62 DOMESTIC ANIMALS, DAIRYING, ETC. 



to occur on grass, but this is possible and preventive treatment, there- 

 fore, is necessary, no matter where the foal is dropped. 



Treatment of the Foal at Birth. Attend to the navel cord 

 (umbilicus) as soon as the nose of the foal has been cleared of after- 

 birth. If possible avoid tying the navel cord. It is best for it to 

 break off naturally. If it fails to break and the mare is lying down, 

 make her get up and the cord may then break. 



If found necessary to tie the cord use a clean, disinfected string. 

 A dirty string may cause infection. Soak the string in a five per 

 cent solution of lysol or carbolic acid, or a 1-500 solution of corrosive 

 sublimate (bichloride of mercury). Tie the cord one inch or a little 

 more from the belly; then sever the cord with a clean knife. An 

 emasculator or ecaseur (castrating instruments) may be used to 

 sever the cord in place of tying it and then cutting through below 

 the knot. 



Saturate the stump of the navel cord immediately, whether tied 

 or not, with the following disinfectant: Powdered corrosive sub- 

 limate, 2 drams; boiling water, 1 pint. When it has cooled, color 

 the solution with 2 drams of tincture of iron, label the bottle "poi- 

 son" and keep it out of the way of children. Repeat the application 

 twice a day until the cord shrivels up, drops off and no raw spot re- 

 mains. To keep the solution from blistering the foal's belly smear 

 carbolized vaseline or unsalted lard around the navel before making 

 the first application. A good way to use the solution is to put some 

 of it in a shallow, wide-necked bottle, then hold the bottle against 

 the foal's belly with the navel stump immersed so that it will be 

 completely covered by the fluid. If the navel cord has been tied 

 remove the string as soon as possible, squeeze put the blood clot and 

 instantly soak the navel stump with the corrosive sublimate solution. 

 Use the solution twice a day until the navel is perfectly healed. Re- 

 move sloughing portions of the cord each morning, so far as possible, 

 to allow the solution to wet all raw parts of the cord. 



Give Attention to the Bowels. A strong foal will be on its feet 

 and trying to nurse in less than an hour from birth. Such a foal 

 needs no help, but a weak one will have to be held up to suck until 

 strong enough to do so without help. Wash the udder of the mare 

 with a lukewarm 2 per cent solution of coal tar disinfectant and 

 then rinse off with warm water before the foal is allowed to suck for 

 the first time. The external organs (genitals) , tail and hind parts 

 of the mare should be washed with a similar solution once a day for 

 the first week or so after the birth of the foal. 



Keeping the udder free from infective matter in this way tends 

 to prevent the foal from scouring, for that condition of the bowels 

 often is due to germ infection of the intestinal tract by way of the 

 mouth. Disinfection of the navel cord also tends to prevent scour- 

 ing. At birth the intestine of the foal contains a sticky mass of 

 fecal matter (meoonium). This should come away promptly and 

 usually this is accomplished by the first milk (colostrum) which 

 possesses purgative properties. To assist nature, either insert a small 

 tallow dip candle (made for this purpose) in the foal's rectum, or, 

 within an hour from birth, give an injection of either warm water, 



