176 The Diseases of Animals 
a good prospect of recovery. If the inflammation ts 
severe and long-continued, the joint is likely to weld 
together and to become permanently stiff (anchylosed). 
It is sometimes advisable, in severe cases, to kill the 
animal in the early stages of the trouble, and end the 
intense suffering that is often associated with the disease. 
Capped Knees 
This disease usually occurs in eattle that are con- 
fined in stanchions, and is caused by irritation of the 
knees in getting up and down. A baggy tumor forms 
on the front and lower part of the knee. It is often 
of large size, but seems to cause little inconvenience 
to the animal. 
In treatment, first remove the cause by confining 
the animal in some other manner, or by keeping the 
floor well covered with bedding. The tumor ean be 
reduced in size by hot fomentations and by rubbing 
with liniment, but to remove it effectively the best 
way is to open at the bottom and treat the same as 
a shoe-boil on a horse. In all of these diseases, it 
must be remembered that the cause must be removed 
before a cure can be effected, and that the disease is 
likely to recur if the cause is again encountered. 
Wry Tail 
The habitual carrying of the tail to one side is a 
marked blemish in desirable driving horses. The only 
treatment is to cut the contracted muscles on the side 
toward which the tail is drawn, and then to carry the 
