48 



disease are peculiar, and in well marked cases not easily mistaken. 

 It is commonly noticed in the early stage of the disease that a horse 

 goes a 'little feeling,' and is inclined to tread with the toes rather 

 than with the flat surface of the foot. In addition, the animal will 

 often be detected in the act of 'pointing,' that is, thrusting one 

 foreleg in advance of the other while he is standing in the stable. 

 It must not be concluded that this habit alone is significant of 

 navicular disease, but, taken in consideration with other signs, it 

 possesses a certain value. The feet affected with navicular disease 

 are never, as a rule, hot, more often they are cold. The lameness 

 which attends it increases while the animal is at rest, and is often 

 much relieved by exertion. 



"In cases of long standing, contraction and what is termed 

 * wiring in ' of the heels will always be noticed, because, when suf- 

 fering from disease in the posterior part of the foot, a horse natu- 

 rally endeavours to relieve that part from pressure ; and, from 

 whatever cause it may arise that the weight of the animal is taken 

 off the heels, contraction is the immediate result. Of all the symp- 

 toms which belong to navicular disease, the one which is least liable 

 to be misinterpreted is the peculiar toe action, which is best seen 

 when the animal is first brought from the stable. Immediately that 

 a horse affected with navicular disease is seen to be lame, the shoe 

 should be removed and the sole of the foot cut out until it yields 

 readily to the pressure of the thumb ; the heels should be mode- 

 rately lowered and the toe shortened as much as the hoof will bear ; 

 the shoe should then be ' laid off ' at the heels in such a way that 

 when firmly nailed to the crust there shall remain sufficient space 

 between the iron and the horn to permit the passage of a flattened 

 straw for the distance of a couple of inches from the heels forward ; 

 this arrangement will relieve the heels from undue pressure, and 

 allow any movement, either of contraction or expansion, to continue 

 unchecked. The withdrawal of blood from the vessels of the foot 

 may now be effected before the shoe is fastened on, if it has pre- 

 viously been determined that the operation is necessary ; but in many 

 cases where the lameness is slight, the proper adaptation of the shoe, 

 and the subsequent use of wet swabs to the feet, will restore sound- 

 ness for the time being. If the operation of bleeding from the toe 

 is performed, the horse will require a fortnight's rest at least before 

 being put to work ; and if the wound made in the foot does not 

 heal readily, three weeks or a month may be necessary. Various 

 expedients have been had recourse to for the purpose of keeping the 

 hoofs in a moist state. The constant use of wet swabs will gene- 



