318 THE PRACTICE OF VETERINARY MEDICINE. 



becoming filled with mud or some other substance, is more 

 or less effectually hidden, and its presence can only be 

 made manifest by the most thorough examination. The 

 practitioner should examine more particularly in and by 

 the frog, and anything looking like a bruise or an opening 

 should be explored. Pressure of the fingers, or tapping 

 lightly with a hammer over the suspected part, may elicit 

 some expression of pain from the animal. If the wound 

 occurs in the hind-foot, the animal when walking extends 

 the foot well, and perhaps more than usual, elevating 

 the heel at the same time in an endeavour to relieve it of 

 all weight. ^Yhen standing he rests upon the toe. There 

 is also more or less knuckling of the fetlock-joint. There 

 may be considerable fever, and the irritation may extend 

 upward, in some cases to the stifle-joint, and cause an 

 immense amount of swelling, accompanied by great pain, 

 loss of appetite, and more or less constitutional dis- 

 turbance, as elevation of pulse, well-marked fever, etc. 



TreatineiiL — Having searched for and found the offending 

 agent in the foot, it should be removed without delay. No 

 more of the horn should be cut away than it is absolutely 

 necessary to remove, as bad results sometimes follow too 

 much paring. There should be applied a pledget of tow, 

 saturated with tar, tr. benzoin, etc., to the wound in such a 

 manner as to completely close it, and prevent the entrance 

 of air, dirt, etc. The animal should be kept standing per- 

 fectly quiet until all danger is past. Sometimes when an 

 animal is put to work too soon, say in a couple of days 

 after the reception of the injury, suppuration takes place, 

 and lameness more or less severe results in consequence, 

 which would not have been the case if the animal had been 

 kept quiet. When suppuration occurs, the knife should be 

 used to cut down and allow the free evacuation of the pus. 

 If this is not done, and at the proper time, the pus will 



