THE HORSE IN SICKNESS AND DISEASE 409 



by the sensible laminae, elsewhere described. When the 

 foot is sound and the animal healthy, these two are one 

 substance, and together make the "hoof" to which the shoe is 

 nailed. When overwork, interrupted or disordered secretion, 

 or unobserved injury affects the functions of the parts, the 

 mischief begins, and the two kinds of horn begin to separate, 

 as the human nail does from the " quick," as it is popularly 

 termed. This beginning is always at the front; hence the term 

 "seedy-toe." On gently tapping a foot with this affection, 

 a peculiar hollow sound is perceived if the mischief is 

 extensive ; and upon removing the shoe a cavity between 

 the two layers of horn is visible, up which a piece of soft 

 wood may be passed to ascertain the depth of the lesion. 



Treat7}ient — Put the horse in a loose airy box, and feed 

 him with sound, dry food, and give a mild dose of cooling 

 medicine. Then gradually cut away so much of the outer 

 wall of the hoof, beginning at the toe, as is clearly detached 

 from the inner. Examine from time to time, and cut away 

 the crust as far as the detachment, should it not have been 

 already completely removed. The new solid hoof will be 

 found to be growing downwards from the coronet, and in a 

 month or two rapidly forming and hardening. Rest and 

 good feeding accelerate the secretion. The cure is in most 

 cases complete. 



FALSE QUARTER 



is the absence of a portion of the outer crust of the hoof, 

 and the sensible laminae are consequently exposed at the 

 point where this deficiency occurs ; the spongy inner wall, 

 spoken of in the last article, alone covering them — an 

 insufficient protection, and liable to painful injury and 

 rupture, when bleeding and fungous growths follow, the 

 latter being squeezed painfully between the edges of the 

 remaining hoof, and laming the sufferer. The treatment of 

 sand-crack is to be followed ; but as the hoof will not grow 

 again in false quarter, owing to a portion of the secreting 

 coronary band being absent entirely, there is no remedy 

 but a palliative. This is found in the bar shoe, with a 

 clip at the toe, the bearing of the foot being eased off at 

 the place where the want of hoof is visible. Then place a 

 piece of softened gutta-percha of the required thickness to 

 fill up the hollow between the foot and the upper face of 



