480 BUREAU OF ANIMAL INDUSTRY. 



has been in iiIslcg for twenty-four hours, it ma}^ be removed and hot 

 fomentations applied. As soon as the discharge has become again 

 established the abscess should be opened from its lowest extremity, 

 and the passage thus formed may be kept open 1)}^ the introduction of 

 a seton. If the pipes become established in the deep tissues beneath 

 the shoulder blade or among the spines of the vertebral column, it 

 will often be found impossible to provide proper drainage for the 

 abscess from below, and treatment must consist of caustic solutions 

 carefull}^ injected into all parts of the suppurating sinuses. A very 

 effective remedy for this purpose consists of 1 ou.nce of chloride of 

 zinc in half a pint of water, injected three times during a week, after 

 which a weak solution of the same may be occasionall3'' injected. 

 Injections of Villate's solution or alcoholic solution of corrosive subli- 

 mate, strong carbolic acid, or possibly oil of turpentine will also prove 

 beneficial. Pressure should be applied from below, and endeavors 

 made to heal the various pipes from the bottom. 



Should the swelling become general, without forming a well-defined 

 tumor, the placing of 20 to 30 grains of arsenious acid, wrapped in a 

 single la^^er of tissue paper, in a shallow incision beneath the skin will 

 often produce a sloughing of the afl'ccted parts in a week or ten days, 

 after which the formation of healthy tissue follows. The surrounding 

 parts of the skin should be protected from any damage from escaping 

 caustics by the application of lard or oil, as previously suggested. 



Although the successful treatment of fistulas requires time and 

 patience, the majority of cases are curable. The sinuses must be opened 

 at their lowest extremitj^ and kept open. Caustic applications must 

 be thoroughly used once or twice, after which mild astringent antiseptic 

 washes should be persistently used until a cure is reached. 



It sometimes happens that the erosions have burrowed so deei:)ly or in 

 such a direction that the opening of a drainage passage becomes imprac- 

 ticable. In other cases the bones may become attacked in some 

 inaccessible location, or the joints may be affected, and in these cases 

 it is often best to destroy the horse at once. 



The reappearance of the fistula after it has ayjparently healed is not 

 uncommon. The secoudar}^ attack in these cases is seldom serious. 

 The lesion should be carefully cleansed and afterwards injected with a 

 solution of zinc sulphate, 20 grains to the ounce of water, everj^ second 

 or third day until a cure is effected. 



In fistula of the foot we see the same tendenc}^ toward the burrow- 

 ing of pus downward to lower structures, or in some cases upward 

 toward the coronet. Prior to the development of a quittor there is 

 alwaj^s swelling at the coronet, accompanied by heat and pain. Every 

 effort should now be made to prevent the formation of an abscess at 

 the point of injur3\ Wounds caused b}^ nails, gravel, or any other 

 foreign body which may have become lodged in the sole of the foot 



