Lameness of the Horse: Veterinary Practitioners' Series, No. 1Lacroix, John Victor
Science
Lameness of the Horse: Veterinary Practitioners' Series, No. 1
Lacroix, John Victor
Horses -- Health; Lameness in horses
Admitting the frequency of non-infectious lymphangitis, the practitioner
must not confuse this type with similar lymphatic inflammation
occasioned by nail punctures of the foot. It is very embarrassing indeed
to make a diagnosis of lymphangitis--expecting that the disturbance will
terminate favorably and uneventually--and later to discover a sub-solar
abscess caused by a nail prick in the region of the heel.
Recurrent attacks of this disturbance cause hypertrophy of the lymph
vessels and in some cases lymphangiectasis. In old subjects used for
dissection or surgical purposes, it is very evident that in the ones
which have suffered from chronic lymphangitis there exists an excessive
amount of sub-facial connective tissue, making subcutaneous neurectomies
quite difficult in some instances.
A sequel of chronic lymphangitis is a condition known as elephantiasis.
In such cases there occurs a hyperplasia of the skin and subcutaneous
tissues, resulting in some instances, in the affected member attaining
an enormous size. Sporadic cases of this kind are to be seen
occasionally, and are apparently caused by repeated attacks of
lymphangitis. The affection is not benefited by treatment, and while a
horse's leg may become so heavy and cumbersome as to mechanically impede
its gait, as well as to fatigue the subject when made to do service even
at a slow pace, elephantiasis causes no constitutional derangement. The
hind legs, in elephantiasis, are affected and a unilateral involvement
is more often seen than a bilateral one. The legs may be enlarged from
the extremity to the body, but ordinarily the affection does not extend
higher than the hock or the mid-tibial region.
A chronic, progressive, hyperplastic-degeneration exists in some cases
and the subjects are in time rendered unserviceable because of the
burden of getting about encumbered by the affected extremity. In other
animals hyperplasia progresses for a time--until the parts become
greatly enlarged and conditions apparently attain an immutable state.
Nevertheless animals so affected may continue in service for years
without being distressed.
AFFECTIONS OF THE FEET.
Lameness is very often due to affections of the feet, and in all foot
diseases probably the most constant cause is injury inflicted in some
manner. Resultant from injury, there frequently develops complications
and the one most often seen is infection.
Because of the fact that the feet are constantly exposed to germ-laden
soil and filth, if not actually bathed in such infectious materials, it
naturally follows that septic infection of some part of the feet must be
of frequent occurrence.
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