t
with the normal animal the weight is borne equally well with both fore
legs; and that this is done without shifting from one to the other; and
that the pelvic limbs do not support the body in this manner. Normal
subjects shift their weight from one hind leg to the other and the one
relaxed, rests in a state of flexion with the toe on the ground and the
heel raised.

Examination by Palpation.

In nearly every case where lameness exists an examination of the
affected parts, by palpation or by digital manipulation, is necessary
before an accurate conclusion may be drawn; but in making this kind of
an examination one needs to exercise good judgment lest he fail to
acquire a correct impression of the actual existent conditions. There is
need for the diagnostician, here, as well as in other conditions where
physical examination is made, to approach the subject in a manner that
will not excite or disturb to the extent that the animal will, in one
way or another, resist or object to the approach of the diagnostician,
thereby masking the symptoms sought. The practitioner would best acquire
skill as a horseman--if he is not possessed of such--and handle each
individual subject in the manner calculated to best suit the temperament
of the animal examined. The unbroken subject is not handled as
satisfactorily as is the intelligent family horse; in the former, in
some cases, little dependence is placed upon digital examination.

By palpation one is enabled to recognize hyperthermia and this, _in
lieu_ of dependable history, is at times sufficient evidence upon which
to determine the duration of any given inflammatory affection.

By comparison of different parts of the same member or with an analogous
portion of another member any marked increase in the apparently normal
temperature of a part at once signalizes inflammation. In this manner,
in examining a case where laminitis or other inflammation of the feet is
suspected, one may arrive at a fairly accurate conclusion without the
employment of other means. Throbbing vessels are not always easily
recognized if the subject is a victim of chronic lymphangitis.

In some instances, where a moderate degree of lameness exists and cause
is apparently obscure, the recognition of hyperthermia may be the
deciding factor in establishing a diagnosis. In cases of sprained
ligaments in the phalangeal region, because of the dense character of
the structures involved, little if any evidence