758 
DISEASES OF THE METATARSUS. 
parts by the tendo Achillis and the perforatus tendon. The position 
and size of the swelling are best recognised by viewing the animal from 
behind. Sometimes the swelling is more marked on the inner, some¬ 
times on the outer surface of the joint; the tendon can he distinctly felt 
in the depths. The swelling generally results from chronic bursitis, 
develops slowly, and seldom causes lameness. 
For this reason prognosis is favourable, though the condition itself 
may prove extremely obstinate. Success sometimes follows repeated 
evacuation of the contents- every three or four weeks. The operation is 
Fig. 282.— Distension of bursae of 
flexor tendons in right hock (from 
a photograph). 
Fig. 283.— Distension of sheath of flexor 
pedis perforans (from a photograph). 
not without danger, and Moller lost a horse from infectious inflamma¬ 
tion of the tendon sheath. Line firing may diminish, though it seldom 
completely removes, the swelling. 
(d) The tendon sheaths in the metatarsal and phalangeal regions 
become distended in a similar way to those of the fore limb, though the 
bursa of the extensor pedis, which lies in front of the metatarsus, at the 
fetlock-joint, is more often affected than in the fore limb. It gives rise 
to a well-marked swelling, sometimes as large as a child’s head, which, 
though it does not cause lameness, greatly impairs the animal’s appear¬ 
ance, and sometimes leads to inflammation of the skin, or even to abscess 
formation. These swellings usually contain large quantities of fibrinous 
