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sign of health. With a sprain of the loins pressure of any kind is 

 painful, and will cause the animal to bend or to crouch under it more 

 or less, according to the weight of the pressure. Heavy loads, and 

 even heavy harnessing, will develop this tenderness. In lying down 

 he seems to suffer much discomfort, and often accompanies the act 

 with groaning, and when compelled to rise does so only with great 

 difficulty and seldom succeeds without repeated efforts. 



Sprains of muscles proper, when recent, will always be accom- 

 panied by this series of symptoms, and the fact of their exhibition, 

 with an excessive sensibility of the parts, and possibly with a degree 

 of swelling, will always justify a diagnosis of acute muscular lesion ; 

 and especially so if accompanied by a history of violent efforts, 

 powerful muscular strains, falls, heavy loading, etc., connected with 

 the case. But if the symptoms have been of slow development and 

 gradual increase, it becomes a more difficult task to determine 

 whether the diagnosis points to pathological changes in the structure 

 of the muscles or of the bones, the nervous centers, or the blood ves- 

 sels of the region. And yet it is important to decide as to which 

 particular structure is affected in reference to the question of prog- 

 nosis, since the degree of the gravity of the lesion will depend largely 

 upon whether the disabled condition of the animal is due to an acute 

 or a chronic disease. 



Treatment. The prescription which will necessarily first of all 

 suggest itself for sprains of the loins is rest. An animal so affected 

 should be immediately placed in slings and none of his efforts to 

 release himself should be allowed to succeed. Hot compresses, cold 

 water douches, sweating application, stimulating frictions, strength- 

 ening charges, blistering ointments of cantharides and the actual cau- 

 tery, all have their advocates; but in no case can the immobility 

 obtained by the slings be dispensed with. In many cases electricity 

 has also yielded good results, where the weakness of the hind quarters 

 was caused by disease of the nervous centers. 



FAULTS OF CONFORMATION. 



A large percentage of horses have feet which are not perfect in 

 conformation, and as a consequence of these imperfections they are 

 especially predisposed to certain injuries and diseases. 



Flatfoot is that condition in which the sole has little or no con- 

 vexity. It is a peculiarity common to some breeds, especially heavy, 

 lymphatic animals raised on low, marshy soils. It is confined to the 

 forefeet, which are generally broad, low heeled, and with a wall less 

 upright than is seen in the perfect foot. 



In flatfoot there can be little or no elasticity in the sole, for the 

 reason that it has no arch, and the weight of the animal is received 

 on the entire plantar surface, as it rests upon the ground instead of on 

 the wall. For these reasons such feet are particularly liable to bruises 

 of the sole, corns, pumiced sole, and excessive suppuration when the 

 process is once established. Horses with flatfoot should be shod with 

 a shoe having a wide web, pressing on the wall only, while the heels 

 and frog are never to be pared. Flatfoot generally has weak walls, 



