59 



In a good working beast the lower margins of the toe-nails will 

 be found worn, but on the march often this and the general wear 

 of the pad lead to Foot-soreness . We have elsewhere dealt with 

 the measures necessary to prevent tliis or to enable animals 

 affected with overworn feet to continue at work, A predispos- 

 ing cause is overweighting and we may recall to mind that 

 too prolonged work on roads, also marching along the road 

 directly after traversing marshes and rivera and before the feet 

 have had time to dry act as causes. 



Soke Feet or " Thullee." Imperfect removal of ui-ine and fa;ceS 

 from the picketing ground tends to keep the feet soft, and 

 animals used in heavy draught are liable to overwear at the 

 junction of the hoof slipper with the skin, a part not adapted 

 to stand wear but exposed to friction by the unnatural work to 

 which the animal is put. In acute cases the animal must be 

 rested and the feet bathed with Alum water and the process of 

 Chobing, which we elsewhere describe in detail, resorted to. 



"Kandi" or Abscess in the Foot is a common form of disorder, 

 the result of thorns or stumps of wood penetrating the horny 

 sole, or the animal stumbling and bringing the foot down suddenly 

 on to a sharp edged flint; also it has been attributed to cold, as 

 from continuously marching over damp ground. The sole, too, 

 may be bruised by the foot slipping on a rolling stone. Some- 

 times the mahouts wilfully lame their elephants to save them- 

 selves trouble and to avoid the risk of advance into an enemy's 

 country. These cases being preventible with caro, a mahout 

 should always be put on stoppages while his animal remains lame. 

 In acute cases the lameness is extreme, and inflammation runs 

 high in the foot, which the animal constantly soothes with hia 

 trunk and cools by blowing water over it, and there is great 

 flinching on pressure. When the case is neglected a true Quittor 

 forms, known to the natives as Butnhood or TaivaJch (Hood) — the 

 escape of pus taking place either at the top of the nail or round 

 the edge of the hoof slipper. In the former case the state of the 

 parts much resembles that seen in quitter of the horse but in the 

 latter generally the sole is extensively underruu. Either form 

 may result from neglected Foot and ^louth disease. Treatment, 

 consists in that ordinarily adopted fur penetrating ulcers — in- 

 cluding removal of horn sufficiently to make a depending orifice. 



