300 FKACTURES. 



longer than a month. After the symptomatic fever has passed 

 off and repair has made fair progress, say, in ten days, the sufferer 

 can generally be trusted, without slings, to take care of the injured 

 part, especially when he has a deep, soft bed under him, and when 

 he has been in the meantime, kept low on green grass and carrots. 



Splints and bandages need not remain on longer than six or 

 seven weeks, by which time the reparative material will, as a rule, 

 have become sufficiently solid to keep the broken ends together 

 without their aid ; although the animal, in the case of a fractured 

 limb, should not be taken out of his stable for another month and 

 a half. Usually, it would not be safe to begin work sooner than 

 five months after the accident. 



A mild aperient, such as a pint of linseed oil, and laxative food, 

 will be of service. The broken bone will often not unite until the 

 animal gets a change of food and plenty of green-meat. If he 

 suffers from great pain, in the first instance, we may give 1 oz. of 

 chloral hydrate in a pint of water. If, after union has taken place, 

 there remains a large deposit of bony material which was thrown 

 out for the repair of the injury, the part should be blistered two or 

 three times with biniodide of mercury, or deeply fired with a 

 pointed iron at different places. 



The most common fractures are those of the point of the hip, 

 the pastern bones, and the tibia (the bone which lies between the 

 hock and the stifle). 



Anterior iliac spine. — See " Point of the hip," p. 308. 



Back. 



By the term " broken back " is meant fracture of one of the 

 vertebrae of the loins or back. The former accident is almost 

 always fatal ; although recovery after the latter not very unusually 

 occurs on account of the support afforded by the ribs in keeping the 

 divided ends together. If the resulting paralysis be but slight, 

 there is every hope that the case will do well; but if the loss of 

 muscular power be complete, recovery will be out of the question.- 

 If, after a horse has got up after having had a fall, there be reason 

 to believe that he has broken his back without displacement of the 

 fractured ends, he should if possible be kept on his legs, so as to 

 prevent him getting down ; for the effort in lying down or in rising 

 might cause displacement which would have a fatal result. It 

 would be better to tie the horse up, if he can stand without support, 

 than to put him in slings ; for by bearing his weight on them, he 

 would be apt to "roach" his back, and thus separate the broken 

 ends. A cantharides blister rubbed over the suspected part would 



