Surgical block for elevating the healthy claw of cleft-footed animal

A surgical block for attachment to a healthy claw of a cleft-footed animal is made of a blend of polyvinyl chloride and calcium carbonate. The block has parallel faces which are mirror images of each other. The faces are joined by a planar sidewall extending the full length of the block, and a second side wall having a planar section parallel to the first side wall and a forwardly disposed curved section forming the forward end of the block. A planar end wall is perpendicular to the planar portions of the two side walls. Each of the faces has a plurality of longitudinally extending zigzag grooves to receive an acrylic adhesive to attach the block to the animal's claw.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
This invention relates to a surgical block which is intended to be 
adhesively attached to one of the claws of the foot of a cleft-footed 
animal, and more particularly, to such a block for use in veterinary 
practice as, for example, in the treatment of the disease known as "lame 
cow." 
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
Lameness in dairy animals results in pain and distress and this translates 
quickly into appreciable reductions in milk yield. In the past herdsmen 
treated the disease by first fashioning a block of wood to fit the healthy 
claw of a foot so afflicted. The block was then attached to the underside 
of the claw, thereby slightly to elevate the diseased claw and permit it 
to heal. Of course, this practice left the animal's foot with only about 
one-half of its normal area of contact with the ground. This in turn made 
the leg prone to slipping, which was also stressful for the animal. 
A surgical slipper designed to remedy the foregoing deficiencies was 
disclosed in Logan, U.S. Pat. No. 5,272,857. This slipper was disclosed as 
being designed for attachment to the diseased claw. Inasmuch as the 
animal's foot was received within the slipper, both left and right 
configurations were required. A feature of the design was the provision of 
a lattice in the form of an array of intersecting ribs which projected 
from the underside of the slipper sole. The ribs were deep enough to 
elevate the claw to which the slipper was attached. The sole was made thin 
enough so that a hole could readily be punched through it between two 
adjacent ribs. The hole permitted pus to drain from the diseased claw. 
In practice it was soon discovered that attaching the slipper to a diseased 
claw was highly inappropriate, thus the provision of a hole in the bottom 
did not serve any useful purpose. It was also discovered that any device 
had to be attached to the healthy claw such that the diseased claw could 
be left open to the air to facilitate healing. Also, inasmuch as the Logan 
device was in the form of a slipper, herdsmen had to stock both left and 
right configurations. 
It is thus the principal object of the present invention to provide a 
surgical block to elevate the healthy claw of a cleft-footed animal that 
will permit the diseased claw to heal properly and which will be an 
improvement over devices heretofore known. 
It is a further object of the present invention to provide such a device 
that can be used for either left or right claws such that the herdsman 
need only stock one model. 
It is a still further object of the present invention to provide such a 
device that will obviate the tendency of the animal's leg to slip. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
My surgical block comprises a unitary elastomeric block which has a shape 
in plan generally compatible with the imprint in plan of a pared, trimmed 
and rasped healthy claw of a cleft-footed animal, such as a cow. The block 
has a pair of substantially parallel faces. The faces are joined by (1) a 
first substantially planar side wall, (2) a second side wall comprising a 
substantially planar section generally parallel to the first planar side 
wall, the forward end of the planar section being joined to a curved 
section disposed at the forward end of the block, the curved section 
joining the first planar side wall at the forward end of the first planar 
side wall, and (3) a substantially planar end wall disposed generally 
perpendicularly to the first planar side wall and the planar section of 
the second side wall. 
Each of the parallel faces of the block is provided with a plurality of 
grooves adapted to receive an adhesive. Inasmuch as the two faces of the 
block are essentially mirror images of each other, one of the faces can be 
adhesively attached to one of the claws and the other of the faces can be 
attached to the other of the claws, depending on which claw needs to be 
elevated. 
I have found that a block made of a blend of polyvinyl chloride and calcium 
carbonate is flexible enough to use in this application, yet provides 
adequate ground resistance so as to prevent the animal from slipping. I 
have found that making the block about eleven-sixteenth inch thick is 
preferable. 
I have also found that the grooves preferably have a width and a depth of 
about one-sixteenth inch each. Although many groove designs can be used, 
one that I have found appropriate comprises a plurality of zigzag grooves 
disposed generally longitudinally of the block. 
An adhesive suitable for use in attaching the block to a healthy claw 
comprises an acrylic adhesive.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
Referring to the drawings, FIG. 1 illustrates a block 10 which can be seen 
to have a shape in plan generally the same as and thus compatible with the 
imprint in plan of the underside of a pared, trimmed and rasped healthy 
claw C of a cleft-footed animal A. The block 10 preferably comprises a 
blend of polyvinyl chloride and calcium carbonate and is obtainable from 
Modified Plastics, Inc., Santa Ana, Calif. 92707 as its product MPVC-C20. 
A block made of this material provides sufficient flexibility, yet also 
provides adequate ground resistance so that a cow, so fitted, will not 
tend to slip while walking. 
The block 10 has an upper face 12 and a lower or opposite face 14. Faces 12 
and 14 are essentially mirror images of each other, such that face 12 can 
be adhesively attached to the left claw of the animal and face 14 can be 
adhesively attached to the right claw. The faces 12, 14 are joined by a 
first substantially planar side wall 16, which extends the full length of 
the block 10 and will always face toward the inside of the animal's foot, 
a second side wall 18, and an end wall 20. The second side wall 18 
comprises a substantially planar section 22, which is disposed generally 
parallel to the first side wall 16, the forward end 24 of section 22 being 
joined to a curved section 26, which comprises and forms the forward end 
28 of the block 10. The end wall 20 is also substantially planar and is 
disposed generally perpendicularly to the first planar side wall 16 and 
the planar section 22 of the second side wall 18. 
A block 10 suitable for this use is preferably made with a side wall 16 
four and nine-sixteenths inches long, a planar section 22 three and 
one-sixteenth inches long, an end wall 20 two and one-half inches wide, 
and a curved section 26 four inches in circumference. The block 10 is 
preferably made eleven-sixteenths inch thick. 
Each of the faces 12 and 14 is provided with a plurality of generally 
longitudinally extending grooves 30, preferably nine of them, transversely 
equally spaced across the block 10, each preferably having a width of 
one-sixteenth inch and a depth of one-sixteenth inch. The grooves 30 have 
a generally zigzag shape in the longitudinal direction, as shown, although 
many other patterns and shapes can be used. 
The purpose of the grooves 30 is not to provide traction, such being 
adequately provided by the material of the block itself. Rather, the 
grooves serve to receive and accept an acrylic resin adhesive which is 
used to adhere the block 10 to the healthy claw. Acrylic adhesives 
suitable for this purpose may be obtained from Jorgensen Laboratories, 
Loveland, Colo., as "Technovit" powder and liquid; Kane Enterprises, Inc., 
Sioux Falls, S.Dak., as "Demotec 95" powder and liquid; Haffner 
International, as "Hoof It" powder and liquid; and American Giltspur, 
Sarasota, Fla., as "Cow Slips" 
Inasmuch as changes may be made in the in the block without departing from 
the scope of the invention herein involved, it is intended that all matter 
contained in the above description and shown in the accompanying drawings 
shall be interpreted only as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.