necessary. In
some nervous subjects that seem to be suffering from cramp of the crural
muscles, the difficulty and pain of their being backed out of narrow
stalls, accentuates the nervousness. Sudation and restlessness are
manifested and the subject presents a clinical picture of distress and
fear of a painful ordeal. In some cases of this kind, complete recovery
takes place by the time animals are five or six years of age. One should
avoid keeping such subjects in narrow stalls. Preferably patellar
desmotomy should be performed that relief may be obtained at once.

Luxations attending some cases of influenza recover promptly when
subjects are kept comfortably confined in roomy box-stalls. The
administration of stimulative medicaments such as nux vomica and the
application of an active blistering agent to the patella serve to hasten
recovery. Dislocations in such cases are often bilateral and they are
usually momentary. Reduction occurs spontaneously, as a rule, and the
subjects are not occasioned much distress if they are kept quiet for a
few days.

Chronic Gonitis.

Etiology and Occurrence.--Chronic inflammation of the stifle joint is
met with following acute synovitis due to strains and concussion. It is
an ailment which affects heavy horses and particularly animals that are
kept at work on paved streets, but this does not explain its existence
in animals that are not subjected to work likely to cause concussion.
Berns[47] considers rheumatism a probable cause of gonitis and, as he
states, the dropsical form of affection of this joint is not ordinarily
attended with manifestations of inconvenience to the subject. Gonitis is
often bilateral and its onset is insidious in many instances.

Symptomatology.--In unilateral gonitis weight is not borne by the
affected member. There is noticeable distension of the joint capsule--a
characteristic pendant pouching protrusion. When both stifles are
affected the subject frequently shifts the weight from one limb to the
other. Lameness comes on gradually and during the incipient stages may
be intermittent but it progressively increases so that in time affected
animals become useless. In bilateral affections animals drag the toes
because of the pain incident to flexing the stifles. This is
particularly evident when the subject is made to trot. As the disease
progresses, atrophy of the quadriceps femoris muscles becomes pronounced
and as destructive changes involving the articu