614 
RING-BONE. 
to deprive them of sensation in the lower part of the limb is calculated 
to aggravate the defect. 
The first operation to be considered is that of 
PLANTAR NEURECTOMY . 1 
The operation can be performed at one of several points : either 
2 to 2J inches above the fetlock, where the nerve lies immediately in 
front of the flexor tendons, or on the lateral surface of the fetlock-joint 
itself, or, again, an inch or so below the fetlock-joint. In Germany and 
Fig. 235. —Neurectomy above the fetlock. V, Vein ; A, artery ; N, nerve. 
France the high operation is usual; in England the high operation is 
usually performed on the inside of the limb, the low operation on the 
outside, the reason being that there is less chance of the wound on the 
inside being injured by the opposite foot if it be made clear of the 
fetlock-joint. The animal is cast, the limb to be operated on is released 
and drawn forwards, the skin shaved from the seat of operation, and the 
parts cleansed and disinfected. To prevent troublesome bleeding it is 
1 For a review of the value and results of plantar neurectomy, see pp. 86 et seq. of Cadiot 
and Dollar’s “ Clinical Veterinary Medicine and Surgery.” 
