Since Spavin is due to causes which come into existence after birth, it cannot be regarded as an hereditary disease. Hereditary predisposition, however, is largely accountable for its appearance. In the first place, the process of evolution in the horse, which is a single-toed animal, descended from a five-toed ancestor, predisposes him to suffer from union of the bones of the hock, just as it predisposes him to splints. The weaker the bones of the hock in comparison to the weight of the body the more inclined will the animal naturally be to contract Spavin. SYMPTOMS: Spasmodic catching up of the spavined limb, the moment the heel of the foot touches the ground, something after the manner of string-halt. At times the stiffness can be observed only when the animal is pushed from one side of the stall to the other. Spavin may often be detected when riding a horse down a steep hill from the fact that he drags the toe. The time of all others when a spavined horse will be apt to show his lameness will be the day following a hard day's work, and when he makes his first move from the stable in the morning is the proper moment for examination. Therefore, you should be prepared to form judgment quickly in these cases, for the longer the animal is trotted up and down the less lame will he generally become. We may have a visible sign of Spavin, swelling and hardness of the part, without lameness. If there be heat and tenderness on pressure, lameness will almost always be present. A careful comparison should be made of the hocks. TREATMENT: An important factor in treating Spavin is keeping the animal quiet. This can be accomplished by placing the animal in a very narrow stall, carrying his feed and drinking water for a month or six weeks, and apply the following ointment: Red Iodide of Mercury, two drams; Pulverized Cantharides, three drams; Turpentine, thirty minims; Pine Tar, two drams; lard, two ounces. Mix well and rub in well for twenty minutes every forty-eight hours until three applications have been applied. Repeat this treatment again in two weeks, and grease well with lard. To cure a bone spavin it is necessary to unite two or more bones of the hock, and a fractured bone cannot unite if moved frequently. The same thing exists in bone spavin as in a fractured bone, only we have no ragged edges like that of a fractured bone to unite; therefore, keep the animal quiet. The younger the animal the easier the spavin is to treat, because the bones hardened with age contain more mineral matter and less flexible animal matter. While treating the animal, feed food that is easily digested. BOG SPAVIN CAUSE: Faulty conformation, slipping, falling through a bridge or culvert; large loosely built draft horses are prone to this blemish. Bog Spavin is hereditary, and you should, therefore, select a good type of animal for breeding purposes.