BLOOD, OR BOG SPAVIN. 101 



hock. I have seen horses with so o-reat an ac- 



o 



cumuhxtion of this fluid as to impede the motion 

 of the hock ; in fact, I had a buggy horse so 

 situated. lie had blood spavins when I pur- 

 chased him; but, after driving liim twelvemonths, 

 always going sound, the enlargement increased 

 in a few days to an enormous size, and he was 

 dead lame. I had seen an instance of a horse 

 operated upon for a similar ailment by a prac- 

 titioner at Hounslow, with complete success. To 

 him I sent my horse. He opened the tumour 

 and let out its contents ; in twenty- four hours my 

 horse went quite sound, and in a few days I had 

 him at work. Nor did he get lame again during 

 the time I had him, though often in strong work, 

 for he was a trotter. 



I believe letting the superabundant fluid 

 escape is the only remedy in a bad case of blood 

 spavin, though not so often practised as it might 

 be. I certainly would not subject a horse to 

 be thus operated upon by a common farrier, nor 

 would he attempt it ; doubtless he w^ould fire 

 the part. He might with as much reason and 

 chance of success fire the horse's abdomen, if 

 he had distended it by an improper quantity of 

 provender. In fact, one of the objects, and in 

 m.any cases the chief object, in firing, is to produce 

 tension on the part fired ; so, by firing for blood 

 or bog spavin, we should increase the efiect of the 



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