DISEASES OF THE BONES. 



425 



Fio. 728.— Joint Anchy- 

 losed in Ring-bone, with- 

 out Enlargement. The 

 Roughened Appearance 

 of the Bono the Result 

 of Inflammation of 

 the Periosteum. 



Ring - Bone. " i 



The treatment for ring-bone, Splints, curbs, and spavins is prac- 

 tically the same. If 

 there is inflammation, 

 the result of recent 

 strain, use cooling ap- 

 plications, and give the 

 horse rest until it passes 

 off, when counter-irrita- 

 tion by blistering or fir- 

 ing must be resorted to. 



A ring-bone is a ( bony 

 excrescence, or enlarge- 

 ment, about the pastern, 

 most frequently occur- 

 ring in the hind leg. 

 Sometimes it does not 

 cause much lameness, 

 while again the^ lame- 

 ness may be very severe, 

 and perhaps incurable. 

 This will depend much upon the location of 



the enlargement upon the joint. Should it be upon the center of the 



bone, it may not occasion any trouble ; but if upon the margin of 



the joint, it is liable to cause much lameness. 



Fig. 729, taken from a photograph, is a front 



view of an enlarged anchylosed joint, or ring- 

 bone ; Fig. 73,0 is a view of another specimen 



cut through the center, showing the joint grown 



solid. I include an illustration of quite a bad 



ring-bone, and the same clipped, lined, and also 



dotted to show how the firing should be done 



by the pyro-puncturing process. 

 At first there may be a somewhat tender and 



yielding enlargement, which, in the course of 



time, becomes a hard, bony formation. Second, 



the horse may make an effort to relieve the 



pressure from the heels or toe, according to 



the location of the inflammation. Should he p 1Q< 730.— Longitudinal 



raise the heels, then raise the heel-calks and Section of Joint after 



round the toe. If on the other hand he seems Anchylosis. 



Pig. 729.— Ring-bone. The 



Joint Anchylosed and 



Enlarged. 



