SWEENEY.
(Atrophy)
Cause.—An ill fitting collar, one tug longer than the other, striking an object when pulling, like a stone or a corner of a building, slipping, kicks, or the animal may have a splint, sprain, ringbone, sidebone, coffin-joint lameness, curb, corns, stifle lameness, in fact anything that tends to make an animal favor the use of certain muscles. It is not a disease, just a lack in the development of the muscles, which waste away or shrink when not used as nature provided. For instance, perhaps you have had or have seen persons that had a fractured leg or arm the muscles of which through lack of use had wasted away (Atrophy), until they were used normally for sometime, when the muscles again came back to their normal size.
Symptoms.—First locate the cause. The animal may be very lame although I have seen Sweeneys where lameness was very hard to detect, being those which were usually due to ill fitting collars. Remember you can have a Sweeney of the hip as well as the shoulder, and keep in mind the above mentioned cases.
Treatment.—When you have an animal affected with Sweeney, find the true cause and remove it if possible. Unless the Sweeney is a chronic one, it is successfully treated with Aqua Ammonia Fort., four ounces; Turpentine, four ounces; Sweet Oil, four ounces. Mix and apply well over wasted muscles once a day. If the application is too irritating, as some horses have thinner skins than others, it is advisable to add more Sweet Oil than above mentioned.
TAPEWORM.
(Taenia)
These worms have been found in the horse, but so rarely that they need not be considered.
THOROUGHPIN.
Cause.—Generally due to some irritation of the hock joint such as severe sprains from animal jumping, slipping, kick or falling through a culvert or bridge or it is frequently hereditary; so be very careful in choosing a sire when breeding.