•62 



HORSE— DISEASES AND REMEDIES. 



the bursa mucosa lying between the tendo 

 Achillis and the tendo perforatus. In 

 the first of these cases, it often co-exists 

 with bog-spavin, and synovia may be 

 made to fluctuate from one bag to the 

 other, the only line of demarcation being 

 the astragalo-calcanean ligament. 



Both bog-spavin and thoroughpin may 

 exist, or either separately, without occa- 

 sioning lameness; but where they are 

 just established, there is generally some 

 small degree of active inflammation, which 

 causes a slight lameness on first going out 

 of the stable, but soon disappearing. 



The treatment should be by pressure, 

 kept up for a long time, by means of a 

 carefully-adjusted truss, alternated with 

 cold affusion, and the use afterwards of 

 tincture of arnica, diluted with water, as 

 a wash. Subcutaneous scarification has 

 succeeded in some few cases in causing 

 the secretion to cease ; but it has so often 

 produced extensive inflammation of the 

 joint that the operation is by no means 

 to be recommended. Blistering with bin- 

 iodide of mercury has also occasionally 

 answered ; but no plan is so successful, 

 on the whole, as pressure, alternating 

 with cold affusion. 



Delicate young foals are subject to 

 rheumatic inflammation of their synovial 

 membranes, specially displayed in the 

 knees and hocks, and apparently caused 

 by exposure to cold. It seldom goes on 

 to produce disorganization of the cartil- 

 ages, but the capsular ligaments are dis- 

 tended with thin yellow synovia, causing 

 considerable stiffness. The cellular tissue 

 around the joints also becomes cedema- 

 tous, and the legs fill all the way down to 

 the feet. It is comonly known among 

 breeders as the "joint evil," and though 

 in itself it is not dangerous, yet it marks 

 the existence of constitutional weakness 

 which is likely to occasion some more fa- 

 tal malady. The treatment should con- 

 sist in attending to the general health by 

 strengthening the mare, which is best 

 done by giving her a drachm of the sul- 

 phate of iron in her corn twice a day. 

 The joints of the foal should be rubbed 

 with equal parts of soap liniment and 

 spirits of turpentine, and it should be 

 assisted to stand for the purpose of suck- 

 ing at regular short intervals if it is una- 

 ble to help itselt. In aggravated cases, 

 however, the foal is not likely to recover 



its general strength, and it may be 'xitter 

 to destroy it, but so long as it can stand 

 and feeds well hopes may be entertained 

 of the ioints recovering. 



HORSE, SHEATHS, Inflamed Tendi- 

 nous. — Every practical horseman is 

 aware that the sheaths in which the back 

 sinews and other tendons are lodged are 

 liable to inflammation and thickening, 

 without the tendon itself being involved. 

 By passing the hand down the leg, an ir- 

 regular network may be felt surrounding 

 the tendons, which move up and down 

 without disturbing it ; and the surround- 

 ing cellular membrane is also thickened, 

 and becomes hard and unyielding. There 

 may be considerable heat about the part, 

 but often it is quite cool ; and the disease 

 may continue for months without any 

 great lameness, and with nothing to draw 

 attention to it (excepting a slight stiffness 

 on leaving the stable) but the sensation 

 communicated to the hand. At length, 

 an unusually severe day's work sets up 

 active inflammation, the leg rapidly fills, 

 and there is so much lameness as to 

 cause the horse to be thrown by. The 

 treatment, in the early stage, should be 

 the use of bandages, constantly kept wet 

 with arnica and water, and nothing but 

 walking exercise. After the thickening is 

 fully established no remedy short of blis- 

 tering, or a charge, will be of the slight- 

 est avail, with a rest of two or three 

 months. 



HORSE, MUCOSiE, Inflamed Bursa. 

 — These synovial bags are liable to in- 

 flammation, either from hard work, as in 

 windgalls and thoroughpin, or from blows, 

 as in capped hock and elbow. The lat- 

 ter are said by some veterinaries to be sa- 

 rous abscesses ; but there is no doubt that 

 in all horses a subcutaneous bursa exists 

 on the cap of the elbow and hock ; and 

 these become inflamed and filled with a 

 very thin synovia, when they are bruised. 

 They never extend beyond a certain size, 

 and have no tendency to burst ; nor are 

 they inclined to a healthy termination of 

 their own accord, but go in the same con- 

 dition from year to year. 



Windgalls, or puffs, are the most usual 

 forms of these enlargements, and may be 

 observed in the legs (hind as well as fore) 

 of nearly every hard-worked horse, after 

 a time. Great care in the management 

 of the legs by bandaging will sometimes 



