DISEASES OE THE FETLOCK, ANKLE, AND FOOT. 453 



away of the horn when applying the shoe, thereby keeping the sole 

 at this point too thin. 



Tumvng up of the toe. — In many cases of laminitis which have 

 become chronic it is found that the toe of the foot turns up ; that the 

 heels are longer than natural ; while the hoof near the coronary band 

 is circled with ridges like the horn of a ram. Even in cases in which 

 X'ecovery has taken place, and in other diseases than laminitis, these 

 ridges may be found in the wall of the foot. In such cases, however, 

 the ridges are equally distant from one another all around the foot, 

 while in turning up of the toe the ridges are wide apart at the heels 

 and close together in front, as seen in the figure. (Plate XXXVII, 

 fig. 4.) These ridges are produced by periods of interference with 

 the growth of horn alternating with periods during which a hormal 

 or nearly normal growth takes place. When the toe turns up it is 

 because the coronary band in front produces horn very slowly, while 

 at the heels it grows much faster, causing marked deformity. 



Animals so affected always place the abnormally long heel first 

 upon the ground, not alone because the heel is too long, nor as in: 

 acute or subacute laminitis to relieve the pain, but for the reason that 

 the toe is too short and lifted away from its natural position. To 

 bring the toe to the ground the leg knuckles at the fetlock joint. 



The pain and impairment of function in these cases always result 

 in marked atrophy of the muscles of the forearm and shoulder, and to 

 some extent of the pectorals, while the position of the fore legs 

 advances the shoulder joints so far forward as to cause a sunken 

 appearance of the breast, which the laity recognize as "chest 

 founder." 



The lesions of turning up of the toe are permanent, and are the 



most interesting pathologically of all the complications of laminitis. 



Treatment. — ^The treatment of laminitis is probably more varied 



than of any other disease, and yet a large number of cases recover for 



even the poorest practitioner. 



Prevention.- — To guard against and prevent disease, or to render 

 an unpreventable attack less serious than it otherwise would be, is the 

 highest practice of the healing art. In a disease so prone to result 

 from the simplest causes, especially when the soundest judgment may 

 not be able to determine the extent of the disease-resisting powers of 

 the tissues which are liable to be affected, or of what shall in every 

 instance constitute an overexcitement, it is not strange that horse 

 owners find themselves in trouble from untintentional transgression. 

 If the disease were dependent upon specific causes, or if the stability 

 of the tissues were of a fixed or more nearly determinate quality, some 

 measures might be instituted that would prove generally preventive ; 

 but the predisposing causes are common conditions and often can not 



