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be divided for the purpose of securing temporary relief. Firing and 

 blistering the parts responsible for the knuckling may, in some in- 

 stances, effect a cure; but a consideration of tbese measures properly 

 belongs to the treatment of the diseases in which knuckling simply 

 appears as a sequel. 



WIND-GALLS. 



Joints and tendons are furnished with sacs containing a lubricating 

 fluid called synovia. When these sacs are overdistended, by reason 

 of an excessive secretion of synovia, they are called wind-galls. They 

 form a soft, puffy tumor about the size of a hickory nut, and are most 

 often found in the foreleg, at the upper part of the fetlock joint, be- 

 tween the tendon and the shin-bone. When they develop in the hind 

 leg it is not unusual to see them reach the size of a walnut. Occasion- 

 ally they appear in front of the fetlock on the border of the tendon. 

 The majority of the horses are not subject to them after colthood is 

 passed. 



Causes. — Wind-galls are often seen in young, overgrown horses, 

 ■where the body seems to have outgrown the ability of the joints to sus- 

 tain the weight. In cart and other horses used to hard work, in trotters 

 with excessive knee action, in hurdle racers and hunters, and in most 

 cow-ponies there is a predisposition to wind-galls. Street-car horses 

 and others used to start heavy loads on slippery streets are the ones 

 most apt to develop wind-galls in the hind legs. 



Spnptoms. — The tumor is more or less firm and tense when the foot 

 is on the ground, but is soft and compressible when the foot is off the 

 ground. In old horses wind-galls generally develop slowly and cause 

 no inconvenience. If they are caused by excessive tension of the joint 

 the tumor develops rapidly, is tense, hot, and painful, and the animal 

 is exceedingly lame. The patient stands with the joint flexed, walks 

 with short steps, the toe only being placed on the ground. When the 

 tumor is large and situated upon the inside of the leg it may be injured 

 by interfering, causing stumbling and inflammation of the sac. Rest 

 generally causes the tumor to diminish in size, only to fill up again after 

 renewed labor. In old cases the tumors are hardened, and may be- 

 come converted into bone by a deposit of the lime salts. 



Treatment.— The Jarge, puffy joints of suckling colts, as a rule, re- 

 quire no treatment, for as the animal grows older the parts clean up, 

 and after a time the swelling entirely disappears. 



When the trouble is due to an injury, entire rest is to be secured by 

 the use of slings and a high-heeled shoe. Cold water douches should 

 be used once or twice a day, followed by cold water bandages, until 

 the fever has subsided and the soreness is largely removed, when a 

 blister is to be applied. 



In old wind-galls, which cause more or less stiffness, some relief may 

 be had by the use of cold compress bandages, elastic boots, or the red 



