584 OPERATIONS OK THE FOOT. 



(a) Flat foot (Germ. Platfuss). — By tliis is understood the 

 foot in wliicli the sole, instead of having the natural concavity, is, 

 on the contrary, flat, and by its whole surface about on a level 

 with the border of the wall and the base of the frog ; ordinarily 

 this is accompanied with low heels, more or less contraction, and 

 a well-marked oblique direction of the wall. 



Flat foot is generally observed only on front feet, and is very 

 common in lymphatic animals or of low breed, raised in low and 

 damp soils ; it may be congenital. Large feet, badly shod or used 

 up by very heavy work, are predisposed to it. It is claimed 

 that the weakening of the sole by too repeated and deep paring 

 of the sole will ultimately bring it on ; it is said that abuse of 

 poultices may produce it ; it follows excess of the hollowing of the 

 shoe by the upper surface, which, pushing the wall outward, 

 obliges the sole to drop lower than its normal level. 



The horse with flat foot rests on all parts of the sole at once ; 

 there is no elasticity of the arch of the sole, and percussions take 

 place on it entirely. The actions of the animal are heavy, espe- 

 cially as it is commonly seen when the feet are large. When the 

 foot is somewhat tender, the animal lames easily, especially if the 

 shoeing is bad, or if the animal rests on the sole or is obHged to 

 trot on rough or stony roads, which render the percussion very 

 painful. There arises some irritation, which keeps on increasing, 

 and produces several accidents, such as bruised sole, corns, 

 pumiced feet. 



The horse which has flat feet often has weak walls, and as the 

 nails of the shoe become loose, this is often cast. 



By shoeing one may remedy this bad condition of the foot. 

 For this, the foot must be pared flatways, the sole spared, the wall 

 relieved only of what is broken oif ; the frog must be left alone, 

 the heels also ; a shoe somewhat wide in the web, protecting, 

 therefore, the sole more than an ordinary shoe does. It will be 

 adjusted so as to rest on the border of the wall only, and not on 

 the sole ; still, care will be taken not to hollow it too much or to 

 excess. Sometimes a thick shoe only is necessary, without in- 

 creased width. Soles of gutta-percha or felt are also used, as 

 we will see when speaking of the pumiced foot. 



(b) Pumiced foot (Germ. Vollfuss). — Thus is called the foot 

 whose sole projects beyond the level of the wall, and presents a 

 convex surface, extending beyond the plantar bordei-, upon which 



