Diseases of the Horse's FootReeks, H. Caulton (Harry Caulton)
Science
Diseases of the Horse's Foot
Reeks, H. Caulton (Harry Caulton)
Hoofs -- Diseases; Horses -- Diseases
The man who, at the expense of much time and trouble, has demonstrated the
truth of these axioms is Mr. Malcolm, of Birmingham. The determination with
which he clung to his point that canker was, with correct treatment, in
every case curable, was some years ago provocative of much discussion in
veterinary circles. That he was successful in proving his contention is
more to our point here. It is his method of treatment, therefore, that we
shall give, and this we shall do by liberal extracts from Mr. Malcolm's own
writings.
'On the first occasion of operating upon and dressing the cankered foot,
it is usually necessary to cast the horse, and this may have to be done
at intervals for a second or even third time; but in most cases once is
sufficient, subsequent dressing being usually accomplished without much
difficulty, frequently even without the aid of a twitch. After the horse
has been secured, the drawing-knife is first employed; and if the frog
alone is affected, it is unnecessary even to pare the sole, the removal of
all frog horn not intimately adherent to its secreting surface being all
that is required. But if both sole and frog be involved, the whole of the
sound horn should be first thinned until it springs under the thumb,
and then, using a sharp knife, every particle of diseased horn must be
carefully removed from both sole and frog, a process much more easily, and
with far greater certainty, secured by the previous thinning of the horn.
'The removal of diseased horn should always commence at the most dependent
part of the foot, so that any hæmorrhage produced may be below the parts
still to be operated on, a matter of considerable moment for effective
treatment. But with due care there will be little hæmorrhage, as, except in
the initial stage, there is no real union between the diseased horn and the
diseased vascular secreting surface.
'After all apparently diseased horn has been removed by the knife, any
still remaining should be at once destroyed by the actual cautery, by
which it can be identified. All the diseased secreting surface should be
_carefully scraped with a thin hot iron_,[A] fungoid growths excised and
cauterized, and, indeed, every particle of cankered tissue should, if
possible, be eradicated. In securing this more reliance can be placed on
the actual cautery than on any other, whether liquid or solid: it is more
under control in application, more decisive in effect, and its results can
be anticipated with a far greater certainty. Moreover, its aid in diagnosis
is of immense value; applied to the thinned horn or secreting surface it
unmistakably demonstrates the presence or absence of canker. Healthy tissue
chars black; cankered tissue, on the contrary, bubbles up white under the
hot iron, and presents an appearance not unlike roasted cheese.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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