252 VETERINARY STUDIES 



Bad eyes ; especially cataract ; glanders shown at the nose ; poll- 

 evil, just back of the ears, at the top of the neck ; fistula at the 

 withers ; heaves and roaring, shown in breathing ; splints, along 

 the cannon; injured tendons; farcy sores on limbs or body; 

 ankles bruised from interfering ; sidebones and ringbones at the 

 pastern; navicular disease, corns, founder, cracks in the hoof; 

 fractured hip (hipshot) ; spavin at the hock in front, and curb 

 at the hock behind. 



Lameness. — A lameness is any irregularity of the gait, re- 

 gardless of cause or degree of severity. 



Locating the lameness. — It is usually quite easy for any 

 observer to see that an animal is lame, provided the lameness is 

 at all decided, but there are many cases where lameness is so 

 very slight or complicated that it is difficult even for an expert 

 to locate it. 



Examination may be necessary before, during, and sometimes 

 after exercise. 



Side. — A very common error is that of locating the lameness 

 on the wrong side. The head and weight of the body in gen- 

 eral, come down most noticeably with the sound limb. For in- 

 stance, a horse which is lame in the left front leg will nod and 

 drop the head, neck and front quarters, as he lands upon the 

 right front leg. 



Gait. — Some forms of lameness are detected with great dif- 

 ficulty when the animal is walking, but are easily seen when the 

 horse is trotting. It is usually conceded that the latter is the 

 best gait for diagnostic purposes, although the observer should 

 study the movements at both walk and trot. The pacing gait 

 is rather confusing. 



General examination. — The horse should be examined at rest 

 and when he is unblanketed in the stall. He may "point" or 

 he may uneasily raise and repeatedly shift the same foot, indi- 

 cating the unsound limb and even the location and nature of 

 the trouble. 



The horse should then be made to step from side to side, and 

 forward and back, then taken out and observed while walking 

 and trotting, coming toward, passing by, and going from the 

 observer, the latter observing carefully the movements of the 

 entire body and the use of each limb. It is especially important 

 to obsei-ve the head and hips in solving the first problem of 

 locating the diseased limb. In case of doubt, circle the animal 



