96 The Care of Animals 



under surface of the navicular bone and the tendon that 

 passes over it. It occurs in the front feet, and when 

 well established is practicall}^ incurable. It is usually 

 found in horses that are good drivers, and is one of the 

 serious diseases to which fast horses are liable. It is 

 rarely seen in draft horses. 



The disease comes on gnidually without apparent 

 cause. The horse points the affected foot out while 

 standing. There is little, if any, noticeable inflammation 

 in the foot. In moving, the horse does not bend the 

 coffin -joint as much as usual, and as a result digs the 

 toe into the ground, and in placing the foot down strikes 

 the dirt up forward. There is a decided lameness that 

 does not disappear lo any extent by driving, and may 

 get worse. The horse prefers to stand on the toes as 

 much as possible, and as a result the heels are likely to 

 be unusually deep. The disease maybe easily diagnosed 

 by injecting cocaine over the nerves. 



In the early stages, remove the shoes and poultice the 

 foot, giving plenty of rest. When the trouble is well 

 established there is no cure; the only treatment is a 

 surgical operation commonly called "nerving" and 

 technically known as neurectomy, or neurotomy. The 

 operation consists in cutting out a section of the nerve 

 that supplies the diseased part. This destroys all 

 sensation, but it does not cure the disease. 



There are two methods of operating — the "high," 

 when sections of the nerve are removed on both sides 

 of the leg above the fetlock, and the "low," when sec- 

 tions of a nerve are remo^^ed on either side in the hollow 

 below the fetlock. In the high operation all sensation 



