CUTTING AND BRUSHING. 1039 



Dollar, called in consultation, saw a similar case in an aged grey hunter. 

 The horse had been stabbed in the heel with a stable-fork ; the wound 

 closed, but lameness persisted. About the fourth day, swelling of the 

 tendon sheath set in, lameness became acute, and a little offensive blood- 

 stained pus escaped from the wound. The animal could not stand on 

 the limb, and showed frequent lancinating pain. Dollar opened the sheath 

 for a distance of about one inch, and prescribed continued hot antiseptic 

 baths. The limb was immersed in a long rubber bath extending from 

 the foot to the middle of the cannon bone, and the fluid was changed every 

 two hours. Relief was prompt. In four days the baths were discontinued, 

 as the skin was becoming macerated. A week later the wound had closed. 

 Lameness gradually decreased ; after blistering and three months' rest, 

 the animal again carried his owner for an entire hunting season. 



III. — INJURIES PRODUCED BY STRIKING (INTERFERING) AND 

 THEIR COMPLICATIONS. 



Striking or interfering is the term used to describe the injury 

 inflicted by the horse's foot on the opposite leg during work. It 

 occurs oftenest in the hind limbs, especially when the animal is 

 trotted— the inner surface of the fetlock -joint is usually struck by 

 the hoof of the opposite side ; less frequently the coronet is the seat 

 of injury. In the fore limbs, striking sometimes affects the carpus 

 in horses with high action, and the metacarpus in those of defective 

 conformation. 



The nature of the injury produced depends partly on the tissues 

 affected, partly on the time during which the effects continue. Thus 

 in some cases the skin is simply bruised, in others the plantar nerves 

 are involved ; extravasation of blood or an abscess may occur on 

 the inner surface of the fetlock-joint, or periostitis of the cannon bone 

 may be produced. Violent and repeated injuries cause abrasion 

 and necrosis of the skin or chronic bony enlargements on the inner 

 surface of the fetlock -joint. Occasionally, fibrous enlargements, 

 due to chronic striking, and showing marks of injury at their most 

 prominent point, form on the inner surface of the coronet or pastern. 



Interfering is serious, because the horse can never be depended on ; 

 riding-horses may stumble in consequence of bruising the inner plantar 

 nerve, which lies on the fetlock -joint and is easily injured. But 

 such injuries are also interesting to the surgeon, because they some- 

 times form the origin of disease processes of a grave character. The 

 most frequent of these is septic cellulitis, which either extends in 

 the subcutis, or to the aponeurosis and, taking a chronic course, 

 continually suppurates. In other cases infection may invade the 

 tendon sheath or the fetlock -joint, and produce incurable compli- 

 cations. Sometimes necrosis and chronic inflammation of the skin 



