156 NON-PARASITIC SKIN DISEASES. 



rest, the blood in his feet arid lower portion of his legs is liable 

 to, more or less, stagnate, on account of the habit the horse 

 usually has of standing up. While this partial congestion exists, 

 the health and vitality of the living structures involved in it, 

 become more or less impaired, and the secretion of oil to lubricate 

 the cuticle (outer skin) proportionately reduced. High feeding, 

 will also predispose the animal to inflammatory attacks of the 

 skin, as well as of other parts. 



Hand-rubbing the pasterns of stabled horses, by stimulating the 

 local circulation, reduces the liability Of the part to contract 

 eczema ; though it would probably be of no benefit to horses kept 

 in the open. It is evident, however, that if the skin of the 

 pasterns has become accustomed to it, and its practice is suddenly 

 discontinued, the skin, before it regains its usual working 

 efficiency, will be more subject to this form of inflammation, than 

 it would be, had such stimulation never been applied. 



As the hair at the back of the pastern forms a protection to the 

 part, its removal often induces cracked heels and predisposes the 

 animal to grease. It is probable that old horses, from their lower 

 vitality, are more susceptible to eczema of the pastern than young 

 ones. 



Injury, such as that caused by hobbles or ropes, sometimes gives 

 rise to cracked heels ; because it exposes the true skin to influences 

 that are likely to cause this complaint. 



The great predisposing cause of cracked heels is the senseless 

 practice of washing the feet, popular among grooms, because it 

 saves trouble for the time being. It is a significant fact that 

 cracked heels are as rare among horses whose legs and feet are 

 never washed, as they are common among animals whose legs and 

 feet enjoy the supposed benefit of being cleansed with water, no 

 matter how' carefully they may be afterwards dried. 



VARIETIES. — The degrees of severity in this disease are (1) 

 when it is characterised only by redness and a little heat and 

 swelling (erythematous eczema) ; (2) when vesicles form (vesicular 

 eczema) ; (3) when there is a discharge of pus from the skin 

 (pustular eczema) ; and (4) when there are "' grapes " or warty 

 excrescences on the skin (warty eczema), accompanied by more or 

 less infiltration of the skin. (1) and (2) may be roughly classed 

 as cracked heels; and (3) and (4) as grease. 



SYMPTOMS. — ^When inflammation is set up in the part, the 

 secretion of oil is interfered with, and cracks usually occur in the 

 places where the skin becomes wrinkled when the pastern joints 

 are bent. The discharge from the vesicles or pustules has an 



