Broken Knees. The part commonly termed the knee of the horse corresponds to the carpus or wrist of man; it is much exposed, and liable to serious injury. By broken knee is meant the abrasion or more serious injury of the front of the joint by a fall; and if, even after the wound has healed, the scar remains to indicate that the horse has once fallen, and is 'broken-kneed,' then that horse is regarded as unsafe, unsound, and is seriously deteriorated in value.
A horse may fall from various causes: (1) Defective conformation, which induces 'speedy cutting' and 'brushing,' consequently pain and falling; (2) diseases of the feet, either intrinsic or extrinsic, causing the animal to shuffle more or less in its gait, and to stumble; (3) brain affection, causing a sudden stumble and fall; (4) accident pure and simple, such as putting the foot on a large stone or broken post in the ground. See HORSESHOEING.
After a fall, it is important at once to determine the extent and depth of the wound. If it be merely a superficial wound, the case is a simple one; and unless the skin is much bruised, the hair will grow, and the animal not be permanently blemished. The sheath, however, through which the tendon over the joint passes, may be opened, and the tendon itself injured. The wound is then gaping, heals rather slowly, and sloughs are thrown off. Lastly, the joint itself may be opened, and this is indicated by a discharge of the joint-oil or synovia, and by the bones being seen. The worst form of accident is that when the bones of the joint are fractured. The system suffers when the wounds are serious, and severe fever sets in.
In treatment, first cleanse the wound by pouring or squeezing from a sponge warm water on it, and ascertain by looking, but not by probing, the extent of the injury. If the injury be slight and no joint-oil escape, tie the animal's head to the pillar reins, to keep it from lying down, and from injuring the part by knocking it against the wall or manger. Give opening medicine, bran mashes, and a little hay or grass. Dress the wound daily with antiseptic lotions or with antiseptic lint. If the injury be a serious one, and is accompanied by fever, the animal must be at once placed in 'slings,' and in addition to the before-mentioned treatment should receive febrifuges and anodynes. When the bones are broken, the animal should be destroyed. When the wound is thoroughly healed, the hair may not grow rapidly, nor may the swelling disappear; in this case its production may be accelerated by the use of a mild cantharidine ointment, which should act as an irritant, but not as a blister. In some cases of severe broken knee, it is advisable to fix the limb so that the animal may not move the joint. In veterinary jurisprudence, a broken knee is regarded as a blemish, not as an unsoundness. An animal once broken-kneed never thoroughly regains its previous action.