LAMINITIS. 357 



without leaving any structural change ; whilst the form caused 

 by concussion leads to ostitis of the most acute kind, sometimes 

 terminating in necrosis of the pedal bone, sloughing of the hoof, 

 and a most agonising death. The symptoms of both varieties 

 are identical, except in their severity, and if the so-called meta- 

 static form continues long enough, the pathological changes are 

 the same also. 



Pathology. — Inflammation of the sensitive foot, including 

 laminae, sole, and os pedis. The exudation is greatest at the 

 toe, the foot being most vascular at this point. The pain of 

 laminitis is most agonising and persistent, because the sensitive 

 foot is invested with an unyielding horny box pressing upon the 

 engorged blood-vessels, preventing free exudation and swelling, 

 and thus proving a barrier to tlie method by which congested 

 blood-vessels are relieved. The exudate in laminitis is found 

 to limit itself to the external surfaces of the sensitive laminse, 

 but in that form caused by violent concussion, and which with 

 propriety might be termed "peditis," the exudation may be 

 subperiosteal, detaching the periosteum from the pedal bone 

 by the outpouring of an unhealthy, broken-down, dirty reddish 

 coloured fluid ; whilst the interstices of the bone, its canals, and 

 lacunse are filled with the same material, forming a barrier to the 

 free circulation of the blood, and thus assist in hastening the 

 process of necrosis and sloughing. 



Mere laminitis may pass off without causing structural 

 change ; there is but a slight exudate, and this is soon absorbed 

 after the subsidence of the inflammatory action. In some 

 cases the removal of the exudate leaves a space between the 

 sensitive and horny laminae, which has led some observers to 

 think that the disease consists essentially of absorption of the 

 bond of union between the two sets of laminae, the formation 

 of a cavity, and the subsequent filling up of it with imperfect 

 cheesy or seedy horn, constituting what is termed seedy-toe. 



Should the inflammation persist, the exudate accumulates at 

 the toe, increases in thickness, presses upon the toe of the os 

 pedis in the one direction, and upon the crust in the other, 

 separating the tw^o, forcing the toe of the bone downwards, and 

 the toe of the crust upwards. The effect of this change in the 

 position of the bone is the formation of a convex sole. The 

 sole being pressed upon by the point of the bone, is forced 



