434 DISEASES OF THE HORSE. 
Treatment.—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. (Pl. 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 lamine. 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., 
