QUITTOR.
—A name given to a fistulous opening upon the heels and quarters of the coronary band, and is caused by treads, pricks in shoeing, bruises, and suppurating corns. Any injury which will cause suppuration within the foot will usually cause matter to form at the coronet, and may result in quittor. The disease is indicated by a swelling upon the coronet where the hair and hoof meet, great lameness, and a discharge of thin or thick curdy pus. There may be one or a number of small openings leading down into the sensitive part of the foot. The parts surrounding the quittor swell and become hard and take on an unhealthy action and are difficult to cure, and may be permanently diseased.
QUITTOR
Fistulous wounds on any part of the coronet are usually the result of a tread or bruise. If neglected serious trouble may result.
Clean the foot and put it into a bran poultice for several days, then remove any horn that may be pressing on the sore part. If it is at the heel remove the crust with a knife; if it is in front of the hoof rasp it thin. Then probe the opening at the top to find the depth and direction. Put a grain of bichloride of mercury into tissue paper and roll it into a cone and press it down to the bottom of the opening. Treat all the openings in the same way. Put the foot into a bag to protect it from injury and let it alone for three days, then clean out the openings and put in some more of the bichloride of mercury, and so on for two weeks, or until the parts become healthy and the hard swelling has decreased; then make up a bath of chloride of zinc one ounce, cool water one gallon; put the foot into this twice a day for twenty minutes at a time. As soon as the openings are healed blister the coronet with the following: Mix 2 teaspoonfuls of cantharides with 4 tablespoonfuls of lard; repeat in two weeks if necessary. When it is time to put on the shoe and work the horse, a bar shoe will be best. If the animal has much fever in the early stages of the disease give a dose of aloes, and follow this by giving 2 tablespoonfuls of nitrate of potassium twice a day in bran mash. Later in the disease give a teaspoonful of sulphate of iron once a day in bran mash as a tonic.