S38 THE PRACTICE OF VETERINARY MEDICINE. 



the pointing of the foot and general action of the animal, 

 are symptoms highly suggestive to the practised eye. 



Treatment. — Navicular disease when well marked is in- 

 curable, hence treatment is adopted only with the view of 

 palliating the disease, or alleviating the suffering of the 

 animal. The shoes should be removed, the toe shortened, 

 and the lower border of the wall rasped down. In some 

 cases the sole may be thinned, and in all cases the foot 

 should be brought into as good shape as possible. Occa- 

 sionally bleeding from the artery of the toe will be found 

 to be of considerable benefit. Fomentations are very 

 useful, and the foot should be kept in a warm-water bath 

 for hours at a time, and on removing it from the bath a 

 poultice should be immediately applied, and allowed to 

 remain until it is desired that another bath be given ; by 

 these means growth of horn will be promoted, and ex- 

 cessive pain and irritation allayed, after which counter- 

 irritation judiciously applied to the head of the hoof will be 

 highly beneficial. One good strong vesicant will be found 

 more efficacious thaii several mild ones. Sometimes very 

 great benefit accrues from the introduction of a frog seton, 

 and it is even claimed that a mild case may be cured by it. 

 When properly inserted it is unquestionably of much 

 benefit in nearly all cases. To introduce it, the frog should 

 be cut down nearly to the quick, after which the foot should 

 be poulticed, or kept in a warm-water bath for several days ; 

 by these means irritation will be allayed, and the foot 

 rendered soft, so that little resistance will be offered 

 by the tissues to the passage of the seton-needle. Where 

 it is practicable it is better to pass the needle from above 

 downward. This can always be done when the operator 

 is right-handed, and is operating on the right foot of 

 the animal. The needle should be inserted at the hollow 

 of the heel, and brought out about one inch posterior to 



