378 



Tbe discharge in tliis form of quittor is generally thin, -svatery, and con- 

 tains enough pus to give it a pale yellow color ; it is ofieusive to the sense 

 of smell, due to the detachment of small flakes of the cartilage which 

 have become gangrenous and are are to be seen in the discharge in the 

 form of small greenish-colored particles. In old cases it is not unusual 

 to find some of the fistulous openings heal at the surface 5 this is fol- 

 lowed by the gradual collection of pus in the deeper parts, forming an 

 abscess, which in a short time opens at a new point. The wall of the 

 hoof, over the affected quarter and heel, in very old cases, becomes 

 rough and wrinkled like the horn of a ram ; and generally it is thicker 

 than the correspondiug quarter, owing to the stimulating effect which 

 the disease has upon the coronary band. 



Complications may arise by an extension of the disease to the lateral 

 ligament of the coflQn joint, to the joint itself, to the plantar cushion, 

 and by caries of the cofiin bone. 



Treatment. — Before recovery can take place in these cases all of the 

 dead cartilage must be removed. In rare instances this is effected by 

 nature without assistance. Usually, however, the disease does not tend 

 to recovery, and active curative measures must be adopted. The best 

 and simj)lest treatment in a majority of cases is the injection of strong- 

 caustic solutions, which are intended to destroy the diseased cartilage, 

 and to cause its removal, along with the otlier products of suppuration. 

 In favorable cases these injections will secure a healing of the wound 

 in from two to three week's time. While the saturated solution of the 

 sulphate of copper, or a solution of 10 parts of bi-chloride of mercury to 

 100 parts of water, has given the best results in my hands, equally as 

 favorable success has been secured by others from the use of caustic 

 soda, nitrate of silver, sulphate of zinc, tincture of iodine, etc. But no 

 matter which one of these remedies may be selected, it must be used at 

 least twice a day for a time. The solution is to be injected into the 

 various openings with enough force to drive it to the bottom of the 

 wound, after which the foot is to be dressed with a pad of oakum, held 

 in place by a roller bandage tightly applied. T\'hile it is not always 

 necessary, in many cases it is of advantage to relieve the pressure on 

 the parts by rasping away the horn over the seat of the cartilage; the 

 coronary band and the laminpe should not be injured in the operation. 



If the caustic injections prove successful, the discharge will become 

 healthy and gradually diminish, so that by the end of the second week 

 it will be found that the fistulous tracts are closing up, and that the 

 injections are made with much difficulty. 



If, on the other hand, there is but little or no improvement after this 

 treatment has been used for three weeks, it may reasonably be con- 

 cluded that the operation for the removal of the lateral cartilage must 

 be resorted to for the cure of the trouble. As this operation can be 

 safely undertaken only by an expert surgeon, it will not be described in 

 this connection. 



