686 
HIP LAMENESS. 
probable in direct proportion to the rapidity with which the lameness 
has diminished. The gradual increase of lameness indicates pathological 
changes, probably of an obstinate character. 
(3) The older the lameness, and the more marked the anatomical 
changes (muscular atrophy), the graver the prognosis. 
(4) Intermittency or remittency in the lameness is also an unfavour¬ 
able feature, particularly if the horse has been rested and properly treated. 
(5) The duty to be performed must also be considered : thus riding 
and heavy draught horses offer less probability of permanent recovery 
than those in light work. 
(6) Disease of the joint is graver than muscular disease. 
Treatment. In recent hip lameness, accompanied by inflammatory 
symptoms, rest and cold applications, continuous cold-water irrigation, 
or ice bottles, are indicated. If the symptoms suggest rheumatic 
disease—that is, if lameness decrease with movement, if the course be 
intermittent, and if the disease appear without apparent cause—warm 
moist packs are better, and may be followed by infriction with mild 
irritants, like oil of turpentine, spirit of camphor, or ammonia liniment. 
The animal should be rested, and placed in a warm stall. In muscular 
disease, massage, in the form of rubbing, is valuable; but where 
paralysis is surmised, striking or beating the muscular tissue is better, 
and seems to check degenerative processes. 
If no marked improvement occurs in eight to fourteen days, a blister 
of cantharides, bichloride or biniodide of mercury (1—8) may be applied. 
It is best to mark out with chalk, or by clipping the hair, the position in 
which the ointment is to be applied to the hip-joint, otherwise stablemen 
always apply it over the external angle of the ilium. 
Should this treatment also fail, setons, subcutaneous injections of 
veratrin, or the application of the actual cautery may be resorted to. 
The best results follow deep firing with a fine needle point at a high 
temperature. Graillot s cautery is very useful for this purpose (see 
Dollar’s “ Operative Technique,” p. 121). Six to eight points may be 
made lound the joint, and, if considered necessary, a blister may be 
applied. Amongst other injections, a concentrated solution of common 
salt has lately been recommended. Its action is uncertain and difficult to 
control, though when the injection produces abscess formation, it cer¬ 
tainly acts somewhat like a seton. After recovery from long-existent 
lameness, paiticularly from lameness produced mechanically, the horse 
should not immediately be put to work, and heavy draught should 
especially be avoided. 
An occasional cause of lnp lameness m old horses is to be found in 
ossification of the fascia covering the gluteal muscles. Dollar diagnosed 
