BEOKEN KNEES. 97 



the accident, and a sac has been thus formed into which dirt has 

 entered. In this case, the sac should be probed, and, at its lowest 

 point, a horizontal orifice — so that the subsequent scar may be con^ 

 cealed by the hair — should be made with the knife, and a piece of 

 narrow tape or a string of horse hairs (p. 76) passed through it, as 

 a seton, to allow of dirt, etc., working out. Occasionally, this sac 

 is not apparent for some days. It will then be found soft to the 

 touch, and full of pus when it is opened — as it should be — at its 

 lowest point. In such cases, the little finger may generally, with 

 advantage, be substituted for the probe, which is an instrument 

 that should be used with great caution about the knee, for both the 

 tendons and joints of that part lie very close to the surface. 



If the wound continues in a sluggish condition with but little 

 discharge, we may, after dusting it over freely with tannoform, 

 cover it with antiseptic cotton-wool, and then apply over it, with 

 judiciously regulated pressure, a cotton wadding bandage in the 

 manner described for sprains (p. 45), with the object of quicken- 

 ing the circulation of blood in the part. As a rule, the application 

 of evenly distributed pressure will act far better in stimulating the 

 part to healthy action, than the use of caustics. 



Mr. Harold Leeney states, with reference to broken knees, that 

 " A large experience of these cases leads me to think that the least 

 blemish is olDtained by picking off the scab every two or three days. 

 I find that the divided edges are brought closer together, each time 

 this is done. I have had a smaller blemish with old cab-horses, than 

 was left on any of the preceding occasions they had been down." 



If the injury be severe, a moderate dose of aloes may be given 

 with advantage. In all cases, the food should at first be of a 

 laxative nature. After the high bodily temperature caused by the 

 injury has passed off, the animal's strength should be kept up by 

 fairly liberal feeding. 



Kerosene (paraffin) oil, or a mild blister, may be subsequently 

 used to stimulate the growth of hair. 



LEGAL ASPECT OF BROKEN KNEES.— This accident, after 

 the wound has healed, is or is not an unsoundness according to the 

 degree of injury inflicted. Although the slightest mark on the 

 knee, as a rule, seriously detracts from the market value of a horse, 

 the accident may not in any way injuriously affect Ms usefulness. In 

 such a case, all requirements will be met by the fact of the blemish 

 being mentioned in the certificate given by the veterinary surgeon. 

 As regards the question of soundness, it does not matter a great 

 deal how the horse got " marked ; " for it is quite possible for an 

 animal to fall down in the middle of a road from no fault of his 

 own. If we had positive proof that the injury was caused by a fall 



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