TROUBLE IN HORSE'S LEGS AND FEET

New Zealand Mail, 22 January 1902, Page 56

TROUBLE IN HORSE'S LEGS AND FEET

Stamping in the Stable.-The feeding has an influence in some cases, as when corn is largely employed, bub there are few farm horses that are overdono in this respect. The subjects of irritation in the legs are mostly coarse, lymphatic animals, with a slow or defective circulation, or the class o horse we recognise as possessing a breed predisposition to "grease, a predisposition often aggravated by the exciting cause, improper feeding, the character of the work to be performed, and the method of cleaning practised on returning from work (writes “Pately Bridge” in “Farm and Home”). In many cases, however, the irritation is duo to the presence of minute parasites, which induce a disease of the skin of the extremities, which is sometimes described as “foot mange.” This parasite is named Symbiotes equi, and is recognised as the least contagious and mischievous of tlie Psorae of the horse. Symbiotic mange is indicated by signs of irritation, which while less marked during the day than in other forms of mange, are very noticeable during rest after work, and particularly at night. The heavy horso is the chief sufferer from symbiotic scabies. Besides, the absence of long, coarse hair, an additional reason for the comparative freedom of light horses from “foot mange” is that tiio skin of the legs is very’ much cleaner. They do not work under such unfavourable conditions as regards dirt, and more care is taken in grooming their legs, which the comparative absence of hair facilities. The extension of the disease from one horse to another is accom- | piislied by the bedding material and ] grooming tools, but tho contagion is 1 never very active, and it extends very slowly. Certain diagnosis is only possible, as in other forms of mange, by detection of the parasite. It should be looked for among tho scruf and skin debris with a glass of low power. None of the symptoms are specially diagnostic —“the horse stamps, rubs one leg against the other, endeavours to bite the limb, and kicks. In a variable time—sometimes seven months—the region affected becomes covered by an abundant epidermic desquamation, in the midst of which the symbiotes are readily discovered.” Except for the presence of the symbiotes, it will be seen that irritation from constitutional causes would be praductive of much tho same symptoms. The presence of tho parasite has been noted in cases of grease, but this is probably only accidental, that is, it is not the cause of grease, and its presence does not greatly complicate matters. “Foot mange” is not difficult to cure, and it only persists and extends when greatly neglected. Probably many cases are cured, without tho owner even being aware of the existence of such a disease, or that a parasite is the cause, by the dressings applied to allay the irritation, and to stop stamping, tearing of the shoes, and damaging of tho stable. Among the numerous dressings employed—and they include preparations of tobacco, tarry oils, paraffin and sulphur—there is nothing more efficacious, simple and cleanly than wetting the skin of the legs once or twice a day with 5 per cent, watery solution of Jeyes’ Fluid.

Pruritis of the Legs.—Not every case of sever and obstinate pruritis of the legs is due to parasitic invasion. Many of them, are associated with chronic inflammation of the skin, caused by washing the legs and leaving them wet, or by the irritation occasioned by working horses with closely clipped heels in mud and wet. A lot of long hair about tlio heels, which the eupliist calls “feather,” is a nuisance alike to horse and attendant when the animal lias to perforin its work in wet and mud. It may look very pretty in the show-ring, when an attendant does little elso besides look after it, but it is small wonder that the carter, who has four of such animals to look after, and to work them as well, wants to clip it. off. There is, however, a vast difference between a lot of long hair and closely clipping tlio legs, and bo robbing the skin of protection against irritating particles of dirt and dung which a moderate quantity of hair affords. If a horse coming in wet and muddy is carefully examined, it will be found that the dirt is principally superficial, the mud lyimr on tlio surface of the hair, and not in contact with the skin. When washing is practised, it is generally performed in a perfunctory fashion, particularly where the hair is very thick, and the mud. instead of being washed off, is washed into contact with the skin. Further, the legs are generally left wot, for tho attendant, if he had the inclination, would lack the time to rub them dry, and so they remain for tho greater part of tho night. This chills the skin of a part already having a tendency to coldness on account of its remoteness from the centre cf circulation, and eventually'causes inflammation and irritation. Very often horses are cleaned by driving them into a pond or stream; in such stables there is generally plenty of stamping and kicking during tlio night, and complaints of

oracked heels, mud fever and grease, joy a greater immunity from disorders of neglect to leave a horse all night in his dirt, but experience goes to show that even this is preferable to washing the legs and leaving them wet, and that animals that are “dry cleaned” enjoy a greate rimmunity from disorders of tlio skin than those receiving a greater amount of attention in the shape of washing at night. Among useful dressings for irritation of the legs is the common “white bottle,” consisting of a solution of J-oz. each of sulphate of zinc and sugar of lead in a quart of rain water. A lotion of loz. of powdered alum and 1 drachm of pure carbolic acid in a quart of water is also effective, especially in eases where there is a predisposition to grease. Cases in which these agents fail, and where obstinate pruritis of the legs has led to wounds resulting from biting and rubbing are often speedily relieved, and in a few days cured, by the use of dressings of diluted Jeyes’ Fluid. In a series of experiments with this agent in cases of pruritis cf the hind legs, with wounds caused by the calkins of the opposite shoe, Mr Dollar found that solutions varying in strength from 5 to 7 v per cent., applied once or twice daily, gave excellent results. In cases where there is also a tendency to swelling, a course of alternative tonic medicine is often useful. An example of a suitablo hall is: Sulphate of copper, chlorate of potash, and powdered gentian, of each 1 drachm; powdered resin and nitrate of potash, of each II drachms: powdered nux vomica and powdered white hellebore, of each 10 grains; hard soap and Venetian turpentine to loz. With regard to feeding, a great many people believe that maize causes irritation of the legs. I do not think 1 should prefer to use maize largely for horses showing a tendency to irritation of the legs, but those of experience in its employment as a stable article of diet deny most emphatically that there is any special liability to irritation and grease exhibited by their horses.