398 DISEASES OF THE HORSE. 



the surface of the sole not only retains moisture for a long time, but 

 protects the living horn beneath from the effects of evaporation ; for 

 this reason the sole should be pared as little as possible. Stuffing the 

 feet with flaxseed meal, wet clay, or other like substances, or damp 

 dirt floors or damp bedding of tanbark, greasy hoof ointments, etc., 

 are all means which may be used to keep the feet from becoming too 

 dry and hard. 



As to the curative measures which are to be adopted much will 

 depend upon the extent of the injury. If the case is one of chronic 

 dry corn, with but slight lameness, the foot should be poulticed for a 

 day or two and the discolored horn pared out, care being taken not to 

 injure the soft tissues. The heel on the affected side is to be lowered 

 until all pressure is removed and, if the patient's labor is required, 

 the foot must be shod with a bar shoe or with one having stiff heels. 

 Care must be taken to reset the shoe before the foot has grown too 

 long, else the shoe Avill no longer rest on the wall, but on the sole 

 and bar. 



I believe in cutting moist corns out. If there is inflammation 

 present, cold baths and poultices should be used ; when the horn is well 

 softened and the fever allayed, pare out all of the diseased horn, 

 lightly cauterize the soft tissues beneath and poultice the foot for two 

 or three days. Wlien the granulations look red, dress the wound with 

 oakum balls saturated in a weak solution of tincture of aloes or spirits 

 of camphor and apply a roller bandage. Change the dressing every 

 two or three days until a firm, healthy layer of new horn covers the 

 wound, when the shoe may be put on, as in dry corn, and the patient 

 returned to work. 



In suppurative corns the loosened horn must be removed, so that 

 the pus may freely escape. If the pus has worked a passage to the 

 coronary band and escapes from an opening between the band and 

 hoof, an opening must be made on the sole, and cold baths made 

 astringent with a little sulphate of iron or copper are to be used for a 

 day or two. Wlien the discharge becomes healthy, the fistulous tracts 

 may be injected daily with a weak solution of bichloride of mercury, 

 nitrate of silver, etc., and the foot dressed as after operation for moist 

 corns. When complications arise, the treatment must be varied to 

 meet the indications; if gangrene of the lateral cartilage takes place 

 it must be treated as directed under the head of cartilaginous quittor; 

 if the velvety tissue is gangrenous, it must be cut away ; if the coffin 

 bone is necrosed, it must be scraped, and the resulting wounds treated 

 on general principles. After any of the operations for corns have 

 been performed, in which the soft tissues have been laid bare, it is 

 best to protect the foot by a sole of soft leather set beneath the shoe 

 when the animal is returned to work. Only in rare instances are the 

 complications of corns so serious as to destroy the life or usefulness of 



