THE ak:\[y horse. 99 



Treatment. — The foot must be pared perfectly level and a 

 blister applied to the enlargement and repeated in two weeks if 

 necessary. Perfect rest and quietude for four to six weeks are 

 essential, or no beneficial results can be expected. 



If the rest and blisters fail to remove the lameness firing ma}^ 

 sometimes be resorted to. Puncture firing in two or three rows 

 is often very effective. After firing the seat of the injury 

 should be blistered with biniodide of mercury, 1 to 5. and the 

 animal kept quiet in a single stall for at least one month. 



BONE SPAVIN. 

 (Plato XVni, Fig. 3.) 



Bone spavin is a disease involving the bones in the hock joint 

 and is usually manifested in a bony enlargement, situated at 

 the inner and lower part of the tarsus. 



Causes. — Weakness, faulty conformation, severe strains, hard 

 and rapid work, etc. 



Si/)nptoms. — The appearance of this disease is usually ac- 

 companied by lameness, which in the early stages of the disease 

 is noticed only when the animal is first moved after a rest, and 

 then the toe is generally placed upon the ground first. ^Vlien 

 standing, the animal often rests the diseased leg on the toe. 



The '' spavin test " is sometimes useful in diagnosing spavin 

 lameness. It consists in keeping the hock joint flexed for one 

 or two minutes and then trotting the horse. If a spavin exists 

 lameness is very marked. 



Treatment. — The treatment of bone spavin is the same as that 

 prescribed for ringbone. 



SPLINTS. 

 (Plate XVIII, Fig. 4.) 



Splints are bony enlargements, usually situated between the 

 inner splint bone and the cannon bone, at their upper third. 

 They occasionally occur on the outside of the hind leg. 



Causes. — Faulty action or unequal distribution of pressure in 

 the knee ma}' throw an excessive load on the inner small meta- 

 carpal and cause rupture of the tissue affixing the small to the 

 large metacarpal. The irritation produces growth of bone. 



Symptoms. — Soreness may or may not be present ; when the 

 splint is painful the horse is lame. 



Treatment. — If there is lameness give the animal ab-olute 

 rest and apply a blister composed as follows: Biniodide of 



