u6 VETERINARY LECTURES 



causes. Injury from fast work, on hard roads, is another frequent 

 cause, but by far the most common cause is keeping horses in the 

 stable day after day without exercise, then, on taking them out> 

 giving them too much quick travelling, thus lacerating the tendon 

 and setting up inflammation. Generally, the first symptom noticed 

 is the horse pointing first one foot and then the other — that is, if both 

 are affected — so as to ease the tendon as it passes over the acute 

 angle of the bone ; but this pointing must be confirmed by other 

 symptoms. When brought out of the stable, the animal affected 

 digs the point of the toe into the ground, stepping in a short and 

 stilty manner until it gets warmed up, when it goes fairly well. 

 The shoe is also much worn away at the toe, and, as a rule, the 

 feet are very strong, high-heeled, and contracted {Plate XL, No. 2). 

 Owing to the constant irritation within the foot, there is an extra 

 growth of horn, giving a box-like appearance to the hoof. The 

 disease is never cured, yet an animal can be made to do a great 

 amount of work by careful attention to the feet, such as frequent 

 shoeing, shortening the toe, and dressing the sole thin to relieve 

 pressure, thus removing the overgrowth of horn, and by shoeing with 

 the indiarubber bar pad and short shoe. Further, applying cold 

 water swabs nightly round the feet, and turning the animal into a 

 loose-box, instead of allowing it to stand in the stall, also gives relief. 

 Blistering, frog setons, and unnerving are also useful, but, as above 

 stated, the disease is never cured. As a preventive, however, never 

 allow the animal to stand in a stall for days without exercise. If 

 this cannot be given, turn it into a loose-box. 



200. Laminitis — inflammation of the sensitive laminae of the 

 feet, commonly called founder. The disease, which more frequently 

 affects the fore than the hind feet, is a very formidable one. It has 

 a great variety of causes, such as drinking cold water, standing in a 

 draught, or getting too much oatmeal and water when the animal is 

 heated ; overfeeding with boiled wheat or Indian corn, or gorging 

 with oats or potatoes ; travelling on snow ; galloping on a hard 

 road ; applying a too hot shoe to the foot when shoeing ; the 

 effects of too large a dose of physic ; inflammation shifting from 



