GREASY HEELS.

Waipa Post, Volume V, Issue 209, 2 May 1913, Page 4

GREASY HEELS.

A HORSE COMPLAINT.

The following is given by the Live Stock and Meat Division of the Department of Agriculture as a cure for greasy heels in horses : “ Grease ” is an eczematous condition of the skin about the heels of heavy hairv-legged horses, and in some strains of blood there is undoubtedly a hereditary tendency to it. It is also seen, although less frequently, in lighter-legged horses. The general cause in these cases is irritation of the skin by dirt and wet. The hair follicles and sebaceous glands of the skin are first irritated and then inflamed. This condition causes an excessive discharge from the glands, and often an enlargement of the parts ; in some cases this is so

excessive as to form grape-like bunches. Treatment will depend on the stage the disease has reached. Usually in the early stages a lotion composed of chloride of zinc, forty grains to the pint of rain water, applied twice a day, will be sufficient to arrest the condition. The best way to applv it is to sop a piece of cotton-wool in the lotion and apply it to the part, securing this by a bandage, which should be applied fairly tight so as to exert a little pressure. If the disease has got to the “grapes” stages, these can only be removed by excision or the hot iron. During the treatment the legs should as much as possible be kept clean and dry. Any cracks may be dressed with carbolised vaseline.