164 THE farmer's veterinarian 



When founder occurs in one foot, however, as it 

 sometimes does, the diagnosis may be more dif- 

 ficult for the inexperienced. When it occurs only 

 in the hind feet the position which the animal takes 

 will not be different from that taken with founder 

 in only both fore feet but from different causes. 

 The hind feet are brought well forward under the 

 body, but for the purpose of throwing such little 

 weight as is borne on them on the heels. 



The Feet Should Be Kept Moist. — Remove the 

 shoes and apply moisture to the feet. The latter 

 may be done by standing the animal in water five 

 or six inches deep each day, several hours at a 

 time, or by the application of a poultice of wheat 

 bran or some such material, or by wrapping the 

 feet with cloths and keeping them thoroughly 

 saturated with water. The animal should always 

 be encouraged to lie down and take the weight off 

 his feet, which is beneficial. When this occurs, a 

 poultice of some sort must be used to apply mois- 

 ture to the feet. It may be applied by the use of 

 a sack large enough to envelop the foot and hold 

 sufficient of the poultice to retain the moisture for 

 some time. This application of moisture to the 

 feet should be continued until the severity of the 

 inflammation and the lameness have subsided. 



Unless the founder be due to excessive purga- 

 tion, a quart of raw linseed oil should be given as 

 a purgative. During the first 48 hours from 30 

 to 40 drops of tincture of aconite may be given 

 every three or four hours. Four tablespoonfuls of 

 nitrate of potash (saltpeter) should also be given 

 three times a day in the feed or on the tongue. If 

 the lameness continues after the acute symptoms 

 have subsided, a rest of several weeks on a soft 

 pasture and the application of a blister around the 



