610 
LAMENESS IN HORSES. 
calling by his plaints for relief, and we feel conscious in our own 
mind, that, unless we can and do relieve him early and effectually, 
either his life or his limbs must pay the forfeit. In setting about 
his treatment a good deal must depend, as to the immediate steps 
to be taken, on the stage of disease we find the patient in. If it 
be possible to move him from the situation he is in — supposing 
that to be an unfit one for him — a roomy loose box where persons 
can get readily at and about him, and he himself can lie down and 
stretch himself out at full length, is, beyond all others, the best 
place. We may also have in mind, should we have any choice 
of abode for him, that it is possible we may have a desire at some 
stage of his illness to put him into slings; though, for my own 
part, I cannot say I have ever experienced decided benefit, or any 
but temporary relief, from such a proceeding. The next thing to 
be done is, if practicable, to take the shoes off the inflamed feet, in 
order to relieve them from all constriction. I say, “ if practicable 
because every now and then, when the patient is standing, the pain 
of bearing the weight upon one foot while the opposite one is 
being lifted up by the farrier is so insupportable, that he is unable 
to continue it even long enough to have his shoe wrenched off. 
Under these circumstances, some practitioners advise that the shoes 
be left on : indeed, some there are that consider such an act as un- 
shoeing either as quite unnecessary or positively injurious. One 
point in the matter is certain, and that is, if the shoes are to be 
taken off, it ought to be done at the very commencement of the 
attack, since the difficulty will be certain to increase the longer the 
operation be deferred. 
And when the shoes are being moved is the time to have the 
clefts of the frogs pared out to receive the setons I am going to 
propose; also, to have the soles of the hoofs pared out and thinned, 
as well as we are able : though even here different practices 
prevail ; since some persons contend that the soles^should be left 
strong , whereby they say the coffin-bone is maintained in its place. 
This to me, however, is taking an erroneous view of the pathology 
of the case. For the detachment of the coffin-bone does not de- 
pend upon want of support from below — though it is possible such 
may delay for a time its actual descent ; yet must the descent of 
the bone necessarily follow the separation of the sensitive from the 
horny laminse, nor can any thickness of sole prevent this, together 
with the ultimate bulge of its own body. D’Arboval recommends 
that the shoes the horse is wearing at the time of attack be taken 
off, but that they be tacked on again with four nails unrivetted, or 
be replaced by others of a lighter description should they be heavy 
or clumsy ; alleging that by so doing he relieves the foot from all 
compression, and enables the horse to walk and stand, which he 
