234 DISEASES OF THE HORSE'S FOOT 



calkin of the opposite foot. Where a wound in this posi- 

 tion is characterized by an excessive flow of synovia, the 

 condition should be suspected, and, if the wound be large 

 enough, the little finger should be introduced in order to 

 ascertain. Needless to say, the injury is a grave one. 



(e) Sand-crack. — Sand-crack is likely to result from tread 

 when an injury is inflicted in the region of the quarter by a 

 severe overreach. Treads, too, especially with the calkin 

 of the hind-shoe, are especially apt to end in this way. In 

 this latter instance the sand-crack usually has its origin 

 in a nasty jagged tear at the top of the wall of the toe. 



(/) Quittor. — In one respect any suppurating wound at 

 the coronet may be deemed a quittor. By indicating quittor 

 as a complication of coronitis, however, we denote the 

 more serious form of this disease, in which the wound has 

 taken on a sinuous character, and conducted pus to invasion 

 of the lateral cartilage. It is one of the worst complica- 

 tions we are likely to meet with in this condition, and will 

 be found fully described in Chapter X. 



(f/) False Quarter. — This complication of coronitis occurs 

 when the injury or after-effect of the formation of pus has 

 been severe enough to destroy outright a comparatively 

 large portion of the papillary layer of the coronary cushion. 

 To this condition we devote Section D of this chapter. 



Prognosis. — In giving a prognosis in a case of coronitis, 

 attention should be paid to the manner in which the condi- 

 tion originated, and the extent, when present, of the wound. 



When the inflammatory swelling has arisen from bruis- 

 ing alone, without actual division of the skin, when the 

 weather is that of winter, and the swelling showing a 

 marked tendency to spread, then the prognosis must be 

 guarded. As we have seen, this state of affairs is probably 

 ushering in a condition of spreading suppuration of the 

 coronary cushion, and considerable gangrene and slough- 

 ing of the skin. We have here no intimation as yet of 

 how far the suppurative process may run, nor what im- 

 portant structures it may involve. Consequently, the 

 guarded prognosis we have mentioned is imperative. 



