198 DISEASES OF THE FEET. 



somewhat similar to that for a prick in shoeing. English practice 

 is opposed to thinning the sole. 



If constipation or colicky pains be present, give a drachm of 

 extract of belladonna, or 40 drops of liquor atropise sulphatis sub- 

 cutaneously (p. 633) and linseed oil; supposing that an injection 

 of eserine and pilocarpine has not been tried. 



A short, slow walk, say, of a hundred yards at a time, should 

 be enforced in cases which arise from idleness and continued stand- 

 ing, as may happen on board ship. After landing healthy horses 

 which have been at sea for three weeks or longer, it is advisable 

 to keep them for a week or ten days in loose boxes ; so that they 

 may recover the use of their feet, before they are, very gradually, 

 brought on to work. A walk, even of a couple of miles, imme- 

 diately after coming off ship, is apt to set up laminitis ; although, 

 previously, no symptoms of that disease had been apparent. For 

 further information on this subject, see "Horses on Board Ship." 



When the hind feet are affected, the horse is often prevented 

 from staling, by the pain the act of stretching himself out would 

 cause him. In these cases, the urine should be drawn off by the 

 catheter (p. 655) three or four times a day. 



After an attack has passed away, employ Broad's rocker shoes, 

 which have been just described, and blister the coronet. 



Schumacher, a Belgian veterinary surgeon, has had great success 

 in severe cases of laminitis by the hypodermic injection of a solution 

 of IJ grain of hydrobromate of arecoline in IJ drachm of water, 

 daily, for four or five days. In recent cases, he bleeds freely. 



PREVENTION OF PARTURIENT LAMINITIS.— If the mare 

 does not cleanse in 6 or 8 hours, the membranes should be removed 

 by an expert, and the womb washed out twice daily with a 

 suitable antiseptic fluid (p. 67). Mr. R. Over points out to me 

 that if the mare is a shiverer (p. 565), recovery is doubtful, even 

 if the attack is only moderately severe ; because her nervous 

 ailment will not allow her to adjust her weight properly. Mr. 

 J. S. Barber, M.R.C.V.S., advises that, on the slightest siga of 

 parturient laminitis, the mare should be bled freely. 



Chronic liaminitis. 



Peuch and Toussaint define chronic laminitis as that condition 

 of the foot in which the inflammation of laminitis has produced 

 deformity of the hoof (Figs. 58 and 59). We are quite safe in 

 assuming that when such deformity exists, the foot has invariably 

 lost a certain amount of its strength and usefulness, and that it is 

 abnormally liable to suffer from an acute attack of this disease. 



