302 THE VETERINARY SCIENCE 
soon as this slips out the joint is locked and the animal can- 
not move it. 
Causes. — It generaUy occurs in young colts or young 
horses that are worked hard and become thin. It usually 
Fig. 5^ — Position of the Leg During Dislocation of the Patella or Stifle. 
follows slipping off the end of a plank, or slipping while in 
the act of getting up. 
Symptoms. — The horse acts as if its foot were nailed to 
the floor. It cannot move it forward or back. Feel around 
the joint; it is drawn and hard, and you see that the joint 
bone is out too far. When left out for a long time the joint 
becomes swollen. 
Treatment. — It is quite simply treated in the majority of 
cases. Have an assistant hold the animal's head and another 
pull the affected leg well forward (see Fig. 54). Then place 
the hands against the outside of the joint, pushing inward 
and forward as strongly as possible to force the bone into its 
natural position. This is not an easy matter sometimes, as 
