466 DISEASES OF THE HOKSE. 



member. If the foreign body remains in the foot, he gradually grows 

 worse from the time of puncture until the cause is discovered and 

 removed. If, when shoeing, a nail is driven into the " quick " (sensi- 

 tive laminae) and allowed to remain, the horse gradually evinces more 

 pain from day to day ; but if the nail has at once been removed by the 

 smith, lameness does not, as a rule, show itself for some days ; or, if 

 the nail is simply driven " too close," not actually pricking the horse, 

 he may not show any lameness for a week or even much longer. At 

 this point it is due the blacksmith to say that, considering how thin 

 the walls of some feet are, the uneasiness of many horses while shoe- 

 ing, the ease with which a nail is diverted from its course by striking 

 an old piece of nail left in the wall, or from the nail itself splitting, 

 the wonder is not that so many horses are pricked or nails driven 

 " too close," but rather that many more are not so injured. It is not 

 always carelessness or ignorance on the part of the smith, by any 

 means, tl^at is to account for this accident. Bad and careless shoers 

 we do meet with, but let us be honest and say that the rarity of these 

 accidents points rather to the general care .and attention given by 

 these much-abused mechanics. 



From the construction of the horse's foot (being incased in an im- 

 permeable horny box) , and from the elasticity of the horn closing the 

 orifice, punctured wounds of the feet are almost always productive 

 of lameness. Inflammation results, and as there is no relief afforded 

 by swelling and no escape for the product of inflammation, this mat- 

 ter must and does burrow between the sole or wall and the sensitive 

 parts within it until it generally opens " between hair and hoof." 

 We can thus see why pain is so much more severe, why tetanus (lock- 

 jaw) more frequently follows wounds of the feet, and why, from the 

 extensive, or at times complete, separation and " casting " of the hoof, 

 these wounds must always be regarded with grave apprehension. 



Symptoms and treatment. — A practice which, if never deviated 

 from — that of picking up each foot, cleaning the sole, and thoroughly 

 examining the foot each and every time the horse comes into the 

 stable — will enable us to reduce the serious consequences of punctured 

 wounds »f the feet to the minimum. If the wound has resulted from 

 pricking, lameness follows soon after shoeing ; if from the nails being 

 driven too close", it usually appears from four to five days or a week 

 after receiving the shoe. We should always inquire as to the time of 

 shoeing, examine the shoe carefully, and see whether it has been par- 

 tially pulled and the horse stepped back upon some of the nails or the 

 clip. The pain from these wounds is lancinating; the horse is seen 

 to raise and lower the limb or hold it from the ground altogether; 

 often he points the foot, flexes the leg, and knuckles at the fetlock. 

 Swelling of the fetlock and back tendons is also frequently seen and 



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