Palpation of the Uterus per Rectum 123 



inch or over; and in a large cow closely approaching full 

 term it may be nearly three-quarters inch, full and bounding. 



The posterior uterine or vaginal artery is given off from 

 the internal pudic, approximately opposite the apex of the 

 angle between the sacro-sciatic ligament and its point of at- 

 tachment to the sacrum, and passes across the pelvic cavity 

 in the broad ligament of the vagina to the vagina and cervix. 

 In the healthy non-pregnant cow it is almost as large as the 

 main uterine artery. It is easily picked up per rectum and 

 palpated. Like the middle uterine artery, it enlarges very 

 rapidly as soon as pregnancy is established but attains no 

 such great dimensions as the former. It reaches ordinarily 

 the size of a lead pencil. 



The examiner, in the course of his work, should acquaint 

 himself with these various changes by studying animals 

 pregnant for a known period. In this manner he becomes 

 familiar with the clinical findings and is able to reach a 

 closer approximation of the date of pregnancy of females 

 whose history of conception is wanting. 



6. Palpation of the Uterus per Rectum 



The palpation of the uterus of the cow and mare per rec- 

 tum affords the most valuable means which we possess for 

 the diagnosis of pregnancy. After conception the uterus 

 undergoes prompt and marked changes in volume, form, 

 consistence, and location. When estrum occurs, there is a 

 marked engorgement. The organ is hard, tense, and smooth. 

 The condition is most notable in heifers. If conception oc- 

 curs, the engorged, undulatory character continues for a 

 time and in heifers the organ remains almost static in size 

 for fifteen to twenty days, after which it gradually en- 

 larges. In cows which have calved previously, these symp- 

 toms do not become so apparent and the enlargement is not 

 pronounced until thirty to sixty, or even seventy days. Then 

 the uterus becomes larger, most markedly in the gravid horn. 



Owing to the great variations of the size of the uterus in 

 adult cows and mares, due partly to individual peculiarities 

 and partly to the health or disease of the organ, one has 



