42 TEEATMENT OF DISEASES " "" 



Treatment. — Keep the foot constantly wet with cold water; 

 excuse the animal from duty, and give him a chance to breathe pure 

 air ; have patience, and the horse will soon get well. 



Should the patient appear to suffer much pain, give him twenty 

 drops of tincture of aconite every four hours, until relief is obtained ; 

 and feed him on bran mashes, allowing, at the same time, a small 

 quantity of hay, in view of distending the stomach to a healthy 

 capacity. 



CORNS IN HORSES. «iVb Foot no Rorse:' 



A horse the subject of corns is expected to have defective feet, 

 hence the above quotation is " true as gospel," 



That peculiar disease occurring within the inner quarter of the 

 fore feet of horses, known as corn, is a very different affection from 

 that peculiar to the feet of man. In horses, corn is neither more nor 

 less than extravasation, which signifies escape of blood from it? 

 proper vessels into the surrouaiding tissues of the part. This extra- 

 vasation or escaped blood, finally coagulates, and creates a black 

 spot, known as the " corn-spot"; this is exposed on paring the sole 

 at its inner quarter. All blood which escapes in this way become? 

 as a foreign body, yet in some parts of the system, where the ab- 

 sorbent vessels are very numerous and active, the foreign deposit is 

 soon removed by the ordinary process of absorption ; but within the 

 dense tissues of a horse's foot this process is tardy, sometimes im- 

 possible, consequently, matter or pus is generated between the 

 sensitive and non-sensitive parts, and a passage must finally be cre- 

 ated for the liberation of the imprisoned matter ] for it cannot escape 

 through the dense structure composing the hoof itself; hence it bur- 

 rows and migrates in various directions from the sole, and lastly 

 creates an outlet at the inner and upper part of tne hoof, where the 

 matter escapes. 



Treatment of Corn. — The only chance of relieving the aniraa) 

 is to remove the shoe and apply one having a slight concavity at the 

 former seat of pressure; or if the animal has a prominent frog, the 

 bar-shoe can be attached; previous to doing so, however, the corn- 

 spot can be slightly pared, and whenever there appears to be any 

 pressure on the sole at the quarters, the shoe must be removed and 

 adapted as above. The theory, therefore, in the treatment of corn, 

 is to secure a vacancy between the heel and the shoe. 



If tho horse happens to be " dead lame," and tenderness and 

 swelling are observed at the upper part of the hoof, the part maj 

 then be punctured with a lancet; after squeezing out the imprisoned 

 matter, the part should be dressed, daily, with fir balsam. In some 

 cases of suppurated corn the matter must be liberated, by making 

 an opening through the sole of the inner quarter; this is also to be 

 dressed with fir balsam ; the shoe to remain off for a few days. 



