XVIIl] 



SHOEING AND CARE OF THE FEET 



219 



extending in the direction of the fibres from the 

 coronet. It may appear at any place, and is due 

 to injury to the coronet, as quittor, tread, or 

 other external injury. 



Treatment. — Blister the coronet ; this is the 

 only hope. Take precautions, as for sandcrack, 

 to prevent the hoof from splitting at the weak- 

 ened spot. Give the horse easy work. 



867. Seedy Toe is similar to false quarter, 

 except that the depression is inside instead of 

 outside the wall. The cavity is filled with a soft, 

 cheesy, crumbly material. 



Cause.— B-dSuXi of laminitis or perhaps same 

 as false quarter. Continued strain, continual 

 standing. 



Symptoms. — The end of the depression will 

 be seen when the shoe is removed. There will 

 be lameness, and if the portion outside the tissue 

 is tapped it will sound hollow. 



Treatinent. — If due to laminitis, treatment 

 for this alone would be useless ; therefore, treat 

 for laminitis. Pare away all the loose horn until 

 all signs of the original crack are removed. The 

 foot must be first anjesthetised with cocaine ; 

 then make the wound thoroughly aseptic with 

 turpentine, and not with water solutions. Next 

 apply the following dressing over the pared-out 

 part to keep moisture away : 



Oil of turpentine. 

 Oil of tar . 

 Fish oil 



1 ounce 

 1 ounce 

 4 ounces 



Shake well, and apply it night and morning. 

 This is an excellent dressing for brittle feet. 



868. Inflammation of Coronet.— Very un- 

 common in horses, fairly common in asses. The 

 cause is probably due to constitutional disturb- 

 ance, to a nervous disorder, or to external 

 injury. 



Symplom,s. — The hoof becomes like the bark 

 of a tree, and splits, pieces breaking off. 



Treatment. — Dress the foot with coal tar and 

 fish oil. Pare away all affected horn. Attend 

 to horse's diet. Rest the horse on soft bedding. 



869. Brittle Feet are generally constitu- 

 tional. Some horses, however healthy, have 

 brittle feet. Working and standing on hard, dry 

 ground tend to make feet brittle. Most patent 

 dressings are injurious, and may cause feet to 

 become brittle. 



Treatment. — Obtain frog pressure, and rub 

 in daily dressing as for seedy toe. (Sec. 867.) 

 Stand on clay floor in stable and work on soft 

 ground. Small washers can be used under the 

 nail clenches to prevent the clenches chipping 

 the wall. 



870. Treads consist of injuries to the foot 

 due to the shoe of one of the other feet treading 

 on it. The term is generally applied to a wound 

 on the coronet. 



Treatment. — Syringe out wound, and treat 



aseptically. Apply a little iodoform and tannic 

 acid. If healing is slow, apply weak cantharides 

 (1 to 20 lard) blister round the tread, on coronet. 



871. Thrush. 



Cause. — Want of proper use of the foot ; 

 dirt ; neglect. Always a sign of bad stable 

 management or bad shoeing, as improper par- 

 ing, contraction, high-heeled shoe. If from 

 neglect, it is due probably to manure, combined 

 with ammonia, clogging in the grooves in the 

 foot. Horse not using frog in navicular disease. 



Symptoms. — Bad smelling secretion comes 

 from the cleft or commissures of the frog. This 

 secretion originates from the plantar cushion. 



Treatment. — Remove with paring knife ail 

 rotten horn. Clean foot thoroughly, the clefts 

 right to the bottom, and syringe out with strong 

 antiseptic, or, better still, apply calomel well 

 rubbed in. Plaster tar and tow over this to keep 

 it in. Shoe properly, and keep stables clean and 

 dry. Obtain frog pressure. Keep clefts plugged 

 up with calomel for several days and covered 

 with tar. Calomel is rather expensive, but is by 

 far the best drug to use. A mixture of iodoform 

 and eucalyptus oil (1 in 8 oil) is a good dressing 

 if calomel cannot be obtained. 



872. Canker is really a diseased condition 

 of the sensitive sole and plantar cushion, and 

 has the appearance of a bad chronic condition 

 of thrush. It comes on slowly and does not 

 show much sign of pain. The disease is prob- 

 ably due to micro-organisms. 



Treatment. — Remove the shoe, ansesthetise 

 the foot with cocaine, and remove all diseased 

 portion of the horn with a knife. Syringe the 

 whole of the exposed sensitive and horny parts 

 with a 25 per cent, solution of carbolic acid for 

 five minutes, then allow to dry for fifteen 

 minutes, and apply calomel. This must be 

 blown right into the sensitive structure. Cover 

 with aseptic cottonwool and suitable bandages. 

 Repeat the carbolic (10 per cent, only) and calo- 

 mel every twenty-four hours. Keep stable floor 

 scrupulously clean, attend to diet, and give mild 

 purgative, and rest horse on soft bed. Obtain 

 good frog pressure afterwards, and keep feet 

 thoroughly washed morning and night. 



873. Acute Laminitis, or Founder, or 

 Fever in the Feet. — For pumice, see " Chronic 

 Laminitis," Sec. 874. The acute form is acute 

 inflammation of the sensitive laminee of the foot. 



Cause. — Defective feet and hereditary ten- 

 dency predispose horses to the disease. More 

 common in forefeet. Concussion. Exposure at 

 a slow pace for many hours on hot roads. Rasp- 

 ing the walls, paring frog and sole. Excitement, 

 indigestion, overwork, continual standing. Over- 

 feeding, with insufficient exercise. Flat feet are 

 a predisposing cause. 



Symptoms.— Very sudden. Horse goes lame 

 and seems incapable of moving. Generally in 

 left and right foot together. Great heat in the 



