88 CAUSES, SYMPTOMS AND TREATMENT OF 



more, the animal sweats freely, the blood vessels injured, etc. It is 

 generally advisable to destroy the animal. I generally make up my 

 mind from the amount of constitutional disturbance. The 



Treatment is to keep the animal quiet, and place in slings. It will 

 get well in from six to ten weeks. He will be down in the hip. 



The Posterior Iliac spine is also liable to fracture, and the treat- 

 ment is the same. 



Fracture of the Shaft of the Iliuiu is pretty common, and a simple 

 fracture of it usually occurs from slipping, but may occur from falling 

 or from severe muscular contraction. 



Symptoms. — If you are conversant with the parts it is easily diag- 

 nosed. There is difficulty in bringing the limb forward, but it is 

 astonishing how well they can walk, in some cases, but will not do so 

 unless compelled to. If in the winter, and you are told that an 

 animal slipped and became suddenly lame, you move the limb, and in 

 most cases you can detect crepitation, or you may examine per rectum, 

 and it may be a slight fracture, and the bones held in their places by 

 the periosteum. Your prognosis should be favourable if in a young 

 healthy animal ; but in an old animal reunion does not take place so 

 readily. Keep quiet and place in slings. Although he can stand 

 pretty well, slings assist him considerably. If the muscles are swollen, 

 use fomentations ; or, some use a plaster, to keep the parts in a fixed 

 position. Attend to the constitutional treatment. Give a slight laxa- 

 tive, if the bowels are costive, and an animal may be able to do fast 

 work. I knew one to pace in three minutes after such a fracture. 



Fracture of the Acetabulum. — This is a very serious lesion, and 

 sometimes there is a dislocation of the hip joint, in connection with 

 such a fracture. This fracture may be produced in the same way — 

 from slipping — more likely from slipping and coming in contact with 

 the ground. The animal cannot mark the limb at all in most cases. 

 There is severe constitutional disturbance, quick pulse and great pain. 

 It is advisable to examine ^^r rectum, and if you find it is fractured in 

 different places, it is advisable to destroy the animal. But there may 

 be exceptional cases, as in a brood mare or stallion ; but if it is a com- 

 plicated fracture, it is likely to set up inflammation, caries, exostosis, 

 etc. 



Fracture of the Pubes aud Ischium is common. It occurs in the 

 same way as slipping, or slipping and falling, but in three cases out 

 of four, just from slipping, and a very slight slip may produce it. The 

 symptoms are just about the same, but the hip does not descend quite 

 so far as in other cases. The horse can not get up, when he lies down, 

 without assistance, and in some cases you are able to detect crepitation. 

 You can locate by examination per rectum. It is likely to extend right 

 through the foramen ovale, but if it is just through the shaft, and 

 there is no displacement, recovery may take place. All you can do is 

 to keep the animal quiet. A spiculum of bone may puncture the 

 obturator artery, causing death by internal hemorrhage. In such 

 cases the animal sweats profusely, the pulse runs down, etc. 



Fracture of the Symphysis Pubes usually occurs from slipping, 

 and I think this is the only way it does occur. It is difficult to diag- 

 nose ; there is a difficulty in extending both limbs, but perhaps more 

 in one than the other. He endeavours to keep the limbs out. There 

 is generally no crepitation. If an animal acts in this way, and you 

 know it has slipped, examine /^-y rectum. Press gently upon the blad- 

 der until it is emptied of its contents, and you can feel it. Keep the 

 animal quiet, and a bandage around the limbs to keep them together. 

 It may do good. 



