DISEASES OE THE PREGNANT ANIMAL. ijy 



difficult ; while "the limb is maintained in a perfectly rigid condition, and 

 the indications of pain most marked. In a short time these symptoms 

 disappear, and movement js restored. The cramp may pass from one hind 

 limb to another alternately, and appears to be due to the compression 

 exercised on the sciatic nerve in its course over the sacro-ischiatic liga- 

 ment. This cramp has much analogy, in its symptoms, to luxation of the 

 patella ; from this it may be distinguished, however, by the latter occur- 

 ring most frequently in young animals, by the displacement of the patella, 

 and by the total inability to flex the limb until the patella has been re- 

 placed. 



Cramp is of no moment, and can be relieved by walking the animal 

 for a few paces, or by smart friction. It disappears altogether after par- 

 turition. 



We have already noted that the appetite of pregnant animals is some- 

 times depraved, and that they will ingest foreign matters : such as plaster 

 licked from the walls, wood gnawn from their stable-fittings, earth, etc. 



When depending on derangement of the digestive functions, this 

 depraved appetite may be corrected by the careful administration of 

 tonics, antacids, and attention to the quantity and quality of the food. 

 The herbivora should be allowed common salt in their food or to lick. 



Constipation. 



Constipation is, of course, due to many causes, some of which have no 

 relation to pregnancy. This condition, however, is not at all'rare, par- 

 ticularly in the carnivora during gestation ; and in all animals it may be 

 largely remedied, or altogether removed, by suitable diet and exercise. 

 Purgatives should be avoided, and only mild laxatives resorted to if neces- 

 sary. For the Bitch, which appears to suffer most frequently from 

 constipation, Saint-Cyr recommends the administration, every day for 

 eight or ten days, of five to eight grammes of white mustard. Castor 

 or linseed oil, or even boiled linseed, answer well for the larger animals. 



CEdema. 



The infiltration of serosity into the connective tissue of certain parts of 

 the body of pregnant animals — almost exclusively the Mare — is some- 

 what allied to the anasarca serosa of woman. The period at which it is 

 manifested depends much upon breed, conformation, and individual tem- 

 perament, as well as upon the season and hygienic conditions. With 

 common-bred, lymphatic Mares deprived of sufficient exercise, it appears 

 at an early period — from the eighth month of gestation, and sometimes 

 earlier — particularly in the winter. With better bred animals it is later, 

 and in summer may not appear at all in those which are well-bred. It 

 commences usually at the inferior part of the hind limbs, gradually 

 ascending to the hocks, or higher -, the fore limbs are also attacked, 

 though not so markedly ; and the swelling extends to the lower surface 

 of the abdomen. Here it commences by a soft tumor in front of the 

 udder ; this increases in size and spreads over that gland, as high as the 

 vulva, down the inner surface of the thighs, and towards the chest, ster- 

 num, and fore-arms. It readily disappears or diminishes with exercise, 

 and is probably due to the pressure exercised by the foetus on the pelvi- 

 crural vessels, as well as, perhaps, to the anaemic condition of the system. 

 The exemption of the Cow from oedema has been ascribed to the great 



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