174 The Diseases of Animals 



When there is a small flabby bunch on a horse's elbow, 

 removing the fibrous contents will prevent a shoe -boil. 



Capped Hock 



This disease occurs at the point of the hock and is 

 usually caused either by lying on the hock or by the 

 irritation due to the repeated hitting of a whiffle -tree, 

 chain or other obstacle. The abscess or tumor is usually 

 much smaller than that on a capped elbow. The symp- 

 toms and treatment are the same. 



Synovial Gapped Mock 



This condition, showing beneath the tendon that 

 passes over the point of the hock, is practically the 

 same as a wind -puff, and should have similar treat- 

 ment. (See "Wind -puffs," page 239.) 



Open Joint 



A wound that is likely to prove serious or fatal 

 is one that opens the tissues over the joint so that 

 the synovial fluid, or joint -oil, will escape. These 

 wounds are generally very small incisions, often result- 

 ing from kicks, especially from horses that are sharp 

 shod, from prods with a pitchfork or similar sharp 

 object. They would be insignificant as wounds were not 

 the joint opened. 



At first there are few symptoms — a trifling wound 

 from which a small amount of blood escapes. If the 

 wound is examined carefully, a small amount of watery, 



