178 DISEASES OF THE HORSE. 



disease, was by striking the parts with a mallet, so as to 

 break the skin, so that the fluid would escape ; and the 

 blow given to the skin being so great as to set up adhe- 

 sive inflammation, and closure of the opening. 



(3.)- Bone Spavin. — Consists in the sprouting out of 

 irregular boney matter frora the bones of the joint, pre- 

 venting their smooth and proper action over one another, 

 and causing lameness. This bony growth sometimes 

 grows to a good size, and in some cases we find one or 

 two of the bones only involved ; at others nearly all of 

 them are aff'ected. The situation of bone spavin is on 

 the inside, and in front of the joint. 



Symptoms. — When horses are what is called breeding 

 bone spavin, ordinary persons think and say the lame- 

 ness is in in the hip, (see Hock) from the action which 

 is reflected by the muscles of the hip at every movement 

 made by the hock-joint, and from the fact that there is 

 no enlargement as yet in the joint. The horse is lame 

 on starting, but gets better after a little while. After 

 standing will start lame again. In the stable, he shifts 

 one hind leg after another, and when resting the lame 

 leer, he stands on the toe. Pain and lameness cease when 

 the joint is consolidated, although remaining a little stifi*. 



(4.) Occult Spavin. — This is a disease similar to 

 bone spavin, the difi'erence being no enlargement of the 

 joint whatever, although the bones of the joint are all 

 diseased, immovable and stifi*. This disease seems to 

 puzzle and perplex horsemen, because they cannot com- 

 prehend a bone spavin without an enlargement of the 

 joint outside; and, consequently, the poor horse is some- 

 times blistered and tormented in every part of the leg, 

 but the right place. The cause, results, and eff'ects of 



