THE PKACriCAL HORSESHOER. 115 



bearing of the shoe, from the nails being" drawn up too 

 tig'ht, from navicuhir disease, from lingbone affecting" the 

 second or third phahmx, and so on. 



Apart from any disease sufficient to cause lameness, con- 

 traction of the feet sometimes g-oes on to an extreme degree, 

 until, indeed, one heel ma}^ meet the other ; yet lameness is 

 not induced. Yet, if contraction takes place with rapidity, 

 as under the influence of a long- period of rainless weather 

 following" a wet spring", the compression of the soft parts by 

 the drying" and shrinking horn will cause inflammation and 

 lameness. Contraction caused in this way may be counter- 

 acted and corrected by measures calculated to soften and 

 expand the horn, followed by such as will retain its natural 

 moisture and give i)roper bearing on the shoe. To soften 

 the contracted foot, keep the unshod animal standing every 

 day for sixteen hours in a stream of water coming up to 

 the hair around the top of the hoof, or in a soft muck of 

 clay puddle, closing in around the foot to the same level. 

 In frosty weather a warm poultice, placed in a strong bag 

 drawn over the foot, is preferable, the more so that it can 

 be kept applied night and day. At the end of a fortnight 

 the foot will usually be found to have expanded to its nat- 

 ural dimensions. 



If there is much lameness, it will be desirable to apply a 

 blister on the front and sides of the pastern during the 

 period of poulticing. This may be repeated and the poultic- 

 ing continued, if lameness remains at the end of a fort- 

 night. As a blister, the following may be rubbed into the 

 skin on the front and sides of the pastern : Powdered can- 

 tharides, one-half drachm ; oil of lavender, ten drops ; olive 

 oil one ounce. It may be repeated the second day if heat 

 and tenderness have not been induced by the first apphca- 

 tion and also so soon as the effects of the first application 

 have passed off and the resulting scabs have dropped off. 



