202 The Diseases of Animals 



should be undisturbed, but a close watch should be 

 kept to see that labor is proceeding normally, and that 

 everything is going as it should. 



Labor-pains are muscular efforts of the mother to 

 expel the fetus. The muscular walls of the uterus, or 

 womb, contract at the time the animal strains, and 

 thus the fetus is gradually forced out through the 

 vagina. At first the labor- pains are slight and infre- 

 quent, but, as parturition progresses, they become 

 frequent and more violent. 



The normal position for young animals to be born 

 is with the front feet and head foremost. This is the 

 best and easiest position, as the head and fore legs act 

 as a wedge and gradually dilate the passage. Young 

 animals are frequently born with the hind legs foremost. 

 No attempt should be made to turn them, as they are 

 usually born without much difficulty, and seldom need 

 assistance in this position. It is better that labor 

 should proceed slowly, in order that the passages may 

 gradually dilate and adjust themselves to the fetus and 

 thus avoid injuring the soft tissues. 



DYSTOKIA 



Dystokia, or difficult labor, a condition in which 

 assistance is needed in order to deliver the young 

 animal, is rather frequent. It may be due to an ab- 

 normal position of the fetus, a very large fetus, a 

 small passage in the dam, or to some malformation, 

 either of the fetus or of the dam. When an animal has 

 been in labor for an hour or two, when the labor- 



