Contagious Abortion 377 



by using a 5 per cent solution of carbolic acid or a 

 1 to 1,000 solution of corrosive sublimate, after the 

 stall has been scraped and all loose litter burned. 

 After using the antiseptic, the stall should be treated 

 to a good coat of whitewash. The aborted calf and 

 the membranes are to be destroyed by burying deeply 

 or burning, and the vagina and uterus washed out every 

 day with a solution of corrosive sublimate (1 part to 

 1,000 parts of water). The tail and adjacent parts are 

 also to be washed with this solution. Tablets of 

 corrosive sublimate can be procured from druggists, 

 with directions for use. This treatment of the vagina 

 should be continued as long as the discharge is ob- 

 served, and the adjoining parts should be washed daily 

 for ten days afterward. 



No cow that has aborted should be bred until some 

 time after all discharge has ceased. For two days 

 before breeding, the vagina should be washed out with 

 the 1 to 1,000 solution of corrosive sublimate; the day 

 she is bred, warm water should be used in its place, as 

 the corrosive sublimate will destroy the semen. In 

 some cases, cows become barren after abortion. Clean- 

 liness, the free use of antiseptics, isolation of infected 

 cows, and precautions against breeding to infected bulls 

 are the best methods of combating this disease. The 

 disease seems to "wear itself out" and disappear from 

 a herd after a time. 



A method of detecting contagious abortion by an 

 examination of the blood of a suspected animal, known 

 as the "complement fixation test," gives excellent 

 results. The test must be made by an expert. 



