HORSESHOEING. 169 



In severe direct nailing the entire shoeing should be most 

 carefully examined, and only after everything is found to be 

 right, and the shoe fits in such a manner that the nails can 

 only penetrate the wall from the white line, can it be regarded 

 as correct. The offending nail-hole is then to be closed with 

 wax. According to the intensity of the wound we may expect 

 a more or less pronounced inflammation of the pododerm, and 

 this is to be combated by resting the animal and cooling the 

 foot. 



If the wound is clean and recent, enlarging the opening in 

 the horn by cutting and boring can have no reasonable object; 

 tlie wound by such an act will not be made smaller, but larger. 



Frequently, however, the wound is not obser^-ed or suspected 

 until the pain has become very intense (indirect nailing, nail- 

 pressure) ; in such cases the offending nail when withdra"uni is 

 apt to be covered with pus or a dark, thin, ill-smelling liquid. 

 In such a case the liquid, whatever its nature may be, must be 

 given free escape. In order to accomplish this it is entirely 

 sufficient to cut away a section of the wall from the nail-hole 

 outward, not greater than the width of the little finger, and 

 then to assist in the discharge of the pus by placing the foot in 

 a warm bath ; it is entirely wrong, in fact, reprehensible, to 

 remove all horn of the wall and sole which has been loosened 

 from the soft parts by the suppurative proc^^ss. After the 

 escape of the inflammatory fluids, the wall and sole will form 

 the best-fitting and most suitable protective dressing for the 

 diseased region until it has secreted new horn. If, after re- 

 moval of the nail and pus, the pain does not diminish, warm 

 disinfecting baths of one to two parts of creolin, or the same 

 amount of lysol, to one hundred parts of water at a temperature 

 of about 90° F. will be of especial benefit ; they will not only 

 soften the honi, but by their moisture and warmth ^^^ll directly 

 diminish the pain and have a healing influence upon the sup- 

 purating surfaces. The warm baths must actually be loarm and 



