250 THE DISEASES OF THE DOG. 



the dog somewhat uneasy. The splints are then braced 

 together and fixed on the limb by means of a long piece 

 of tape, a quantity of lint, to protect the soft tissues, being 

 put under them. The tapes are run through the holes pre- 

 viously made and wound round the limb over the splints 

 not too tightly at first." Fractwre of the metatarsals or 

 metacarpals may be complete, when the foot is crushed and 

 all four bones have given away, or incomplete, when the 

 uninjured bones will act as splints and materially hasten 

 the healing process. The crushed foot will require to be 

 supported by splints. When a toe is crushed it is generally 

 best to amputate it. Splints should be kept on for at 

 least four weeks in order that the callus may become 

 sufficiently consolidated to support weight, otherwise a 

 false joint may form, the fragments being unitedby fibrous 

 or cartilaginoid material instead of true bone. This 

 unsatisfactory result is most frequently seen in ill-nourished 

 animals, especially those of rachitic tendency. A seton 

 may be passed through the imperfect union, or the repair 

 may be begun over again by its surgical division; the 

 patient should receive good nutrient food and lime-water 

 doses. It is sometimes necessary to break through the 

 callus recently formed, when the union is such as to 

 render the limb permanently bent ; the bone must then 

 be reset, and the case treated as a recent fracture. The 

 refracture, as being very painful, should be performed under 

 chloroform. A muzzle should be put on after the setting 

 of a limb, and the animal kept as quiet as possible. A 

 cathartic ,dose is useful to prevent excessive inflamma- 

 tion. 



DISLOCATIONS assume a more important place in 

 the history of the dog than in that of the horse or ox. 

 Their treatment is very similar to that of fracture, with 

 which they are not infrequently complicated. This is 

 seen especially in the elbow-jomt, where the inner condyle 

 of the humerus becomes separated, and the limb is found 

 flexed inwards. Occasionally outward dislocation occurs 

 at the elbow. When, as is generally the case, this lesion 

 occurs in a young animal, it is difficult to detect crepita- 



