1040 DISEASES OF THE LIMBS. 



result. Wilhelm describes a case in which striking was followed 

 by severe cellulitis, necrosis of the skin, and, in consequence of 

 metastasis, by pneumonia, inflammation of the shoulder- joint and 

 subacute meningitis. The animal recovered, but very slowly. 



Causes. Want of " condition," faulty conformation, and large 

 size and flatness of the hoofs are the principal causes of striking. 

 The animal may stand with the limbs too close together, or may 

 turn the toes outwards. Both these peculiarities are accompanied 

 by faulty action, which predisposes to the injury mentioned. 

 Striking is also favoured by travelling on rough ground, and by 

 debility, fatigue and exhaustion. Young horses often brush or 

 strike while being broken in, or if, when driven, they are reined-up 

 too short, especially before they become accustomed to work on 

 paved streets. A very frequent cause of striking is, however, the 

 mode of shoeing, the principal fault consisting in irregular paring 

 of the hoof. If the inner wall be lowered and the outer left too deep, 

 the fetlock -joint is thrust towards the middle line of the body when 

 weight is thrown on the limb, and may be injured by the opposite foot. 

 Many farriers still favour the idea that striking is prevented by lowering 

 the inner wall, and thus perpetuate one of the most frequent causes 

 of striking. Bad fitting, allowing the inner edge of the shoe to project 

 beyond the wall of the foot, or leaving the clenches too long, may also 

 produce the same result ; but, in comparison with unskilful paring of 

 the hoof, these only play a subordinate part. 



Symptoms. The cause of these injuries is indicated by their 

 position on the fetlock -joint, coronet, metacarpus, or knee. Some- 

 times the hair is only roughened or rubbed off, sometimes the skin is 

 abraded, its surface being covered with blood or discharge, but more 

 often there is a wound penetrating the cutis. Provided injury be 

 confined to the surface of the skin, there is little or no pain, swelling, 

 or lameness, and animals continue at work. Wounds due to brushing, 

 when not infected, generally heal rapidly, unless the injury is repeated. 



But immediately infection extends to the subcutis, a circum- 

 scribed swelling develops, which is followed by suppuration. The 

 pain becomes severe, the animal goes very lame, and sometimes it 

 is unable to bear weight on the limb. In extreme cases the animal 

 sweats and is fevered. In such cases the plantar nerve may be 

 inflamed, though more frequently the symptoms are due to cellulitis 

 and abscess form a lion. The condition then becomes grave, because 

 of the possibility of the fetlock-joint or tendon sheath becoming 

 involved. 



The injury may be followed by diffuse subcutaneous cellulitis, in 



