290 THE VETERINARY SCIENCE. 



FRACTURES Or THE RIBS. 



This is always the result of a kick or a blow of some kind. 

 In a severe case the animal cannot raise to its feet ; there will be 

 a dinge in the side, and on shoving" it in and out you can hear the 

 bones grating on each other, lx^ slight cases the animal will be 

 able to get up all right, but will be stiff and sore. In most of 

 these cases the animal will cough a little, and breathe short and 

 quick. 



Treatment. — All that is needed is quietness, good care and 

 food. If the animal is not able to raise turn it over from side 

 to side twice a day. If the rib is broken so bad that it penetrates 

 the lung and sets up inflammation there is no hope of recovery. 



FRACTURE OF THE SHOULDER BLADE OR SHOULDER BONE. 



Fracture of these bones is indicated by the extreme lameness 

 and pain it causes the animal, and on moving the leg you can 

 hear the bones grating on each other. In a case of this kind it is 

 best to destroy the animal, but if the fracture is not so severe, and 

 it is a young animal, keep it very quiet and feed well, and it will 

 come all right in the couse of time. The less you bother with it 

 the better. 



FRACTURES OF THE BONES BELOW THE KNEE. 



There is crookedness of the leg, lameness and extreme pain, 

 and when you move the leg you can hear the bones grating on 

 each other. 



Treatment — Get the animal in a quiet place, set the leg in 

 shape, and have some one to hold it while you bandage it with a 

 starched bandage, which is a long strip of cotton dipped in starch 

 used for starching clothes. On drawing the bandage out of the 

 starch draw it between your fingers to clean out as much of the 

 starch as you can, then wrap it moderately tight around the leg, 

 put lots of the bandage on, and have some one to hold the 

 leg and bandage straight for an hour or so until the starch 

 hardens the bandage. After that the bandage will hold the leg to 

 its place. Leave it on four or five weeks until the bones are 

 healed. Keep the animal quiet until the bones are well knit 

 together. If the leg should swell with this bandage take it off 

 and put it on looser. 



Fractures above the knee are sometimes treated by this 

 method, but not nearly so successfully. 



