XXXIII. CAUSE OF CONTRACTED HEELS.
A disease called Thrush, located in and about the frog is sure to contract the heels of a foot, if not cured quickly. A foot troubled with thrush should be cured when first discovered, if not the frog keeps perishing away until there is not enough of it there to hold or keep the heels from contracting. Another cause is allowing feet to grow too high at the heels and letting them remain too high for too long a time. When the heels get too high the frog is too far away from the ground to get any expansion, or to prevent contraction. The closer the frog is kept to the ground on a horse running in pasture or shod and working, all the better. Stock running in pasture, young or old, should have their feet rasped down regularly every five or six weeks at the longest. Some may need it oftener than that. This fixing of feet on stock running out, assists expansion and prevents contraction. If the feet are allowed to grow too long on stock running in pasture the position the animal has to stand in while grazing, with one leg out in front of the other will contract or curl the inside quarter of each front foot, and wing out the outside quarter. Shoes staying on too long, and horses kept on dry, hard floors where they do not get any moisture, will cause contraction. The feet of horses kept on dry hard floors should be stuffed at least every other night with clay, or whiterock, or something of a moistening nature. Contraction is the main cause of both quartercracks and corns. To cure Thrush, cleanse the frog thoroughly, then a few applications of dry powdered calomel to the frog will dry the disease up and leave the frog healthy.