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.
SYMPTOMS: A puffy swelling located in front and on the inside of the
hock, varying from the size of a walnut to that of a man's fist. It very
seldom causes lameness, but is a serious disfigurement and blemish.
TREATMENT: Treatment is not satisfactory unless taken in its first
stages and when the animal is young. If there is heat, pain and
swelling, apply cold water or ice packs until the inflammation has left
the parts. Then use the following prescription: Tincture of Iodine, two
ounces; Gum Camphor, two ounces; Gasolene, one pint. Mix and shake well
before applying with a nail or tooth brush twice a week.
I may add that I have derived some wonderful results
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