HORSE— CARE AND MANAGEMENT. 



n<> 



a nail or nails have been driven too near 

 to the quick, unless there is evidence of 

 laminitis from other causes. On tapping 

 the crust with a hammer*, the horse will 

 flinch at some particular spot, and there 

 is the nail which is in fault. Sometimes 

 there is little inflammation as yet set up, 

 but the pressure of the nail is sufficient to 

 cause lameness, and in either case the 

 shoe should be taken off. Then, if there 

 is reason to suppose that matter has 

 formed, the opening from which the nail 

 came out should be enlarged, and the mat- 

 ter allowed to escape. If, however, the 

 foot has been merely "bound," it may be 

 either left to nature, with a shoe lightly 

 tacked on, and a wet "swab" round the 

 coronet, or it may be placed in a bran 

 poultice, which is the safest plan. 



When a nail is picked up on the road 

 the prognosis will depend upon the part 

 which it has penetrated. If it has en- 

 tered deeply into the toe of the frog, the 

 probability is that the navicular joint has 

 been wounded, dr probably the tendon of 

 the flexor at its insertion into the pedal 

 bone, either of which are very serious ac- 

 cidents. If the wound is further back 

 there is less risk of permanent injury, as 

 the bulbous heels or cushion of the frog 

 will bear a considerable amount of injury 

 without permanent mischief. In any case 

 the treatment should consist in cutting 

 away the horn round the opening, so as 

 to allow of a free escape of matter if it 

 forms. At the same time inflammation 

 should be kept under by cold "swabs" to 

 the coronet, or by putting the whole foot 

 into a bran poultice. 



Over-reaches, when slight, may be 

 treated by the application of Friar's bal- 

 sam, or tincture of arnica in full strength, 

 which will have a tendency to dry them 

 up and prevent suppuration. If, howev- 

 er, the heel is very much bruised, a poul- 

 tice must be applied, but even then a lit- 

 tle tincture of arnica should be sprinkled 

 on it. When the bruise is so severe that 

 a slough or core comes away the wound 

 may be dressed with a piece of lint, 

 dipped in a solution of nitrate of silver, 

 eight grains to the ounce of distilled 

 water, and over this a bran poultice. In 

 most cases, however, it is better to fo- 

 ment the part well and then apply the 

 tincture of arnica neat. 



A bruise on the thin sole will some- 



times cause matter to form, in which case 

 the horn must be cut away and the case- 

 treated as foi quittor. (See Horse, Quit- 

 tor.) Before matter forms the horn 

 should be reduced, and the foot placed in 

 a cold bran poultice. 



HORSE, Snow Balling, to prevent. — 

 Clean their hoofs well, then rub thorough- 

 ly with thick soap suds before going out 

 in the snow. 



HORSE, Interfering. — To prevent in- 

 teifering in a horse who is turned out in the 

 front feet, the shoe should be applied to 

 fit closely on the inside, and the nails ap- 

 plied round the toe and to the outside. 

 In some instances a small piece of leather 

 placed betwixt the sole and the shoe, and 

 allowed to project outwards, has a very 

 good effect in preventing interfering. 



HORSE, Knee-Fan Displaced. — Feed 

 the horse well on oats, barley and sound 

 hay ; give him a drachm of powdered 

 phosphate of iron daily in his food; keep- 

 in a stall with a perfectly smooth and 

 level floor, and not less than 5^ or 6 feet 

 wide ; apply a shoe with a bar welded ta 

 the toe, projecting two or three inches,, 

 and then let it be turned up; rub the 

 joint with an ointment made of one 

 drachm of powdered cantharides to one- 

 half ounce of lard, repeating the ap- 

 plication the next day if it has not blis- 

 tered. When a blister rises wash it off 

 with soap and warm water, and then, 

 anoint the part daily with lard, until the 

 scab and other effects have passed off r 

 when another blister may be applied. 



HORSE, Feet, Scaling in Summer. — To* 

 prevent horses' feet from scaling or crack- 

 ing in summer, and enable the shoes to be' 

 carried a longer time without injury, the 

 French practice is to coat the hoofs once 

 a week with an ointment composed of 

 equal proportions of soft fat, yellow wax, 

 linseed oil, Venice turpentine and Nor- 

 way tar ; the wax is melted separately be- 

 fore mixing. 



HORSE, Fevers. — The horse is very 

 rarely subject to fever as a disease of it- 

 self, independently of inflammation, un- 

 der which head we have already described 

 catarrhal fever, both of the simple kind 

 and when epidemic, and known as influ- 

 enza. Indeed, all the important inflam- 

 mations of the body are attended with 

 fever; but in them the local affections are- 

 evidently more serious than the general 



