268 DISEASES OF HORSES AND CATTLE. 



to some horses, as it sometimes affects two or 

 three feet of the same horse at the same time, and 

 I think is caused by bad shoeing, that is, cutting 

 away too much of the horny frog, and when the 

 animal tramps on some hard substance the fatty 

 frog is bruised, this being the exciting cause. It is 

 also the result of nails penetrating the frog, or 

 other injuries. 



Symptoms of canker: There is an abundant 

 discharge of a thin, very offensive smelling fluid. 

 The frog swells, becomes soft and spongy. The 

 outer surface may have some stringy fibers of horn, 

 which, if it is pared off, bleeds very freely; in fact 

 it has become a bleeding fungus. In some cases 

 the discharge dries, forming cheesy patches com- 

 posed of horny cells, very foul smelling. Al- 

 though healing preparations have been used, it has 

 no disposition to heal, but gradually gets worse 

 and the animal becomes very lame. If only one 

 foot is affected it will hold it up for a while; if two 

 or more feet are affected the animal will lie down 

 the greater part of the time, and it may require 

 assistance to rise. 



Treatment: If the animal is fat give it a dose of 

 aloes as a physic. Follow this by giving one tea- 

 spoonful of phosphate of calcium in the morning 

 and a heaping teaspoonful of sulphate of iron in 

 the evening. Continue this for two weeks. If the 

 animal is fevered give half an ounce nitrate of po- 

 tassium a day in a bran mash. Poultice the foot 

 for a few days with linseed meal made into a poul- 

 tice with boiling water and spread it on a cloth, 



