176 The Diseases of Animals 



a good prospect of recovery. If the inflammation is 

 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. 



Gapped Knees 



This disease usually occurs in cattle 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 can 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 rpust 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 



