256 BOVINE OBSTETRICS 



lumbar region may be turned toward the pelvic inlet. The 

 calf does not always lie horizontally ; the hindquarters usu- 

 ally lie deeper. 



Diagnosis. — On examination, one feels an extensive smooth 

 surface, occasionally the hairy skin, when many manipulations 

 have been performed and the foetal envelopes torn. 



In this abnormal presentation it is not always easy to make 

 a correct diagnosis, especially when the calf is hard to reach. 

 In such a case it is advisable to raise the cow's abdomen by 

 means of a board, or to put her on the back. To make 

 the diagnosis, the ribs, ligamentum, nucha? and external 

 angles of the ilium are located ; sometimes the tail or ears 

 are accessible. 



Treatment. — This depends on the part within reach. Should 

 one be able to seize the tail, the hind legs must be brought 

 into the pelvic canal. Since the calf is almost always dead, a 

 small hook with a rope is passed through the anus into the 

 oval foramen when the hindquarters cannot be moved by the 

 hand. While one hand pulls on the rope the other rests upon 

 the hook. 



As soon as a longitudinal position with the hind legs ab- 

 normally presented has been produced, the rules applicable to 

 it are employed. 



Whenever possible the hindquarters with the hind legs 

 are draAvn into the parturient passage, preventing a malposi- 

 tion of the head. 



When the anterior extremities are more accessible, 

 either the head or one of the fore legs, delivery in an ante- 

 rior presentation is attempted by adjusting the head or 

 fore legs. 



Whatever the hand can reach must be corded to be ac- 

 cessible when needed. The aim of reposition is to convert this 

 presentation into a longitudinal one, be it abdominal, dorsal or 

 costal, with the anterior or posterior extremities in the partu- 

 rient passage. After that a normal presentation is effected 

 according to the rules already given. 



