Treatment.—­Two general plans of handling this disease are in vogue.  One, the more popular method, consists in the injection of caustic solutions of various kinds into the fistulous openings with the object of causing sloughing of necrotic tissue and the stimulation of healthy granulation of such wounds.  The other mode consists in either complete surgical removal of the cartilage or its remaining portions, or removal of the diseased parts of curettage.

When quittor has not extensively damaged the foot and the lateral cartilage is not partly ossified as it is in some old chronic cases, the complete removal of the lateral cartilage by means of the Bayer operation or a modification thereof is indicated.  A complete description of the Bayer operation as well as Merillat’s operation for this disease (the latter consisting in part, in the removal of diseased cartilage with the curette) are given in Volume three of Merillat’s “Veterinary Surgical Operations.”

Treatment by injection of caustic solutions has many advocates and because of the fact that, in many instances the condition is such that they are not desirable surgical cases and also because some animals may be put in service before treatment is completed, the injection method is popular.

The mode of treatment advocated by Joseph Hughes, M.R.C.V.S., constitutes a very successful manner of handling quittor and we can do no better than quote Dr. J.T.  Seeley[33] on his manner of using this particular treatment.

[Illustration:  Fig. 37—­Hyperplasia of right fore foot, due to chronic quittor.]

Preparation.—­First remove the shoe, have the foot pared very thin and balanced as nicely as possible.  Moreover, all loose fragments of horn must be detached and all crevices cleaned thoroughly.

Next, have the leg brushed and hair clipped from the knee or hock to the foot and scrubbed with ethereal soap and warm water, after which the foot must be scrubbed in like manner.  The foot is then placed in a bichlorid bath several hours daily, for from two to five days, depending upon whether or not soreness is shown.  The bichlorid solution is 1 to 1,000 strength.

On removing the horse from the bath a liberal layer of gauze is soaked in 1 to 1,000 bichlorid solution and placed so as to cover the entire foot.  On discontinuing the bath, cover the foot with gauze saturated with a 1 to 1,000 bichlorid solution.  This is to be covered with absorbent cotton and a gauze bandage, and over all is placed an oil cloth or silk covering.  This pack is kept moist with bichloride solution for forty-eight hours.  The foot is then ready for injection.

[Illustration:  Fig. 38—­Chronic quittor, left hind foot.  Showing position assumed because of painfulness of the affection.]