■160 



FOU 



FOU 



FOUNDERING, a very pain- 

 ful disease in the feet of horses. 

 A horse atfected with this disease 

 draws himself up in a heap, and 

 is loth to move. It is said to be 

 occasioned by bruises on the legs, 

 by bad shoeing, by standing in 

 cold water after being heated with 

 exercise; or even by standing still 

 in the stable for several days. As 

 the disorder is in the feet, covered 

 by the hoofs and soles, it is diffi- 

 cult to make application to the 

 parts affected. But drawing out 

 the sole Mr. Snape does not ap- 

 prove of, without paring the hoof. 

 Something must be done without 

 delay, lest imposthumations come 

 on in the feet, by which the hoofs 

 will be cast off: In which case, 

 the horse must lie by useless for a 

 number of weeks before the new 

 hoofs will be grown. The same 

 writer directs that the hoofs be 

 razed from the coronet or top to 

 the bottom, quite through the 

 hoofs to the quick, so as to make 

 the blood run. These channels 

 in the hoofs may be readily made 

 with a common marking iron. 



To cure the wounds made in 

 the hoofs, apply to them tar, tur- 

 pentine and honey, melted togeth- 

 er, with a fourth part of spirit of 

 wine,soaking pledgits of clean flax, 

 or tow, in this mixture, and laying 

 them upon the chinks, not opening 

 them till two days after the first 

 dressing; afterwards making fresh 

 applications every day, till the 

 channels in the hoofs are grown 

 up. 



The same applications must be 

 made to the sole, if that has been 

 drawn. But similar channels in 



that, as I apprehend, may answer 

 well enough, and paring the sole 

 thin. They must, however, have 

 the same dressings as the hoofs. 

 A piece of leather should be laid 

 over the sole, and the whole foot 

 so bound up with strong bandages, 

 that the applications mav not get 

 displaced. See Gibso7i''s Farriery. 

 " Mason's Farrier" gives the 

 following remedy for a founder : 

 " Take from his neck vein at least 

 one gallon of blood ; give a drench 

 of one quart strong sassafras tea, 

 one tea spoonful of salt petre, 

 and a quarter of an ounce of assa- 

 foetida, and do not permit him to 

 eat or drink for five or six hours — 

 at the expiration of which time 

 should he not be evidently better, 

 repeat the bleeding, taking half a 

 gallon of blood, and give another 

 drench : at night offer him some 

 bran or oats, scalded with sassafras 

 tea, and if it can be procured, let 

 him have green food fresh from 

 the field, for it has the happy effect 

 of opening the bowels, and cooling 

 the system : his feet should be 

 nicely cleaned out, and stuffed 

 with fresh cow manure : his drink 

 should be at least one half sassa- 

 fras tea, with a small handful of 

 salt thrown therein. 



"' By the morning should the 

 horse be better, nothing further is 

 necessary, only being careful not 

 to over-feed him. But should 

 there be no change for the better, 

 tie a small cord just above his 

 knees, and with a lancet or phleme, 

 bleed in a vein that runs round the 

 coronet just above the hoof: lake 

 from each leg a pint of blood : give 

 a pound of salts dissolved in three 



