TENOTOMY. 



607 



Pig. 



927. — Drawing of Model Shoe ami Bar Designed 

 for this Purpose, and its Adjustment. 



The operation is as follows : The horse is secured (in some cases throwing down 



is unnecessary), the leg is flexed or bent at the knee, a very small incision is made 



through the skin on the inside of the 



leg, at the inner border of the tendon, 



where it stands out freest from the 



"cannon bone," at a, Fig. 925. Then 



insert a probe-pointed tenotomy knife, 



keeping it pressed as close to the 



tendon as possible to avoid cutting the 



artery, which may be better protected 



by pressing .with the fingers of the left 



hand toward the bone, all the soft 



tissues lying in front of the ten- 

 don. Press the knife in until the 



skin is reached, but not cut, on 



the opposite side ; tarn the edge ! 



'toward the tendon, cut carefully 



backward, while an attendant 



straightens the limb, until both 



tendons are severed, if necessary, 



to let' the limb out straight. But 



a small wound' is best for the 



healing process. And where ad- 

 hesions have taken place, force is - 



required to straighten out the foot, with the brace or 

 stay shoe. (See Fig. 927.) With a little antiseptic 

 dressing occasionally to the wound, recovery will 

 take place early. As a much better "set " limb can 

 be had with use of the stay shot, it may be added that 

 one can be easily made by welding a bar of the de- 

 sired length on the old shoe, setting it to the position 

 of the sound limb, then packing and bandaging all 

 together just above the point of operation, (See 

 illustrations 927, 928.) 



The adjustable brace shoe, shown in Fig. 926, is also 

 simple, which is taken from the very shoe actually in 

 use on one of the worst cases of contraction of the 

 flexor tendon ever in New York City. A horse be- 

 longing to Messrs. Smith & Mc William, Manhattan 

 Gas' Works;, N. Y.,' was a large, powerful draught 

 horse, between fourteen and fifteen hundred weight, 

 used at very heavy work. Through some sprain to 

 the off hind limb, he kept walking on the toe for 

 about five or six months. Every . known remedy 

 was tried to prevent knuckling, both as regards med- 

 ical treatment and. shoeing, . Heavy plates of steel 

 were welded in front of the toe of the shoe. During 

 antother six months, he kept going over, until finally 

 he walked on the anterior face of the hoof, with the 

 fetlock joint resting on the ground. Fig. 925 shows 

 the position in which the foot was carried. Tb» 



Fro. 928. — Form of Shoe and 

 Bar Used by French Veter- 

 inarians. 



