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Treatment. — Perhaps no one disease of the horse's foot 

 (except spavin) has received more barbarous treatment at the 

 hands of men than quittor. No remedy was supposed to be 

 severe enough, and what torture and needless agony poor 

 dumb creatures were subjected to exceeds belief. The most 

 powerful caustics were thrust in to "core out the pipes," as 

 the old farriers called it. Red-hot pieces of iron were forced 

 into these openings. These fellows would have been better 

 employed drilling holes to blast rocks than pretending to 

 treat diseases of this kind. 



The cure of this injury will be both tedious and painful 

 in proportion to the extent of the destruction of the tissues, 

 as it is not one of those injuries that proceed thus far in 

 a day, but is allowed to run on neglected for weeks. No 

 miracle can be performed in the cure thereof. In such 

 cases as do not involve the periosteum of the coffin bone 

 in destructive inflammation, the remedies may be more 

 hopefully applied. The great principle in the treatment of 

 quittor and of similar wounds is to remove as soon as possible 

 the internal cause of irritation, and thus limit or prevent 

 the spreading of the inflammatory action and the excessive 

 suppuration. 



To descend to particulars in the treatment we begin by 

 removing the shoe and finding out, if possible, the origin of 

 the mischief, if a prick or corn has been the cause. As 

 there is matter within the foot, free vent must be given to it 

 by making a more natural and dependant egress for it 

 than the opening at the top of the hoof. All pressure and 

 irritation must be removed and the parts soothed with warm 

 poultices ; mild dressings and rest are the only indications 

 for treatment. All powerful caustics only destroy the 

 healthy parts without healing the diseased tissues. 



In addition to the poultices, we must syringe the pipes 

 with proper remedies, so as to aid nature in discharging the 

 product of ulceration, and stimulating the parts to healthy 

 granulations. For this purpose local injections into the 



