434 DISEASRS OP THE HORSE. 



TreatmeTd.—So far as preventive measures are concerned, but 

 little can be done. The suppleness of the horn is to be maintained 

 by the use of ointments, damp floor, bedding, etc. The shoe is to be 

 proportioned to the weight and work of the animal ; the nails holding 

 it in place are to be of proper size and not driven too near the heels ; 

 sufficient calks and toe pieces must be added to the shoes of horses 

 working on slippery roads; also, the evils of jumping, fast driving, 

 etc., are to be avoided. 



When a fissure has made its appearance, means are to be adopted 

 which will prevent it from growing longer or deeper; this can only 

 be done by arresting all motion in the edges. The best and simplest 

 artificial appliance for holding the borders of a toe crack together 

 is the Vachette clasp. These clasps and the instruments necessary 

 for their application can be had of any prominent maker of veteri- 

 nary instruments. (PI. XXXVI.) These instruments comprise a 

 cautery iron, with which two notches are burned in the wall, one on 

 each side of the crack, and forceps with which the clasps are closed 

 into place in the bottom of the notches and the edges of the fissure 

 brought close together. The clasps, being made of stiff steel wire, 

 are strong enough to prevent all motion in the borders of the crack. 

 Before these clasps are applied the fissure should be thoroughly 

 cleansed and dried, and if the injury is of recent origin the crack 

 may be filled with a putty made of 2 parts of gutta-percha and 1 part 

 of gum ammoniac. The number of clasps to be used is to be deter- 

 mined by the length of the crack, the amount of motion to be arrested, 

 etc. Generally the clasps are from one-half to three-quarters of an 

 inch apart. The clasps answer equally as well in quarter crack if 

 the wall is sufficiently thick and not too dry and brittle to withstand 

 the strain. 



In the absence of these instruments and clasps a hole may be drilled 

 through the horn across the fissure and the crack closed with a thin 

 nail made of tough iron, neatly clinched at both ends. A plate of 

 steel or brass is sometimes fitted to the parts and fastened on with 

 short screws ; while this appliance may prevent much gaping of the 

 fissure, it does not entirely arrest motion of the edges, for the reason 

 that the plate and screw can not be rendered immobile. 



If, for any reason, the measures above fail or can not be used, 

 recourse must be had to an operation. The horn is softened by the 

 use of warm baths and poultices, the patient cast, and the walls of the 

 fissure entirely removed with the knife. The horn removed is in the 

 shape of the letter V, with the base at the coronet. Care must be 

 taken not to injure the coronary band and the laminae. The wound 

 is to be treated with mild stimulant dressings, such as compound 

 cresol solution, a weak solution of carbolic acid, tincture of aloes, etc., 



