228 The Diseases of Animals 



usually a result of inflammation of the part, which, in 

 turn, is an effort of nature to overcome an injury or a 

 disease. In many cases, after the disease or injury is 

 cured, the bunch is absorbed and the part returns to 

 its normal size. The absorption of bony bunches can 

 frequently be assisted by the application of light blis- 

 ters to the parts. When a bony bunch occurs at a 

 joint and welds the bones together, the joint is said 

 to be "anchylosed," (page 222) and remains perma- 

 nently stiff. 



BONE SPAVIN 



A bone spavin is an inflammation of some of the 

 bones forming the hock-joint of the horse, usually 

 followed by a bunch or exostosis, which causes anchy- 

 losis, or welding together of the bones of the joint. 

 Bone spavins occur on the inside of the joint, slightly 

 to the front. There are two kinds, commonly recog- 

 nized accoi'ding to their location, the high spavin, and 

 the low or "' jack " spavin. The high spavin is 

 usually the more serious, as the joint affected is more 

 important and more motion takes place there. 



The causes of bone spavin may be divided into (1) 

 the predisposing, which includes a bad conformation or 

 a hereditary tendency, and (2) the exciting, such as 

 strains or injuries which are direct causes Horses with 

 rough, coarse hocks or with hock -joints that are 

 either too straight or too bent or crooked, are liable 

 to spavin. There is also an hereditary tendency often 

 transmitted from the sire or dam to the offspring. 

 There is a frequently expressed opinion among farmers 



