588 OPERATIONS ON THE FOOT. 



When too soft, too greasy, it contains too much dampness and is 

 lacking resistance. Horses which have this weak hoof, as said 

 Laf osse, have the foot tender and unfit for long walks on hard and 

 stony ground ; they are, besides, much exposed to lose their shoes, 

 because the hoof breaks up at the nail-holes. This fault is quite 

 common in large feet, frequently seen in Northern lymphatic ani- 

 mals, especially in those which come from marshy districts ; if, then, 

 those horses are submitted to stabulation, their hoof becomes dry 

 to excess, which gives rise to narrow and contracted feet. The 

 lower part of the foot must be pared with care, as it has but httle 

 thickness ; the application of the warm shoe while fitting must be 

 as short as possible. An ordinary thin and light shoe must be 

 used ; the naUs will be as light and thin as possible, and ham- 

 mered in carefully. 



Too dry hoof is liable to break, because it has lost its physio- 

 logical suppleness ; this brittleness is often met in animals whose 

 feet have been much in water and afterward are placed on dry 

 ground ; it seems as if the water had dissolved the adhesion of the 

 horny cells. The same condition follows the excessive use of 

 poultices and also of strong grease in shape of ointments. It is 

 wise to grease, but previously the old crust must be removed. 

 Hoof ointments of wax, turpentine or tar are better. The foot is 

 called dc'rohe (broken) when by the use of a thick nail it is more 

 or less broken at the edges of the wall. These feet lose the shoe 

 easily ; animals then go on bare feet, and then it becomes very 

 difiicult to pvit other shoes on. It is necessary in these cases to 

 punch nail holes on the shoe corresponding with parts where the 

 hoof is sound. In paring, all the pieces of broken horn are 

 removed, or at least as much as can safely be done. Nails are 

 secured as high as possible ; shoes must be changed as often as 

 possible, and the hoof is to be kept supple by unctuous api^lica- 

 tions. When the breaks of the horn are too large, softened gutta- 

 percha, or a mixture of gutta-percha three parts, with one of gum 

 ammoniac, melted together, can be used to fill the anfractuosities, 

 all grease having been first removed by a wash with ether ; the 

 putty hardens, and the shoe can be tacked on solidly. Nails can 

 even be punched through the gutta-percha. 



