202 The Care of Animals 



quent, but, as parturition progresses, they become 

 frequent and more violent. 



The normal position for young animals to be born 

 is with the front feet and head foremost. This is the 

 best and easiest position, as the head and fore legs act 

 as a wedge and gradually dilate the passage. Young 

 animals are frequently born with the hind legs foremost. 

 No attempt should be made to turn them, as they are 

 usually born without much difficulty, and seldom need 

 assistance in this position. It is better that labor 

 should proceed slowly, in order that the passages may 

 gradually dilate and adjust themselves to the fetus and 

 thus avoid injuring the soft tissues. 



DYSTOKIA 



Dystokia, or difficult labor, a condition in which 

 assistance is needed in order to deliver the young 

 animal, is rather frequent. It may be due to an ab- 

 normal position of the fetus, a very large fetus, a 

 small passage in the dam, or to some malformation, 

 either of the fetus or of the dam. When an animal has 

 been in labor for an hour or two, when the labor- 

 pains are strong and frequent and no progress is 

 made in the birth of the young, the probability is 

 that something is wrong, and attention to the case 

 is demanded. The chances of success are much greater 

 when the case is taken earl}^ before the mother is 

 exhausted from severe straining, and before the water 

 bags are ruptured and the lubricating fluids allowed to 

 escape and the parts to become dry and swollen. 



