DISEASES AND TREATMENT OF THE HORSE 
linseed meal and bran, half and half. Continue this treatment 
until he is pretty well over the lameness ; then blister the foot 
the same as in chronic founder and let him out to pasture. 
If of long standing and necessary to use the horse, stand him 
on a ground floor and pack his feet every night with cow 
manure, blue clay or anything that has a tendency to soften 
the foot. Shoe him with high heeled shoes, low in front. In 
some cases neurotomy may be performed, an operation of 
nerving the foot. This is done with the view of taking the 
feeling away from the foot. This is done as follows: Throw 
the animal and secure him ; then make a cut along the inside 
and outside of the leg between the knee and fetlock (about 
half way). Make the cut about two inches long lengthwise 
in the groove between the shin bone and the back tendons. 
In this groove is found the nerve, artery and vein which runs 
down the leg. Cut about an inch out of the nerve so that it 
will not unite together again. Do this on both sides of the 
affected leg or legs ; then stitch the cut up, bandage the leg 
and treat as a common wound. Bathe and apply the white 
lotion twice a day. After this operation the horse gets up 
and goes off as though there was nothing wrong, but it is 
necessary to be careful in shoeing him. Examine the foot 
every night, for if anything went wrong with it, it might even 
rot off before the animal would show any lameness. This 
operation at one time was performed to a great extent, but is 
now losing in favor. In examining a horse if you think that 
he has been nerved in this way, prick him with a pin around 
the feet. If he has been operated on he will not feel anything, 
but if he has not he will show signs of feeling in the ordinary 
way. 
