404 



Stiiiubling is common, especially on hard or rougli roads. In most 

 cases the animal comes out of the stable stiff and inclined to walk on 

 the toe, but after exercise he may go free again. lie wears his shoes 

 off at the toe in a short time, no matter whether he works or remains 

 in the stable. If the shoe is removed and the foot jjared, in old cases 

 a dry, meal}^ horn will be found where the sole and wall unite, extend- 

 ing upward in a narrow line toward the quarters. 



Treatment. — First of all, the preventive measures must be consid- 

 ered. The feet must be kept moist and the horn be prevented from 

 drying out by the use of moist sawdust or other damp bedding; by 

 occasional i3oultices of boiled turnips, linseed meal, etc., and the use 

 of greasy hoof ointments to botli the sole and walls of the feet. The 

 wall of the foot should be si)ared from the abuse of the rasp ; the frog, 

 heels, and bars are not to be mutilated Avith the knife, nor should 

 calks be used on the shoe except when absolutelj^ necessary. The 

 shoes should be reset at least once a month, to prevent the feet from 

 becoming too long, and daily exercise must be insisted on. 



As to curative measures a diversity of opinion exists. A number 

 of kinds of special shoes have been invented, having for an object the 

 spreading of the heels, and perhaps any of these, if properly used, 

 would eventually effect the desired result. But a serious objection to 

 most of these shoes is that they are expensive and often difficult of 

 make and application. The method of treatment which I have adopted 

 in these cases is not only attended with good results, but is inexpen- 

 sive, if the loss of the patient's services for a time is not considered a 

 part of the question. It consists, first, in the use of poultices or baths 

 of cold water for a few days until the horn is thoroughly softened. 

 The foot is now prepared for the shoe in the usual way, except that 

 the heels are lowered a little, the frog remaining untouched. A shoe 

 called a "tip" is made by cutting off both branches at the center of 

 the foot and drawing the ends down to an edge. The tapering of the 

 branches should begin at the toe, and the shoe should be of the usual 

 width, with both the upper and lower surfaces flat. This tip is to be 

 fastened on with six or eight small nails, all set well forward, two 

 being in the toe. With a common foot rasp begin at the heels, close 

 to the coronet, and cut away the horn of the wall until only a thin 

 layer covers the soft tissues beneath. Cut forward until the new sur- 

 face meets the same 2^ or 3 inches from the heel. The same slox3ing 

 shape is to be observed in cutting downward toward the bottom of 

 the foot, at which point the wall is to retain its normal thickness. 

 The foot is now blistered all around the coronet with Spanish fly oint- 

 ment, and when this is well set the patient is to be turned to pasture 

 in a damp field or meadow. The blister should be repeated in three 

 or four weeks, and, as a rule, the patient can be returned to work in 

 two or three months' time. The object of the tip is to throw the weight 

 on 1 lie frog and heels, which are readily spread after the horn has 



