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

72 The Management and Treatment of the Horse,
as a counter-irritant and prevent suppuration. Some-
times a thorn can be seen, yet it is so deep that it
cannot be taken hold of even with a pair of forceps ; to
take a thorn out under these circumstances, you must
put a small key over the thorn and press tightly so as to
force the thorn up the pipe of the key and enable you to
lay hold of it with the forceps. Another thing of the
thorn class, only worse, is a stub. This is met with by
the horse putting its foot upon newly- cut brushwood, in
going through gaps in hedgerows, or through newly- cut
woods. Sometimes they inflict wounds that are very
deep, often going through the sole of the foot and
lamella to the coffin bone. Many valuable horses have
died of tetanus or lockjaw, from the effect of a wound
of this class. As soon as the groom finds a stub in the
horse's foot he should have its shoe taken off, and the
hoof round the wound cut away with a small sharp knife;
lay the wound well open, probe the wound carefully, and
ascertain if any chip is left behind ; if you find any,
remove it with the forceps, and be quite sure you leave
nothing in the wound. In probing a wound of this
class, do not use a metal probe, but a gutta-percha one,
as you would be liable to further injure the sensitive
lamella. Having made sure the wound is clear and
clean, pour into it carboiised oil, put a piece of cotton
wool, saturated with the oil, on the top of the wound,
and bind up. Remove the wool every morning, and
bathe the wound with warm water, re-dress it and bind
up, and in most cases the animal is well in a few days.
Many persons use tincture of myrrh for wounds, but it
should not be used in deep wounds, as it dries up the