212 DISEASES OF THE FEET. 



mares which have become incapacitated from this disease, leave 

 town alive; (3) knowledge among breeders has increased; and 

 (4) wood pavement, asphalte and macadam have to a considerable 

 extent replaced the use of paving stones in streets. 



Travelling over hard groimd greatly affects a horse which 

 has navicular disease, particularly, when he has a heavy weight 

 on his back ; although probably he will be able to go free and well 

 through iDloug'h or on other soft " going." He is usually a bad 

 stumbler on account of being afraid to raise his feet to a proper 

 height, and to tlirow a due amount of pressure on his heels. The 

 lameness wears off to a great extent during exercise, which of 

 course affords only temporary relief. In the very early stages, 

 the horse may work lamer. 



The disease is generally insidious in its approach, there being 

 often nothing to mark it, further than that the horse commences 

 the habit of " pointing " in the stable ; begins to go a little short ; 

 or becomes slightly lame now and then. The owner should not 

 be misled by the lameness working off, but should put the case 

 under treatment without delay; for it will prove incurable if 

 allowed to get beyond an early stage. 



TREATMENT.— Treatment is but of little avail in this disease, 

 after it has become fairly established, in which case, neurotomy 

 (p. 669) is the best palliative. In the first stages, it is well to 

 remove the shoe, and if necessary rasp down the walls and heels 

 so as to obtain frog pressure. We may give a dose of physic, and 

 feed on green food. If there be a running stream at hand, we 

 may make the horse stand in it for a couple of hours, two or 

 three times a day; care being taken that the part of the bed of 

 the stream on which he stands is soft, and that he has soft 

 ground to walk upon, both going from and returning to his stable. 

 Earth can be used for bedding; as it will tend to keep the feet 

 cool. He may be put in a darkened stall by himself, so as to 

 encourage him to lie down as much as possible, which a horse 

 that is affected by this disease is usually inclined to do. If a 

 stream be not of ready access, buckets of cold water can be used 

 for him to stand in. After a fortnight we may apply to the coronet 

 a mild biniodide of mercuiy blister, say, 1 to 16 of lard. Turning 

 the horse out into a grass meadow for some time will often be of 

 benefit. The good effect of all this treatment is transient as a rule. 



PALLIATIVE SHOEING.— In confirmed cases, use shoes with 

 a broad, flat bearing surface, thickened heels, and the toes turned 

 up on the ground surface, but flat on the foot surface (Fig. 71). 

 With this form of shoe, the foot surface of the shoe will bear on 



