Prognosis is grave, because the effect of ring-bone is sometimes to render working animals useless.
Fig. 14.—Sarcoma of the periosteum beneath the scapula.
Fig. 15.—Sarcoma of the periosteum covering the upper end of the tibia.
Treatment. To relieve the diseased claw of pressure due to its bearing on the ground, the shoe should be removed and the claw freely pared. If necessary, the healthy claw of the same foot may be raised by placing a piece of thick leather between the sole and the shoe. It is advisable at once to apply an energetic plaster, or, better still, to resort to firing in points.
SUPPURATING OSTITIS.
In addition to the changes in bone resulting from rachitis, osseous cachexia, tuberculosis, and actinomycosis, one sometimes sees cases of periostitis or ostitis pure and simple. As a result of external injury or direct wounds, the bone may be contused and injured, becoming the seat of diffused periostitis, necrosis, suppurating ostitis or osteomyelitis. Open fractures may produce the same results.
Treatment comprises disinfection of wounds, antiseptic injection of fistulæ, the application of antiseptic pencils, curettage, the removal of sequestra, and vesicant or resolvent complications. When such conditions extend to neighbouring joints and produce suppurative arthritis, the animals ought to be killed.