FEET OF THE HORSE AND THEIR DISEASES. 



297 



be hot for each one, and with a little mustard in it. Bathe the legs with 

 it as high as the knees and hocks. Leave them in as long as the water 

 remains hot ; then take them out and put each foot into a linseed poultice, 

 hot and soft, and bandage the legs with flannel. Repeat this morning 

 and night for two or three weeks, or until the soreness is nearly all gone 

 from the feet. Then stand him in a clay puddle, daytimes, and take him 

 out of nights, and continue this as long as there is any stiffness. It will 

 need to be continued, in most cases, for a month or more. Leave the shoes 

 off till he is ready to work again . As soon as the feet are well put into 

 poultices, begin on the following mixture : 



No 4. 1 Ounce sweet spirits of aiti'e, 



1 Dractim tr. aconite root, 

 1 Ounce potash nitrate, 

 %, Pint water, 

 Mix. 



Give a tablespoonf ul every two hours, until the fever abates and the 

 patient becomes comfortable ; then drop off to three times a day. Con- 

 tinue this for about a week, or in a very bad case, ten days. Feed lightl}' 

 on warmmashes, scalded oats, grass, &c. 



VII. Chronic Pounder or Laminitis 



How to know it. — ^The chronic form is a modification of the acute. 

 In bad cases you will notice the difiicult backing ; lameness ; pointing of 

 the feet, first one and then the other ; the horse goes with a short, 

 shambling gait, as though the legs were all stiff, and the shoulders are 



ACUTE LAMINITIS (Foundered), 

 (Feet close together). 



thrown forward, giving the chest the appearance of being drawn in. 

 Hence the mistake some make, in supposing the horse to be chest-foun- 

 dered. There is no such thing, it is always in the feet. 



