DISEASES OF THE SKIN AND EARS. 217 



leg to the joints of the knee and hock, and around to the 

 front of the foot, so as to entirely encircle it. It begins with 

 a thick, dry, scabby covering of the skin, coming in little 

 patches upon the difterent parts of the heel, which continue 

 tc spread until they unite in one solid mass of scab and 

 matted hair. 



These scabs present a different appearance from those which 

 occur in any other disease of the skin or legs. They possess 

 an uncommon itchiness, which impels the horse to keep rub- 

 bing the parts, if it is possible for him to do so, very often 

 until they are raw and bleeding. This is the origin of the 

 name — Scratches. 



The cause of this disease is undoubtedly bad treatment or 

 improper stable management. Let the horse habitually stand 

 in filth and mire when in service, or on piles of hot and steam- 

 ing manure in his stall, and the skin will become scalded and 

 scabby, and, before the negligent keeper is aware, scratches 

 be fully developed. This end will be much hastened by a bad 

 state of the system — impure blood, derangement of the diges- 

 tive functions, and general feverishness. It often happens 

 that when other diseases are pressing upon the vital energies 

 of the horse, this annoyance follows in the train of his mis- 

 fortunes. But these other diseases are usually of those types 

 which are superinduced by the bad management before ad- 

 verted to. Foul air and filth have poisoned the blood and 

 rendered the entire system an easy prey to the first deter- 

 mined assault of any of them. While the horse may be very 

 thin from both poverty and disease, without having scratches, 

 when these causes are combined with standing in filth and 

 mud, or on a great heap of soft, decomposing manure, it 

 will be a wonder of he escapes this pest. The horse that 

 stands in a dry stable, in a clean and well-kept stall, will 

 rarely indeed be troubled with scratches. 



TREATMENT, 



K the horse is in bad condition and thin in flesh, bleed 

 from the neck vein; but should he be weak and feeble, only 



