DISEASES AND TEEATMENT OF THE HORSE. 233 



pounding action are more often affected with this disease; allow- 

 ing- the toes to g-row too long and cutting down the heels when 

 shoeing them will cause it. 



Symptoms.— There is usually more or less lameness ; in some 

 cases it comes on sudden and severe, while in others it gradually 

 comes on for weeks, and sometimes for months, before it is much 

 noticed. While standing the horse will point the feet out, and in 

 some cases this is the first symptom that will be noticed. If both 

 feet are affected the horse suffers pain and while standing will 

 first throw the weight on one foot and then on the other. In 

 travelling he has what is known as a groggy action. Another 

 well marked symptom is a wasting of the muscles of the chest. 

 On examining the feet the heels will be found to be contracted 

 and hard, and by raising the foot up and pressing with your 

 thumb on the back part of the heel the horse will flinch. If you 

 notice the shoe the horse has been wearing it will be found to be 

 w^orn most at the toe. 



Treatment. — If it is a bad case of long standing it is incurable, 

 but if taken in time, by resting the horse and by bathing the feet 

 twice a day for an hour or two at a time (if in the winter bathe 

 with warm water, if in summer use cold water). After bathing 

 apply white liniment around the top of the hoof and every night 

 poultice the foot with hot linseed meal and bran, half and half. 

 Continue this treatment until he is pretty well over the lameness, 

 then blister the foot same as in chronic founder and let him out to 

 pasture. If it is of long standing and you want to use the horse, 

 have him stand on a ground floor and pack his feet every night 

 with cow manure or blue clay or anything that has a tendency to 

 soften the foot. Shoe him with high heeled shoes and have it low 

 in front. In some cases neurotomy is performed, that is, where 

 the operation of nerving the foot is performed, this is done with a 

 view of taking the feeling away from the foot. ' The way this is 

 performed is by throwing the animal and securing him, then make 

 a cut along the inside and the outside of the leg between the knee 

 and fetlock about half ways, make the cut about two inches long 

 lengthwise in the groove between the shin bone and the back 

 tendons, in this groove you will find the nerve, artery and vein 

 which runs down the leg, then cut about an inch out of the nerve 

 so it will not unite together again, do this on both sides of the 

 affected leg or legs, then stitch the cut up, bandage the leg and 



