376 DISEASES OF THE HORSE. 



hardened, and may become converted into bone by a deposit of the 

 lime salts. 



Treatment. — The large, puffy joints of suckling colts, as a rule, 

 require no treatment, for as the animal grows older the parts clean 

 up and after a time the swelling entirely disappears. 



When the trouble is due to an injury, entire rest is to be secured 

 by the use of slings and a high-heeled shoe. Cold-water douches 

 should be used once or twice a day, followed by cold-Avater bandages, 

 until the fever has subsided and the soreness is largely removed, 

 when a blister is to be applied. 



In old windgalls, which cause more or less stiffness, some relief 

 may be had by the use of cold compress bandages, elastic boots, or the 

 red iodide of mercury blisters. Opening the sacs, as recommended 

 by some authors, is of doubtful utility, and should be adopted only 

 by the surgeon capable of treating the wound he has made. Enforced 

 rest until complete recovery is effected should always be insisted upon, 

 since a too early return to work is sure to be followed by relapse. 



SPRAIN OF THE FETLOCK. 



Sprain of the fetlock joint is most common in the fore legs, and, as 

 a rule, affects but one at a time. Horses doing fast work, as trotters, 

 runners, steeplechasers, hunters, cow ponies, and those that inter- 

 fere, are particularly liable to this injury. 



Causes. — Horses knuckling at the fetlock, and all those with dis- 

 eases which impair the powersof locomotion, such as navicular disease, 

 contracted heels, sidebones, chronic laminitis, etc., are predisposed to 

 sprains of the fetlock. It generally happens from a misstep, stum- 

 bling, or slipping, which results in the joint being extended or flexed 

 to excess. The same result ma}^ happen where the foot is caught in a 

 rut, hole in a bridge, or in a car track, and the animal falls or strug- 

 gles violently. Direct blows and punctured wounds may also set up 

 inflammation of the joint. 



Symptoms. — The symptoms of sprain of the fetlock vary with the 

 severity of the injury. If slight, there may be no lameness, but simply 

 a little soreness, especially when the foot strikes on uneven ground 

 and the joint is twisted a little. In cases more severe the joint swells, 

 is hot and puffy, and the lameness may be so intense as to compel the 

 animal to hobble on three legs. While at rest the leg is flexed at the 

 joint affected, and the toe rests on the ground. 



Treatment. — If the injury is slight, cold-Avater bandages and a few 

 days' rest are sufficient to effect recovery. Where there is an intense 

 lameness, swelling, etc., the leg should be placed under a constant 

 stream of cold water, as described in the treatment for quittor. 

 When the inflammation has subsided, a blister to the joint should be 

 applied. 



