SPAVIN. 
485 
i 
lame in the near hind leg, exhibiting a prominent spavin upon the 
near hock. I ordered her to have a high-heeled shoe nailed upon 
the foot of the lame limb, to lose sixteen pints of blood from the 
saphena vein, immediately above the hock, to take a ( brisk dose 
of cathartic medicine, and to be kept standing quite quiet, tied up 
in her stall. 
10/A. — Saw her trot out for the first time. She runs almost 
sound. Apply a sweating blister to the exostosis. 
18^/i. — Scarcely any lameness remaining. 
2 6th. — Sound. She was nevertheless kept in a state of qui- 
etude for a month longer, and then sent to work. 
In March following, she failed in the other (the off) hind leg, 
but without any appearance of bone spavin. Notwithstanding the 
absence of all tumour, however, regarding her case still as one of 
spavin, I treated her off hock the same as I had before treated the 
near, and the result proved equally satisfactory. She became 
sound in about the same period of time. 
She afterwards continued at her duty until the 14th January of 
the following year, on which day she was brought to me again, 
now lame in both her hocks, and from bone spavins equally de- 
monstrable in them both. She was, after due preparative treat- 
ment, fired deeply in both hocks. In June of the same year she 
was cast and sold, in consequence of going with “ stiff” hocks — 
wanting that flexion in them requisite for efficient cavalry action. 
Case II. — F 16, a black gelding, eight years old, was admit- 
ted on the 19th December, 1839, for “ lameness in the off hind- 
leg,” the cause of which was not apparent. Blood was drawn 
from the saphena vein, a high-heeled shoe put on, fomentations 
used to the hock, and a strong dose of physic given. 
Jan. 10 th, 1810. — Three weeks afterwards the horse was dis- 
charged for duty, “ sound.” 
17 th . — Returned to the infirmary stables on account of relapse 
of lameness in the same limb, the cause now being, evidently 
enough, spavin. Local blood-letting, fomentation, &c. were again 
practised, but this time without affording any relief. 
29 th . — The hock was blistered. After a month’s rest, the 
blister in the interval having worked off, there was still no 
amendment. 
March 2 d . — The hock fired. Failing to defive benefit from 
which, he was, ultimately, cast and sold. 
These cases shew us that good may be expected from blood- 
letting practised early in a case of spavin, but not afterwards, and 
thus afford additional evidence of the desirableness of submitting 
spavined horses at once to treatment. Veterinary practitioners, 
who have few or no opportunities of treating spavin in its inchoate 
