466 



recoverj'^ slow and tedious, and the treatment so varied and difficult 

 that the services of a veterinarian will be necessary. 



Punctured wounds of joints — Open joints. — These wounds are more 

 or less frequent. They are always serious, and often result in anchy- 

 losis (stiff ening) of the joint or death of the animal. The joints mostly 

 punctured are the hock, fetlock, or knee, though other joints may of 

 course suffer this injury. As the symptoms and treatment are much 

 the same for all, I will only describe this accident as it occurs in the 

 hock joint. Probably the most common mode of injury is from the stab 

 of a fork, but it may result from the kick of another horse that is 

 newl}'' shod, or in many other ways. At first the horse evinces but 

 slight pain or lameness. The owner discovers a small wound scarcely 

 larger than a i)ea, and iiays but little attention to it. In a few days, 

 however, the pain and lameness become excessive ; the horse can no 

 longer bear any weight ujion the injured leg; the joint is very much 

 swollen and painful ui)on i)ressure; there are well-marked s^'m^jtoms 

 of constitutional disturbance — c^uick i)ulse, hurried breathing, liigh 

 temi^erature, 103° to 106° Fahr., the apiDetite is lost, thirst is present, 

 the horse reeks with sweat, and shows by an anxious countenance the 

 pain he suffers. He may lie down, though mostly he persists in stand- 

 ing, and the opposite limb becomes greatly swollen from bearing the 

 entire weiglit and strain for so long a time. The wound, which at 

 first appeared so insignificant, is now constantly discharging a thin 

 whitish or yellowish fluid — joint-oil or water, which becomes coagu- 

 lated about the mouth of the wound and adheres to the part in clots 

 like jelly, or resembling somewhat the white of an egg. Not infre- 

 quently the joint oj)ens at different places, discharging at first a thin 

 bloody fluid that soon assumes the character above described. 



Treatment of these wounds is most difficult and unsatisfactory. In 

 my own exx)erience we can do much to j)revent this arraj' of symptoms 

 if the case is seen early — within the first twenty-four or forty-eight 

 hours after the injury; but when inflammation of the joint is once 

 fairl}' established the case becomes one of grave tendencies. When- 

 ever a punctured Avound of a joint is noticed, even though apparently 

 of but small moment, we should without the least delay apply a strong 

 cantharides blister over the entire joint, being even careful to fill the 

 orifice of the wound Avith the blistering ointment. This treatment is 

 almost always effectual. It operates to x^erf orm a cure in two ways — 

 first, the swelling of the skin and tissues underneath it completely 

 closes the wound and j)re vents the ingress of air; second, by the super- 

 ficial inflammation established it acts to check and abate all deep- 

 seated inflammation. In the great majority of instances, if i)ursued 

 soon after the accident, this treatment performs a cure in about one 

 week, but should the changes described as occurring later in the joint 

 have already taken place, we must then treat by cooling lotions and 

 the application to the wound of chloride of zinc, 10 grains to the ounce 



