77 



THE FEVERED FOOT— SUB-ACUTE LAMINITIS. 



After a horse has been battering his feet, however sound 

 4hey may naturally be, with a thin and unsupported sole, the 

 laminae suffering the highest degree of tension ; the heated 

 organ, stimulated to its highest capacity for the propellance 

 of blood through its millions of tubes, by active, it may be by- 

 violent exercise, and is brought suddenly to a stand-still ; its 

 rapid circulation is suddenly checked, under the unequal con- 

 ditions of the blood-vessels within and without the horny tex- 

 tures ; there being no valves in the veins of the foot ; and the 

 latter being suddenly deprived of its natural stimulus of exer- 

 cise ; congestion of these vessels ensues, which may be tempo- 

 rary, being overcome by the vigorous action of the heart ; or it 

 may be more or less permanent, and become the readily pre- 

 disposing cause to founder whenever any extra demand is 

 made upon the capacity or endurance of the pedal extremity. 

 But congestion, or morbid fulness of the vessels implies pres- 

 sure against the walls of the foot remotely. The nerves of the 

 foot are necessarily involved in this pressure, and hence we 

 have the sub-acute inflammatory condition denominated ''''fever 

 in the foot," which of course may be more or less severe accord- 

 ing to circumstances. 



ACUTE LAMINITIS— FOUNDER. 



All these conditions of the sub-acute variety may become 

 chronic or remittent in their character, and the foot in some 

 cases become adapted to abnormal conditions, and the pecu- 

 liar temperament of the animal under the influence of general 

 nervous excitement, and the stimulus of action, may cause him 

 to forget all about his " poor feet" 



But when to the above we have a superadded cause in the mor- 

 bidly contracting or contracted condition of the quarters, it can 

 readily be perceived how a slight internal pressure and its con- 

 sequences would be intensified, under any undue exercise of 

 the functions of the foot, and how the nervous irritation may 

 become so great as to affect the general nervous system, and 

 that morbid condition we call founder, be induced. 



