DISEASES AND TREATMENT OF THE HORSE 321 



linseed meal and bran, half and half. Continue this treatment 

 until he is pretty well over the lameness ; then blister the foot 

 the same as in chronic founder and let him out to pasture. 

 If of long standing and necessary to use the horse, stand him 

 on a ground floor and pack his feet every night with cow 

 manure, blue clay or anything that has a tendency to soften 

 the foot. Shoe him with high heeled shoes, low in front. In 

 some cases neurotomy may be performed, an operation of 

 nerving the foot. This is done with the view of taking the 

 feeling away from the foot. This is done as follows : Throw 

 the animal and secure him ; then make a cut along the inside 

 and outside of the leg between the knee and fetlock (about 

 half way). Make the cut about two inches long lengthwise 

 in the groove between the shin bone and the back tendons. 

 In this groove is found the nerve, artery and vein which runs 

 down the leg. Cut about an inch out of the nerve so that it 

 will not unite together again. Do this on both sides of the 

 affected leg or legs ; then stitch the cut up, bandage the leg 

 and treat as a common wound. Bathe and apply the white 

 lotion twice a day. After this operation the horse gets up 

 and goes off as though there was nothing wrong, but it is 

 necessary to be careful in shoeing him. Examine the foot 

 every night, for if anything went wrong with it, it might even 

 rot off before the animal would show any lameness. This 

 operation at one time was performed to a great extent, but is 

 now losing in favor. In examining a horse if you think that 

 he has been nerved in this way, prick him with a pin around 

 the feet. If he has been operated on he will not feel anything, 

 but if he has not he will show signs of feeling in the ordinary 

 way. 



