Spavin 2381 
raised about an inch, the inside calk being lower, in 
order to throw most of the weight on the outside of 
the joint. After the acute inflammation has subsided, 
a sharp blister should be’ applied, covering an area of 
at least three inches in diameter over the spavin A 
“red blister” is usually preferred. The blister may 
cause the exostosis to increase in size for a time, but 
this is not to be feared. The blister 
may be repeated in three or four weeks. 
After the blister has been applied, a run 
at pasture is excellent, the high-heel 
shoe being left on. In bad cases, it is 
often a good plan to “fire” the spavin 
at once. In firing a spavin, the usual 
plan is to “feather” or “line” fire 
elear around the joint; then to put a 
few punctures in the region of the 
bunch, care being taken not to open 
the joint. The essentials to success, in 
treating spavins, are counter- irritation 
and rest. A cured spavin is one in 
which the inflamed joint is firmly 
Fig. 44. Bone-spavin, welded tegether by the bony bunch or 
as shown on bones ¥ : A 3 
of the hock-joint. exostosis, so there is no motion in the 
joint. This stops all irritation, and, as a result, the 
horse goes without limping. A spavined horse is 
always unsound, and an expert can detect such an 
animal, even though a “cured” one, by seeing the ani- 
mal move. Spavins are more successfully treated in 
young animals than in old. In some cases, spavins 
resist all forms of treatment and the horse remains 
