THEIR PATHOLOGY, DIAGNOSIS, AND TREATMENT. 15 



applied to a rupture of the suspensory ligament. This accident usually 

 occurs to tired-out horses at the end of a hard gallop, or in the last few 

 strides of a race— the fetlock and pastern joints lose their support, and 

 the fetlock is let down till it bears on the ground. Perfect recoveiy is 

 not to be looked for, but the animal may be sufficiently patched up to be 

 useful in slow farm work. The treatment should consist in at once 

 applying hot poultices or fomentations, succeeded by cooling lotions, blis- 

 tering-, or firing, and turning the horse out to grass for a summer. In 

 fact, the same treatment as recommended for sprain of the back sinows 

 should be followed here. It is by many recommended to make the horso 

 wear a high-heeled shoe, as a measure of relief ; and in every case long and 

 perfect rest is indispensable to even partial recovery. 



Brittle Hoof. — This is a state of the hoof frequently causing great 

 inconvenience, it is so hard and brittle that pieces often chip off whilst the 

 horse is being shod. It is not an infrequent cause of sand-crack, and 

 although this sort of hoof appears to be natural to some animals, it is more 

 generally the result of neglect. When it exists extra care in shoeing is 

 required, as it is often do thin as to make the danger of pricking and 

 consequent lameness imminent. The application of water is to be avoided, 

 because, although it makes the hoof softer at the time, it becomes 

 harder and more brittle and shelly afterwards. 



One of the best preparations to remedy this state of the hoof, prevent 

 sandcrack, and vastly increase the growth of hoof in all cases where weak 

 and shelly, is the preparation known as " Dalziel's Hoof Ointment," being 

 one of the articles in " The Field Horse Medicine Chest " a3 prepared 

 by me, the recipe for making which is as follows, and can be readily 

 made by anyone : 



Dalziel's Hoof Ointment. — Barbadoes tar, 12oz., beeswax, 12oz., mutton 

 suet, 12oz., and yellow rosin 4oz. 



In making, procure a suitable jar in which you intend to keep the oint- 

 ment, and into it place first the rosin and wax, broken up tolerably small, 

 because these require more time to melt than the other ingredients, place in 

 the oven, and when pretty nearly melted add the suet, and, when all three 

 are dissolved, the Barbadoes tar. When taken out of the oven it must be 

 constantly stirred till cold to insure thorough incorporation of ingredients. 

 The hoof should be regularly dressed with this, especially in wet weather, 

 when the horse should never leave the stable without having it first ap- 

 plied. Having washed and dried the hoof, partially melt the top of the 

 ointment and apply it freely with a brush, rubbing it in well, and where 

 the hoof is very thin and weak the horse should wear a leather sole, and 

 having melted a portion of the ointment, it should be poured in warm 

 at the heels. Anyone whose horse requires such treatment, and will give 

 the above a month or two of trial, will be agreeably surprised with the 

 result. 



Broken Knees, — These are probably of more frequent occurrence than 

 any other accident to the horse. Some horses, by their conformation, are 



