146 JWRAL YETERINAIIY ^ECRET^ 



l)lex even the expert veterinarian; to aid us in the detection of the dis- 

 eases certain symptoms have been noticed as accompanying certain con- 

 cHtions; e. g., if the animal is hime in the shoulder, the foot is kept 

 l)ehind its fellow and the limb and knee are relaxed, the toe touching 

 the ground. The limb may be said to hang loosely and when brought 

 forward it describes an out turn. In elbow lameness the forearm is 

 extended, the knee flexed and the foot is on a le\el or behind its fellow. 



LAMENESS may be shown when the foot of the lame leg is on 

 the ground, e. g., in corns, when the foot is oft' the ground stift'ness of 

 tlie knee may be shown, although little pain is evidenced. It is useful 

 lo know that lameness may be partially hidden (masked) in a horse In 

 the manipulation of the groom, such as exciting him, showing him on 

 soft ground, preventing the animal breaking into a trot by holding him 

 tightly by the head and by keeping the sound side to the examiner. The 

 lame animal should be examined both in the stable and outside, in the 

 latter case at both trot and walk, so as to properly detect the trouble. 

 If the horse is sound he will stand squarely on the forefeet, with prob 

 ably one hind foot rested alternately, or if very tired, a near foot and 

 oft" hind foot will be flexed or vice versa. 



POINTING is a term often used in connection with lameness; a 

 horse is said to point with a fore foot, if, when standing he keeps it in 

 advance of its fellow, in which case the heel or toe may be raised or the 

 foot placed flat upon the ground. 



The novice is often perplexed to know whether the lameness is 

 before or behind, according as the animal is trotted to or from him. 

 In this connection it might be mentioned that the head and neck consti- 

 tute the balancing pole of the body. In lameness of the fore limb the 

 head, if free, will be raised higher than usual when the lame leg, if a 

 front one, comes down on the ground. A sharp turn to the right or left 

 will also aid, as the weight will be thrown on the forehand. If the 

 lameness is behind, the head will be lowered when the limb is brought 

 to the ground. The slow trot on hard ground with the groom a couple 

 of feet from the animal's head, who is made to go straigJit a-ivay, will 

 be the best pace at which to examine. If lameness in front is suspected, 

 have the animal trotted towards you and note the movements of the 

 head, the legs and the feet ; then note the action from the side, whether 

 shortened or not, and if the actions of the muscles of the limb are un- 

 derstood, the variations from the natural gait will be more readily un- 

 derstood. Uprightness of a fore pastern is symptomatic of lameness 

 in the foot of that limb. Usually if the fore i)art of the foot is aft"ecled, 

 the heel is lowered, e. g., in P\)under. If the back part is aft"ected as in 

 cofhn joint lameness, (navicular disease) the heel is raised, while if 



