403 



CONTRACTED HEELS, 



Contificted lieels, or hoof -bound, as it is someMnics called, is a 

 coiunion disease, especially among horses kejDt on liard floors in dry 

 stables, and in such as are subject to much saddle work. It consists 

 in an atrophy or shrinking of the tissues of the foot, whereby the lat- 

 eral diameter of the heels in particular is diminished. It affects the 

 fore feet XJrincipally, but is seen occasionally in the hind feet, where 

 it is of less importance for the reason that the hind foot first strikes 

 the ground vdth the toe, and, consequently, less expansion of the heels 

 is necessary than in the fore feet, where the weight is first received on 

 the heels, and any interference with the expansibility of this part of 

 the foot interferes with locomotion and ultimatel}' gives rise to lame- 

 ness. Usually but one foot is affected at a time, but when both are 

 diseased the change is greater in one than in the other. Occasionally 

 but one heel, and that the inner one, is contracted; in these cases 

 there is less likely to be lameness and x)ermanent impairment of the 

 animal's usefulness. According to the opinion of some of the French 

 veterinarians, hoof -bound should be divided into two classes — total con- 

 traction, in which the Avhole foot is shrunken in size, and contraction 

 of the heels, when the trouble extends only from the quarters backward. 

 (Plate XXXIV, Figs. 4 and 7.) 



Causes. — Animals raised in Avet or marsh}' districts, when taken to 

 towns and kept on dry floors, are liable to have contracted heels, not 

 alone because the horn becomes diy but because fever of the feet and 

 wasting away of the soft tissues result from the change. Another com- 

 mon cause of contracted heels is to be found in faulty shoeing, such as 

 rasping the wall, cutting away the frog, heels, and bars; high calks 

 and the use of nails too near the heels. Contracted heels may happen 

 also as one of the results of other diseases of the foot; for instance, 

 it often accompanies thrush, side-bones, ringbones, canker, navicular 

 disease, corns, sprains of the flexor t-endons, of the sesamoid and sus- 

 pensory ligaments, and from excessive knuckling of the fetlock joints. 



Sympioras. — In contraction of the heels the foot has lost its circular 

 shape, and the walls from the quarters backward api)roacli to a 

 straight line. The ground surface of the foot is now smaller than the 

 coronary circumference; the frog is pinched between the inclosing 

 heels, is much shrunken, and at times is alfected with thrush. The 

 sole is more concave than natural, the heels are higher, and the bars 

 are long and nearly perpendicular. Tlie whole hoof is dry, and so 

 hard that it can scarcely be cut; the parts toward the heels are scaly 

 and often rigid like the horns of a ram, while fissures, more or less 

 deep, may be seen at the quarters and heels following the direction of 

 the horn fibei^.- (Plate XXXIII, Fig. 10.) When the disease is well 

 advanced lameness is present; in the earlier stages there is only an 

 uneasiness evinced by frequent shifting of the affected foot or feet. 



