The earliest attention commonly
paid to sprain of the back
sinews of the hind leg.
At length, however, calkins become of no use. The work continues, and the disease progresses. The position of the foot is now so altered, that the smith discovers his office is unable to render the animal useful. Perhaps these circumstances would little affect the owner, but the horse evidently loses power. At first it is longer on the road. The passengers grumble at the delay, (for country carriers reap no little profit by carrying passengers;) and the driver, flog as he may, can oblige the horse to move no faster. Excessive beating is apt to provoke pity; and every word of pity which is lavished on the evidently eager animal is distasteful to the carrier, who vents his anger upon the wretched cause of all "this rumpus."
THE SURE RESULT OF
CONTINUED WORK AFTER
STRAIN OF THE BACK
TENDONS.
At last the horse cannot guide the cart down hill, even when lightly loaded. Assistance is at first procured; but very soon the assistant has to do all the labor. The proprietor cannot imagine what ails his horse; it keeps getting worse and worse. He takes the animal to a farrier. Remedies—oils and blisters—are applied to no effect. A veterinary surgeon is consulted, and the master learns that the only hope left him lies in division of the tendons of the hind leg.—(See operation.)
When a cart-horse's heel heightens, always attend to the back sinews. Feel them gently, to discover if one place is more tender, harder, softer, or slightly warmer, than the rest. Should this not succeed, pinch them hard, and run the fingers down them, marking the part at which the animal flinches. Healthy tendon will endure any amount of pressure; diseased tendon is acutely sensitive. Having discovered the locality of the injury, order the hair to be cut short. Put a linen bandage round the lesion, and see that it is constantly kept wet; but do not expect a speedy cure. Those structures which are slow to exhibit disease are always tardy in resigning it. Bone and tendon are of this kind.
Therefore do not expect any relief before three months have expired, and it will certainly be six months before the horse is fit to resume labor. Do not blister, bleed, seton, or fire: these things are expensive, and occupy much time. Have patience. Grant the time which the supposed specifics would employ, and the effect, with or without their use, is very likely to be the same. The only remedy for a badly-contracted tendon is an operation, and to that subject the reader is referred.
The horse, however, which has been subjected to such a remedy will never be fit for its former uses. No art can restore the primary strength of nature, although human intelligence may arrest the progress of disease. The thought, that the consequences of ill treatment are not always to be eradicated, should surely induce greater care of that property which, once lost to man, can never be replaced.
When a tendinous structure is injured, the best treatment is gentleness and patience. Blisters, setons, etc. can only change an acute disorder into a chronic deformity. Entire rest, with such applications as ease the attendant agony, and a sympathy that can afford to wait upon a tardy restoration, are better than all pretended specifics.