DISEASES OF HORSES 275 



to result from the use of calks are less serious than those which are 

 sure to happen for the want of them. 



For a sound foot perfectly formed, a flat shoe, with heels less 

 thick than the toe, and which rests evenly on the wall proper, is the 

 best. In flat feet it is often necessary to concave the shoe as much 

 as possible on the upper surface, so that the sole may not be pressed 

 upon. If the heels are very low the heels of the shoe may be made 

 thicker. If the foot is very broad and the wall light toward the heels, 

 a bar shoe resting upon the frog will aid to prevent excessive tension 

 upon the soft tissues when the foot receives the weight of the body. 

 A piece of leather placed between the foot and shoe serves largely 

 to destroy concussion, and its use is absolutely necessary on some 

 animals to enable them to w r ork. 



Last among the preventive measures may be mentioned those 

 which serve to maintain the suppleness of the hoof. The dead horn 

 upon the surface of the sole not only retains moisture for a long 

 time, but protects the living horn beneath from the effects of evapo- 

 ration ; for this reason the sole should be pared as little as possible. 

 Stuffing the feet with flaxseed meal, wet clay, or other like sub- 

 stances, or damp dirt floors or damp bedding of tanbark, greasy hoof 

 ointments, etc., are all means which may be used to keep the feet 

 from becoming too dry and hard. 



As to the curative measures which are to be adopted much will 

 depend upon the extent of the injury. If the case is one of chronic 

 dry corn, with but slight lameness, the foot should be poulticed for 

 a day or two and the discolored horn pared out, care being taken 

 not to injure the soft tissues. The heel on the affected side is to be 

 lowered until all pressure is removed and, if the patient's labor is re- 

 quired, the foot must be shod with a bar shoe or with one having 

 stiff heels. Care must be taken to reset the shoe before the foot has 

 grown too long, else the shoe will no longer rest on the wall, but on 

 the sole and bar. 



Moist corns may be cut out. If there is inflammation present, 

 cold baths and poultices should be used ; when the horn is well soft- 

 ened and the fever allayed, pare out all of the diseased horn, lightly 

 cauterize the soft tissues beneath and poultice the foot for two or 

 three days. When the granulations look red, dress the wound with 

 oakum balls saturated in a weak solution of tincture of aloes or 

 spirits of camphor and apply a roller bandage. Change the dressing 

 every two or three days until a firm, healthy layer of new horn cov- 

 ers the wound, when the shoe may be put on, as in dry corn, and the 

 patient returned to work. 



In suppurative corns the loosened horn must be removed, so 

 that the pus may freely escape. If the pus has worked a passage to 

 the coronary band and escapes from an opening between the band 

 and hoof, an opening must be made on the sole, and cold baths made 

 astringent with a little sulphate of iron or copper are to be used for 

 a day or two. When the discharge becomes healthy, the fistulous 

 tracts may be injected daily with a weak solution of bichloride of 

 mercury, nitrate of silver, etc., and the foot dressed as after opera- 



