TOE-CLIP INJURIES. 
849 
a favorable but slow recovery. The most prominent symptoms 
are apparent uneasiness and pain in the affected foot or feet, and 
altered or modified action in motion or changed position at’rest. 
The condition and appearance of the shoes will assist in con¬ 
firming the diagnosis. The advanced or well-marked symptoms 
are incidental with the above-named, but in an aggravated 
form, and where only one fore-foot is affected there will be a 
well-marked disinclination to bring the foot and limb backwards, 
and the lameness and suffering will appear greatest or severest 
when the foot is brought back to a level or line with its mate 
and bearing equal weight. When at rest the foot is elevated at 
the heel and rests tightly on the toe, while the scapulo-humeral 
angle is reduced, the elbow much lowered, the knees bowed for¬ 
ward, with back tendons tense and prominent, and the limbs 
apparently lengthened wonderfully. When both fore-feet are 
affected the patient stands with his feet well set apart and shifts 
the weight frequently from one foot to the other and rests the 
limb m a modified form, as above described. The hind feet are 
•occasionally affected, and are advanced well under the body in 
the early stages if both feet are involved in the injury ; but if 
only one foot is affected, then it is usually elevated and rested 
off the ground or floor surface. The fore seem more prone to 
this injury than the hind feet. Loose and ill-fitting shoes occa¬ 
sionally slip backward, and the toe-clip works inside the hoof- 
wall at the union of anterior part of sole and may cause serious 
injury, especially in aged horses at hard work in cities. I have 
seen a few cases where the farrier put on short shoes rapidly 
without fitting, and the toe-clip was allowed to penetrate the 
parts just described, but lameness soon resulted, and we dis¬ 
covered the cause and removed it in due time. It appears that 
these accidents are most common among company horses and 
mules shod by incompetent men who have never served a regular 
apprenticeship to the trade ; in fact, never learned it,_just 
picked it up in a half-hearted manner or self-learned style. 
Treatment should be based on modern surgical principles. 
Remove the exciting cause and apply cold or hot baths or med- 
