The management and treatment of the horse in the stable, field, and ...

106 The Management and Treatment of the Horse,
continues in spite of this treatment, then other means
must be resorted to, and applications to facilitate the
ripening of the tumour must be adopted. This is best
effected by poultices of hot linseed meal, warm fomenta-
tions, and dressing with stimulating oils, such as soap
liniment or Elliman's embrocation, or, what is better
still, Gregory's Vesico Sudorific. Care must, how-
ever, be taken not to allow suppuration to break
out of its own accord, as this will leave a very ugly
sore, and the wound will be long healing. The
progress of the disease must be very narrowly watched,
and when the tumour becomes soft to the touch it must
be opened with a lancet and afterwards kept open with a
seton. A needle with, the cord attached must penetrate
the apex of the tumour, and be brought out a little way
below the tumour, and the incision with the lancet
should be large to allow of free suppuration, for if the
matter cannot run freely away it will set up a great
amount of irritation. Gentle pressure must be used to
squeeze all the matter out of the wound, after which
nothing more will be required for three or four days.
After the seton has set up a healthy reaction, which may
be known by the matter discharged being of a light straw
colour and of the thickness of thick cream , the
seton
may be removed, and the wound dressed with carbolized
oil, five oil to one acid. It may be necessary to divide
the ligaments of the neck with the lance to expose the
bottom of the abscess to the action of the acid, but
no evil effects will result from this, as both ends of the
ligaments will unite again in a few days. It often
happens that the wound will fill too rapidly with new