INFLAMMATION OF THE FOOT, OR ACUTE FOUNDER. 303 



fat In frost and snow, and placed immediately in a hot stable, and littered up to the 

 knees, are attacked by this complaint. The feet and the lung-s are the organs oftenest 

 attacked, because they have previously suffered most by our mismanagement, and are 

 most disposed to take on disease, and that which would cause slight inflammation of 

 other parts, or trifling general derangement, will produce all its mischief on thes-s 

 organs ; tlierefore it is that horses, the crust or lamina; of whose feet are warped or 

 obliquely placed, are most subject to it. 



vSomt^tiuies there is a sudden change of inflammation from one organ to another. 

 A horse may have laboured for several days under evident inflammation of the lungs; 

 all at once that will subside, and the disease will appear in the feet, or inflammation 

 of the feet may follow similar affections in the bowels or the eyes. In cases of 

 severe inflammation of the lungs, it may not be bad practice to remove the shoes and 

 poultice the feet. 



To the attentive observer the symptoms are clearly marked, and yet there is no 

 disease so often overlooked by the groom and the carter, and eveYi by the veterinary 

 surgeoij. The disease may assume an acute or chronic form. The earliest symp- 

 toms of fever in the feet are fidgetiness, frequent shifting of the fore-legs, but no 

 pawing, much less any attempts to reach the belly with the hind-feet. The pulse is 

 quickened, the flanks heaving, the nostrils red, and the horse, by his anxious coun- 

 tenance, and possibly moaning, indicating great pain. Presently he looks about his 

 litter, as if preparing to lie down, but he does not do so immediately ; he continues to 

 shift his weight from foot to foot; he is afraid to draw his feet sufficiently under him 

 for the purpose of lying down: but at length he drops. The circumstance of his 

 lying down at an early period of the disease will sufficiently distinguish inflamma- 

 tion of the feet from that of the lungs, in which the horse obstinately persists in 

 standing until he drops from mere exhaustion. His quietness when down will dis- 

 tinguish it from colic or inflammation of the bowels, in both of which the horse is up 

 and down, and frequently rolling and kicking when down. When the grievance is 

 in the feet, the horse experiences so much relief, from getting rid of the weight pain- 

 fully distending the inflamed and highly sensible lamina;, that he is glad to lie as 

 long as he can. He will likewise, as clearly as in inflammation of the lungs or 

 bowels, point out the seat of disease by looking at the part. His muzzle will often 

 rest on the feet or the affected foot. He must be inattentive who is not aware of 

 what all this indicates. 



If the feet are now examined, they will be found evidently hot. The patient will 

 express pain if they are slightly rapped with a hammer, and the artery at the pastern 

 will throb violently. No great time will now pass, if the disease is suffered to pur- 

 sue its course, before he will be perfectly unable to rise ; or, if he is forced to get up, 

 and one foot is lifted, he will stand with difficulty on the other, or perhaps drop at 

 once from intensity of pain. 



The treatment will resemble that of other inflammations, with such differences as 

 the situation of the disease may suggest. Bleeding is indispensable; and that to its 

 fullest extent. If the disease is confined to the fore-feet, four quarts of blood should 

 be taken as soon as possible from the toe of each at the situation pointed out, fig. z, 

 p. 27'3, and in the manner already described ; care being taken to open the artery as 

 well as the vein. The feet may likewise be put into warm water, to quicken the 

 flow of the blood, and increase the quantity abstracted. Poultices of linseed meal, 

 made very soft, should cover the whole of the foot and pastern, and be frequently 

 renewed, which will promote evaporation from the neighbouring parts, and possibly 

 through the pores of the hoof, and, by softening and rendering supple the hoof, will 

 relieve its painful pressure on the swelled and tender parts beneath. More fully to 

 accomplish this last purpose, the shoe should be removed, the sole pared as thin as 

 possible, and the crust, and particularly the quarters, well rasped. All this must be 

 done gently, and with a great deal of patience, for the poor animal can scarcely bear 

 his feet to be meddled with. There used to be occasional doubt as to the adminis- 

 tration of physic, from fear of metastasis of inflammation which has sometimes 

 occurred, and been generally fatal. When, however, there is so much danger 

 of losing the patient from the original attack, we must run the risk of the other. 

 Sedative and cooling medicines should be diligently administered, consisting of digi- 

 talis, nitre, and emetic tartar. 



If no amendment is observed, three quarts of blood should be taken from each foot 



