298 FKACTURES. 



repair has made fair progress, say, in ten days, the sufferer can 

 generally be trusted, without slings, to take care of the injured 

 part, especially when he has a deep, soft bed under him, and when 

 he has been in the meantime, kept low on green grass and carrots. 



Splints and bandages need not remain on longer than six or 

 seven weeks, by which time the reparative material will, as a rule, 

 have become sufficiently solid to keep the broken ends together 

 without their aid ; although the animal, in the case of a fractured 

 limb, should not be taken out of his stable for another month and 

 a half. Usually, it would not be safe to begin work sooner than 

 five months after the accident. 



A mild aperient, such as a pint of linseed oil, and laxative food, 

 will be of service. The broken bone will often not unite until the 

 animal gets a change of food and plenty of green-meat. If he 

 suffers from great pain, in the first instance, give 1 oz. of chloral 

 hydrate in a pint of water. If, after imion has taken place there 

 remains a large deposit of bony material which was thrown out 

 for the repair of the injury, the part should be blistered two or 

 three times with biniodide of mercury, or deeply fired with a 

 pointed iron at different places. 



The most common fractures are thos,e of the point of the hip, 

 the pastern bones, and the tibia (the bone which lies between the 

 hock and the stifle). 



Anterior iliac spine. — See •" Point of the hip," p. 306. 



Back. 



By the term " broken back " is meant fracture of one of the 

 vertebrae either of the loins or of the back. The former accident 

 is almost always fatal; although recovery after the latter not 

 unusually occurs on account of the support afforded by the ribs in 

 keeping the divided ends together. If the resulting paralysis be 

 but slight, there is every hope that the case will do well; but if 

 the loss of muscular power be complete, recovery will be out of 

 the question. If, after a horse has got up after having had a fall, 

 there be reason to believe that he has broken his back without 

 displacement of the fractured ends, he should if possible be kept 

 on his legs, so as to prevent him getting down ; for the effort in 

 lying down or in rising might cause displacement which would 

 have a fatal result. It would be better to tie the horse up, if he 

 can stand without support, than to put him in slings ; for by 

 bearing his weight on them, he would be apt to " roach " his 

 back, and thus separate the broken ends. A cantharides blister 

 rubbed over the suspected part would aid in preventing the animal 

 from moving it. Except in obviously fatal cases, it is difficult to 



