794 CAPPED ELBOW IN THE HORSE. 



inflammation may be followed by incurable lameness. When the 

 joint is not infected, careful antiseptic treatment of the wound and 

 its surroundings often results in recovery. When the joint is 

 suppurating there is little hope of any treatment being successful. 



Treatment is chiefly of a prophylactic character, and follows 

 general principles, including careful antisepsis of any wound in the 

 region of the elbow-joint. In open arthritis the horse should be 

 placed in slings, and continuous irrigation applied to the elbow. 

 If the wound is small sutures covered with an adhesive or a synovial 

 styptic (sublimate in fine powder), may be tried to prevent further 

 escape of synovia. When the wound has closed a blister may be 

 applied. In suppurating cases antiseptic injections sometimes succeed 

 in effecting recovery, otherwise little can be done. In dogs, wounds 

 of the elbow-joint are always amenable to treatment ; antiseptics, 

 adhesives and bandages can be successfully employed, and recovery 

 is the rule. 



V.— CAPPED ELBOW IN THE HORSE. 



The structure corresponding to the bursa olecrani of man is 

 found in the horse and dog at the posterior surface of the elbow-joint, 

 and though not constant, generally forms below the skin a bursa 

 mucosa as large as a walnut or small apple. Injury caused by the 

 heel of the shoe may result in local infection and produce a swelling, 

 commonly termed " capped elbow." 



Pathological anatomy. Bruising leads to acute inflammation 

 of the bursa ; sometimes bleeding takes place into the bursal cavity ; 

 sometimes bursitis sero-fibrinosa vel haemorrhagica occurs. If pus 

 cocci enter suppurative bursitis results. The connective tissue 

 around the joint also suffers (parabursitis), and in some cases this 

 condition constitutes the main cause of the swelling. At first, 

 cedema of the connective tissues sets in, but later gives place to plastic 

 infiltration, and finally to extensive formation of fresh connective 

 tissue which becomes indurated. The disease, therefore, consists of 

 a bursitis and parabursitis olecrani, the swelling being chiefly caused 

 by the latter. 



Symptoms. The clinical symptoms differ somewhat according 

 to the pathological changes and the age of the enlargement. The 

 onlv constant feature is the swelling, which is more or less sharply 

 differentiated from its surroundings. When recent, it feels abnormally 

 warm, is doughy and slightly painful. It afterwards becomes harder, 

 depending on the degree of plastic infiltration and induration of 

 parabursal tissue. Frequently distension of the bursa is a prominent 



