THRUSH. 543 



it is equally certain that a long continued thrush is apt to 

 end in navicularthritis, by lessening the horny frog which 

 acts as the chief defence of the perforans tendon. Neither 

 can any horse be considered safe that has a thrush, for 

 there is always some degree of tenderness felt ; and in 

 these cases, if the point of a sharp stone at any time should 

 penetrate the cleft, or any of the sinuses occasioned by the 

 complaint, the animal will come to the ground from 

 excess of pain : but it is not often that this complaint 

 produces any lameness in the general gait. The appear- 

 ances of thrush are sufficiently known : at first a moist 

 exudation only appears from the natural cleft of the frog ; 

 when it has existed some time the frog scales away, and is 

 but partially renewed : the ulceration extends to the sensitive 

 sole throughout its whole surface ; the horny frog now 

 produces a dark coloured discharge of a peculiar foetid 

 smell ; and such cases, if unattended to, particularly in the 

 hinder feet, may degenerate into canker, A horse with 

 one thrush, especially if it be in a fore foot, should on no 

 account be purchased ; but a horse with three or four 

 thrushes may be safely bought ; because in the first case, it 

 denotes internal disease, and is surely the symptom of 

 something more fearful going forward within ; and because 

 in the last instance, there is every reason to believe they 

 arise from standing in dirt, and will yield to a little mild 

 treatment. 



Treatment. — Thrushes in the hind feet, caused by dirt, 

 ought to be immediately stopped ; but when a thrush appears 

 in one fore foot, do not meddle with it, as it is an outlet to the 

 inflammation raging within. In that kind of thrush we notice, 

 sometimes taking place in the open feet of young horses, 

 it will remove all danger, if the treatment should be at 

 once applied to the affection. When thrushes are connected 

 with a diminished state of the feet, it is evident that the 

 fi'og cannot afford to lose much horn. All however that is 

 diseased, rugged, or detached, should be cut away; how- 

 ever small the frog may be made, the smith should be told 

 to pare until he comes to healthy horn, or reaches the flesh 

 beneath. When moisture has been the exciting cause, it 

 should, of course, be carefully removed, and its occurrence 

 again prevented ; particularly that produced by decomposing 



