WOUNDS AND THEIR TREATMENT 59 



a tablespoonful of sulphate of zinc to the antiseptic 

 solution and apply twice daily. 



Nail Punctures. — These very frequently cause 

 trouble. You have no way of observing the w^ound 

 and your only way of judging is from the way the 

 animal walks or acts, and if the hoof is unduly 

 hot. Locating lameness in the stifle joint is a com- 

 mon but inexcusable error, as the action resulting 

 from lameness in the two parts is entirely different. 

 The so-called gravel which is said to enter the sole 

 of the foot and then to work out at the heel is 

 usually the working out of the pus or the matter 

 resulting from a nail puncture or a bruise. 



If an animal becomes suddenly and severely lame 

 and there be no evidence of any injury to any other 

 part of the leg, such as sw^elling, heat and pain 

 upon pressure, it is always well to look for punc- 

 ture in the foot. If the animal stands with the 

 lame foot extended and when walking places the 

 lame foot well forward and brings the well foot up 

 to it, the evidence of puncture is still stronger. 



To examine the foot properly the shoe should be 

 removed. It is not sufficient to merely scrape the 

 bottom of the foot clean, for if the nail has pulled 

 out and the horn sprung back in position, all trace 

 of its entrance may have been obliterated. To ex- 

 amine the foot properly, tap the hoof with a ham- 

 mer or knife and the exact spot may be definitely 

 located. If the injury is of a few days' standing, 

 additional heat in the hoof and, perhaps, slight 

 swelling of the coronet may also be present. 



In treating such wounds, pare away only such 

 parts of the hoof as necessity requires and intro- 

 duce a bit of cotton cloth rolled as a string by 

 means of a probe of some kind. Both probe and 

 cotton must be treated with the antiseptic solution. 



