FOALING. 263 



some skill and good nerve may, by persevering effort, gently 

 and firmly, so change the position of the foal as to enable the 

 eiforts of the mare to expel it. If it is impossible to so change 

 the foal as to bring the head down properly, the operator may 

 pass the hand up so as to get hold of both hind-feet, and 

 bring them down so that the foal may come rump foremost. 

 It may require considerable force to turn the foal, but there is 

 no danger in it if it is patiently applied; but the parts 

 already born should never be caught hold of for the purpose 

 of pulling the foal away. The dam may be ruined by such 

 meddling. 



Talcing the Foal Away. — Sometimes the foal is so large that 

 it can not be born. In such case, if it is evident the life of 

 the dam will be lost by longer waiting, the hand may be 

 passed up until it rests under the fore-leg of the foal, an open 

 knife having been carefully held in the hand, and then the leg 

 of the foal carefully separated from its body by the knife. In 

 this operation great care must be taken not to injure or cut 

 the parts of the dam which closely infold the colt. If neces- 

 sary, other parts of the foal may be similarly removed. 



Taking away the Placenta. — Occasionally the mare does not 

 clean in a proj^er time. This may cause inflammation. If 

 inflammation is threatened, the placenta should be taken 

 away. This may be done by passing the hand, w^ell greased, 

 far up, and beyond the parts to be taken away, and then 

 grasping them and bringing them out with the hand. 



Bupture in Foaling. — Sometimes the parts which lie between 

 the fundament and bearing are torn in foaling, so that both 

 openings are united. Some good may be done, in such a case, 

 by stitching up the wound with a fine, curved, surgeon's 

 needle and fine surgeon's silk, then keeping the patient's 

 bowels loose. The prospects are not very favorable to a cure. 



Since the above was written, I treated one of the worst 

 cases I ever saw, successfully. 



