418 



DISEASES AND THEIR TREATMENT. 



inflammation and its location, from being scarcely noticeable at first, 

 and passing off entirely after going a little ways, to severe lameness 

 or stiffness of the hock, which greatly improves or disappears when 

 warmed up during a sharp drive of a few miles, but appearing much 

 worse after such a drive when the blood is again cooled. The hock 

 is observed to be less freely used than the other. He is worse on 

 the hard road. He limps considerably when he strikes his toe on 

 a stone or the ground. If the leg be taken up and the joint forcibly 

 extended or flexed, he will limp quite badly. Spavined horses gen- 

 erally lose condition, and from the 

 pain caused by rising they fre- 

 quently stand for a long time. 



If it is the result of a strain, 

 causing acute inflammation, the 

 lameness will not pass off by ex- 

 ercise so readily as it will after" it 

 becomes chronic. 



An enlargement usually makes 

 its appearance from the fifth to the 

 sixth week. Any prominence can 

 be seen by standing in front of the 

 horse about three or four feet from 

 the shoulder, and looking back 

 across the hock, or by standing 

 behind the horse and looking for- 

 ward across the hock. 



The effort the horse makes to relieve the heels by walking upon 

 the toe, indicates the necessity of removing the shoe, raising the 

 heel-calks, hammering down or cutting off the toe-calks, and round- 

 ing the toe. 



Care must be taken not to mistake a natural fullness, known- as 

 "rough hocks ;" and it is always advisable to compare the one hock 

 with the other. We frequently have inflammation or spavin unit- 

 ing the small bones without the least outward enlargement. Fig. 708. 

 Quite often, before any enlargement appears, the trouble may 

 be mistaken for hip lameness. But in this difficulty there is a pe- 

 culiar dragging motion, and for want of muscular action the hip is 

 sametimes fallen in or wasted, while in spavin the leg is lifted and 

 brought forward easily, traveling mostly on the toe, and shows 

 marked improvement by exercise. 



Treatment. — If there is heat during the first few days, use cool- 

 ing applications, such as an ounce of sugar of lead to half a pail <3f 



Pig. 716.— i Healthy 

 Hock. 



Fig. 717.— A Jack 

 Spavin. 



