Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1886-10-15
THE VETERINARIAN.
Contracted Quarters.

Mr.. G. states that his mare has been lame
forward since last autumn The lameness is
occasionally apparent on the right slde while
on the left side she is quite lame most of the
time The inside quarters of her forward
feet are contracted, resembling founder, while
the outside of each foot is full and in good
condition. She points considerably when
standing, stumbles when travelling, and her
has of late been somewhat swollen along the
cords above the ankle. Some veterinarians
call her trouble dry thrush, which is not
visible, but pinches the hoof. Some call it
founder, and others pronounce it navicular
disease in the right foot, which gives the ap-
but none of them cure her. There is more
heat than is natural in the right foot most
of the time. Can you tell me whether it Is
in the shoulder or foot? What is the disease9
Can 1t be cured? What are the remedies?"
Since those veterinarians who have examined
tho marc fail to agree concerning the cause
of her lameness, and do not succeed in effect
ing cure, it can hardly be expected that
one who iabors under the disadvantage of
never having seen the subject should be able
given it would seem that the trouble is I'M
questionably in the feet, and that both feet are
affected The quarters are evidently 30 con-
tracted as to press upon the bones of the foot,
interfering with the action of the joints and
creating inflammation. From the greater
u pCACCpelOAO AL tAo AABAe AVVs
the Inflammation is greater there at present
| than in the other. Were the right foot per-
| fcctly sound and the left in its present condi-
ton, the lameness there would undoubtedly
! be more perceptible than now exhibited by
the right foot The first point to be accom-
piished is to relieve the pressure by expand
/ ing the hoof Remove shoes at once If any
are worn. Pare the feet at the heels as much
as can be done with safety. Do not allow the
| frog nor sole of the foot to be cut away in the
least. Put on set of tips SO constructed as
| to protect the toes, but at the same time per-
init the heels and frogs to come i'll contact
with the ground, The tips should be made Of
! steel, but a common iron horse shoe will an
swer When the latter is used, remove the
toe calks and cut OFF the heels Of the shoes so
within about an inch of the heel of the
| foot. In preparing the tips care must be
! used to have them taper gradually and
equally from the toe to the heel Five nails,
| three on the outside and two on the inside,
| will be sufficient to hold them in place
These should be examined frequently to see
that they do not get twisted out of shape SO that
| the thin heels of the tips will project beyond
the hoofs and wound the animal when exer-
| cising. Soak the feet every other morning in
water as hot as the hand eau pc borne IN with
out sending Keep the feet in the soaking
| tub for thirty minutes, using just water
! enough to reach the coronets or edge of the
| hair around the hoofs. Bathe the cords when
soaking IN warm water, and bathe them also
in cold water every night. After taking the
crude petroleum, or what is better, prepar-
alton Of petroleum that Is put up in cans,
| which is lighter colored than the crude pro-
! duct The crude petroleum, and also the other,
can be found IN the cities, but may not be
kept in the country stores Some have the
petroleum it will answer the purpose when
the latter is not convenient This, however,
is as great mistake as to suppose that rum,
which is manufactured from molasses, can be
used as substitute for the latter. Apply the
petroleum around the top of the hoof, at the
edges Of the hair, also to the entire bottoms Of
| the feet Try this for two months and report
resulta American CuHivatoT.