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THE VETERINARY SCIENCE 



soon as this slips out the joint is locked and the animal can- 

 not move it. 



Causes. — It generally occurs in young colts or young 

 horses that are worked hard and become thin. It usually 



Fig. 63. — Position of the Leg During Dislocation of the Patella or Stifle. 



follows slipping off the end of a plank, or slipping while in 

 the act of getting up. 



Symptoms. — The horse acts as if its foot were nailed to 

 the floor. It cannot move it forward or back. Feel around 

 the joint; it is drawn and hard, and you see that the joint 

 bone is out too far. When left out for a long time the joint 

 becomes swollen. 



Treatment. — It is quite simply treated in the majority of 

 cases. Have an assistant hold the animal's head and another 

 pull the affected leg well forward (see Fig. 54). Then place 

 the hands against the outside of the joint, pushing inward 

 and forward as strongly as possible to force the bone into its 

 natural position. This is not an easy matter sometimes, as 



