of liquid 

 medicines, as they are hard to apply, and the animal 

 throws them out by shaking the head. 



FISTULOUS WITHERS 



Cause : Fistulous Withers are seen mostly in horses 

 that have a thick neck as well as those that are very 

 high in the withers, or among saddle horses, those that 

 are very low on the withers, the saddle here riding 

 forward and bruising the parts. They are often caused 

 by ill-fitting collars or saddles, by direct injury from 

 blows, and from the horse rolling upon rough, sharp 

 stones. In this location, the ulcer of the skin or a sim- 

 ple abscess, if not properly and punctually treated, may 

 terminate into Fistula. The pus burrows and finds 

 lodgment deep down between the muscles, and escapes 

 only when the sinuses become surcharged when, during 

 motion of the muscles, the pus is forced to the surface. 



Symptoms: These of course will vary according to 

 the progress made by the Fistula. Following an injury 

 we may often notice soreness or stiffness of the front 

 legs, and upon careful examination of the withers we 

 will see small tortuous lines running from the point of 

 irritation downwards and backwards over the region of 

 the shoulder. The stiffness of the limbs may disappear 

 at this time, and heat and soreness of the parts may be- 

 come less noticeable, but the swelling of the shoulders 

 continues to enlarge. The swelling may often have the 

 form of a running ulcer, or its contents may dry up and 



