532 
CAPPED ELBOW IN THE HORSE. 
If not opened, its contents may be reabsorbed, and whilst the para- 
bursitis disappears, the over-stretched skin forms a loose fold. Lameness 
is rare, and the condition can only be mistaken for inflammatory changes 
in the subcutis, which, however, are never so sharply defined as is the 
diseased bursa. 
Causes. The disease is produced by bruising, often due to lying on 
the heels of the shoe, though sometimes to contact with the floor. 
\ 
Fig. 196.—Capped elbow. 
Weakness, too short a halter rein, too small a box, and in broken- 
winded horses, difficulty in breathing, may all cause the animal to rest 
on the sternum, with the legs tucked under it; in animals with short 
fore arms the posterior surface of the elbow then comes just against the 
posterior part of the hoof, and is readily bruised by the heels of the 
shoe. Capped elbow, however, is not infrequently seen in horses shod 
in “ tips,” in which, therefore, the shoe cannot be blamed. The position 
assumed when resting, is of great importance in determining the condition. 
Metastatic disease of the bursa is sometimes seen during strangles. 
Course. The condition is generally produced in a single night. By 
