144 VETERINARY SURGICAL OPERATIONS 



For ringbones the operation is not as universally success- 

 ful, in fact it is sometime very treacherous. This indication 

 must be more carefully judged. When the lameness is recent 

 and pronounced it is strictly contra-indicated in every case, 

 but in the old case in which the motion of the joints is al- 

 ready manifestly limited by a more or less firm ankylosis, 

 plantar neurotomy very often transforms a useless animal 

 into a fair worker although some lameness remains. The 

 cure is seldom complete, but the degree of relief is often sat- 

 isfactory. Ringbone may also be included among the indica- 

 tions for plantar neurotomy when all other remedies have 

 failed. Here it is defended as an operation of last resort; 

 the patient being worthless, any expedient may be tried. 

 Quite frequently horses lame from very large ringbones are 

 much improved by plantar neurotomy followed' by the appli- 

 cation of a roller-motion shoe to compensate for the ob- 

 structed joint action. 



In both ringbone and sidebone the operation is often fol- 

 lowed by a marked reduction in the size of the exostosis. 

 They seldom increase after the operation has been per- 

 formed ; the productive process seems to be arrested by the 

 interrupted innervation. 



Lesions following nail pricks a~re sometimes suitable indi- 

 cations, but in no case must the operation be performed too 

 early. It is only after a year or more that plantar neurotomy 

 is a safe procedure in such cases, and then only when the 

 lameness is not too pronounced. Too frequently the seat of 

 mischief is located at the attachment of the plantar aponeuro- 

 sis to the semilunar ridge. If the stability of the attachment 

 is weakened rather than fortified by the inflammatory pro- 

 cess, there is always considerable danger of a dissolution of 

 the union, which, of course, would complete the ruination 

 of the patient. On the other hand, when the inflammatory 

 adhesions are stable, the removal of sensibility by neurotomy 

 is perfectly safe and palliates or entirely cures the lameness. 

 High heel calks are additional expedients. 



Chronic lameness following quittor sometimes offers a 

 suitable condition for unilateral plantar neurotomy, but here 

 too, some time must elapse before the operation may be 

 safely resorted to. A year or more after the quittor has 

 healed is the appropriate time for intervention. In no event 

 should it be performed earlier, on account of the grave dan- 

 ger of degeneration .of the affected area. 



Osteophytes of the os suffraginus, sometimes referred to 

 as high ringbones, frequently produce an 'obstinate lameness 



