202 COMPENDIUM OF THE VETERINARY ART. 



In some cases, however, no appearance of dis- 

 ease can be perceived on the internal parts of 

 the foot. When the disease has gone so far 

 as to injure the lamiiice, cartilages, or coffin 

 bone, there is not a possibihty of removing it, 

 which shows how necessary it is to attend to 

 the feet of horses more than is commonlv done : 

 and that whenever any alteration is perceived 

 to be going on in the shape of the foot; when 

 the heels appear to be getting narrower, the 

 frog squeezed together, and discharging mat- 

 ter, ill consequence of the compression which 

 the sensible frog suffers ; it surely must be of 

 importance to adopt such measures as will not 

 only prevent the disease from going any fur- 

 ther, but will also restore the foot to its na- 

 tural healthy state : for when it has gone so 

 far as to produce absolute lameness, the cure 

 is by no means certain. How ffequently do 

 we meet with horses that are said to be tender 

 in the feet ! and how subject are they to fall 

 in consequence of this tenderness, which ge- 

 nerally arises from contraction of the crust! 

 In this case the sensible frog is extremely irri- 

 table and inflamed; and the horny frog which 

 Nature designed for its protection being soft 

 or rotten, and inadequate to its function, every 



