180 DISEASES OF CATTLE, SHEEP, GOATS, ETC. 



OBSTACLES TO PARTURITION. 



With a well-formed cow and calf and a natural presentation as 

 above, calving is usually prompt and easy. Obstacles may, however, 

 come from failure of the mouth of the womb to dilate ; from twisting 

 of the neck of the womb; from tumors in the vagina; from dropsy in 

 the womb or abdomen ; from over distension of the rectum or blad- 

 der; from undue narrowing of the passages; from excess of fat in the 

 walls of the pelvis ; from the disturbance of a nervous cow by noises ; 

 from stone or urine in the bladder; from wrong presentation of the 

 calf, its back being turned downward or to one side in place of up- 

 ward toward the spine of the dam ; from the bending backward into 

 the body of the womb of one or more limbs or of the head; from 

 presentation of the back, shoulder, or croup, all four limbs being 

 turned back ; from presentation of all four feet at once ; from obstruc- 

 tion caused by an extra head or extra limbs, or double body on the 

 part of the offspring, from dropsy or other disease of the calf ; from 

 excessive or imperfect development of the calf; from the impaction 

 of twins at the same time into the passages; or it may be at times 

 from the mere excessive volume of the fetus. 



GENERAL MAXIMS FOR THE ASSISTANT CONCERNING DIFFICULT PAR- 

 TURITION. 



Do Not Interfere Too Soon. After labor pains set in, give a rea- 

 sonable time for the water bags to protrude and burst spontaneously, 

 and only interfere when delay suggests some mechanical obstruction. 

 If there is no mechanical obstruction, let the calf be expelled slowly 

 by the unaided efforts of the cow. Bruises and lacerations of the pas- 

 sages and flooding from the uncontracted womb may come from the 

 too speedy extraction of the calf. When assistance is necessary, the 

 operator should dress in a thick flannel shirt from which the sleeves 

 have been cut off clear up to the shoulders. This avoids danger of 

 exposure, and yet leaves the whole arm free and untrammeled. Be- 

 fore inserting the hand, it and the arm should be smeared with oil, 

 lard, or vaseline, care being taken that the oil or lard is fresh, neither 

 salted nor rancid, and that it has been purified by boiling or rendered 

 antiseptic by the addition of a teaspoonful of carbolic acid to the 

 pound. 



This is a valuable precaution against infecting the cow by intro- 

 ducing putrid ferments into the passages, and against poisoning of 

 the arm by decomposing discharges in case the calving is unduly pro- 

 tracted. When labor pains have lasted some time without any signs 

 of the water bags, the dropping in at the sides of the rump, and the 

 other preparations for calving oeing accomplished, the hand should 

 be introduced to examine. When the water bags have burst and 

 neither feet nor head appear for some time, examination should be 

 made. When one fore foot only and the head appears, or both fore 

 feet without the head, or the head without the fore feet, examine. If 

 one hind foot appears without the other, make examination. The 

 presenting limb or head should be secured by a rope with a running 

 noose, so that it may not pass back into the womb and get lost during 

 the subsequent manipulations, but may be retained in the vagina or 



