166 



DISEASES OF THE FEET. 



this case, can be entirely obviated by frequently picking out the 

 feet, so as to prevent the tan becoming caked in them. The same 

 remarks apply, more or less accurately, to the use of moss litter 

 and sawdust. 



Thrush is more frequently found in the hind than in the fore 

 feet; (1) because, in badly-managed stables, the dung and urine 

 of horses are often allowed to accumulate under the hind feet for 

 a considerable time ; and (2) because the hind feet being naturally 

 more upright and concave than the fore feet, their frogs are less 

 exposed to pressure. 



In England, thrush much more oo^mmonly affects the off feet 

 than the near ones, on account of the bad custom, among English 

 grooms, of attending to the feet only from the near side. 



Thrush is never induced solely by constitutional causes. To 

 prove such a case, it would be necessary to show that the affected 

 foot had been kept dry in the stable, and the frog subjected to 

 pressure for a considerable time before the attack. Under these 

 conditions I have never known of an insttoce of thrush. 



In tlie tropics, maggots are sometimes found within the cleft 

 of a frog which suffers from thrush. Their presence, as might be 

 expected, greatly aggravates the disease. 



In neglected cases, the horny covering of the frog may rot off, 

 and the red and bleeding sensitive parts become exposed. 



TREATMENT. — If there be no lameness, keep the feet dry, and 

 avoid " stoppings." Carefully remove with the drawing knife or 

 the searcher (Fig. 50) any diseased or loose portions of horn, in 

 order to prevent dirt or wet accumulating about them. The 

 '■ drawing knife " is the peculiarly-shaped knife with which a 

 blacksmith pares a horse's foot ; and a " searcher " is a fine and 

 narrow-bladed drawing knife. Into all the parts from which either 

 discharge or bad smell issues, introduce one of the following 

 applications : — 



