366 PRINCIPLES OF VETERINARY SURGERY 



swelling appears above the coronet between the bulbs of the heels. The 

 abscess may or may not burst at this point. If the inferior opening freely 

 permits the outward flow of' the secretion, the tumefaction above the hoof 

 may not point. In very acute infections the inflammatory process advances 

 to the. articulation or progresses upwards along the tendons and proves fatal 

 from septicaemia and exhaustion or loss of the hoof. The recovery is slow 

 and often incomplete, as in the case of the other Varieties. 



General Symptoms. — Aside from these serious local manifestations 

 grave systemic disturbances always accompany the thecal abscess. The ap- 

 petite is impaired, the temperature is elevated, often to io6 degrees F., the 

 pulse is fast, the respirations accelerated and frequently local areas of per- 

 spiration appear at different parts of the body. The patient will either re- 

 main permanently recumbent or stubbornly persist in remaining in the 

 standing posture until the opposite limb becomes swollen and painfully ex- 

 hausted from supporting the added \yeight. If the patient is not placed in 

 exceptionally appropriate surroundings and given the best of general atten- 

 tion, septicemia, exhaustion and decubitus soon terminate its existence. 



Treatment. — The thecal abscess necessitates more general management 

 of the patient than local treatment of the affected part. The subject must 

 be placed in a large, well bedded place and induced, — even by force, — to 

 lie down to protect the sound leg from the injury that may be sustained by 

 supporting the entire weight of the affected end of the body.- It is essential 

 to roll the subject over several times during each day and to occasionally 

 induce it to return to the standing position from time to time. In fact, the 

 usual precautions to protect the patient against the inevitable results of 

 decumbency, must be carefully executed. The internal administration of 

 febrifuges, stimulants, and laxatives may be of service. The diet should 

 consist of mashes, boiled feeds and the best quality of hay. Succulent feeds, 

 in season, should not be omitted. 



The infected region must be submitted to a frequent or even constant 

 immersion with antiseptic lotions. Thick woolen wraps, repeatedly soaked 

 in hot solutions of carbolic acid, creolin or mercuric chloride, are highly 

 recommended, on account of the practicability of their application. When 

 the abscesses point they are lanced and irrigated moderately with antiseptics. 

 After the abscess formation has entirely ceased, feather firing or blistering 

 may be resorted to, in hopes of hastening the termination of the lameness. 

 Shoeing with exceptionally high heel calks will also assist in hastening the 

 healing process by encouraging the patient to walk about. — L. A. M. 



ULCERS. 



DEFINITION. — An ulcer is a suppurating wound that 

 shows no tendency toward cicatrization. The process that 

 terminates in an ulcer is called "ulceration." The word "ul- 

 ceration" should therefore not be employed as a diminutive 

 of "ulcer." 



Ulcers are either symptomatic or idiopathic. Sympto- 



