838 Diseases of the Genital Organs 



can be no genital discharge from necrotic embryos located 

 upon the ovarian side of it. What, if any, general symptoms 

 are caused by maceration of embryos anterior to the basal 

 one has not been recorded. If pregnancy is well advanced 

 and the maceration is rapid, there should be signs of tox- 

 emia and blood samples should reveal pyogenic activity. 



When the basal fetus becomes necrotic, genital discharge 

 may occur ; the probability of a visible discharge increases 

 as pregnancy advances. The discharge is generally fetid, 

 sometimes evidently purulent, but when the normal dura- 

 tion of pregnancy has been almost or quite reached, the dis- 

 charge is usually sanious and distinctly repulsive. Then 

 there are clinical evidences of sepsis and sometimes appear- 

 ances of dystocia. Parturition is suspected rather because 

 of the existence of a completed pregnancy and of a genital 

 discharge than because of definite expulsive efforts. The 

 uterus about the necrotic basal fetus is often too paretic to 

 dislodge the cadaver and force it into the cervix or vagina, 

 where its presence would cause definite expulsive contrac- 

 tions by the abdominal walls. Hence the veterinarian diag- 

 noses dystocia due to a macerating fetus, chiefly from the 

 presence of the clinical symptoms of sepsis (dullness, lassi- 

 tude, erratic temperature, weakness) , the presence of a geni- 

 tal discharge, and the knowledge that the patient is preg- 

 nant and is at or near the time for parturition. If to these 

 are added even slight expulsive efforts, the diagnosis is fa- 

 cilitated. In the advanced stages of pregnancy, the hand- 

 ling of embryonic death calls for the complete evacuation of 

 the uterus. This is to be attained chiefly by means of the 

 administration of pituitary extract or by hysterotomy or 

 hysterectomy. These are described in the companion vol- 

 ume, Veterinary Obstetrics. 



The infections of the uteri of carnivora during the puer- 

 peral and post-puerperal periods offer little that is unusual, 

 so far as recorded. The greatly elongated and sinuous cor- 

 nua render pyometra very obstinate. The discharge is often 

 voluminous and extremely fetid. It may be complicated by 

 retained fetal envelops or by the presence of a macerating 



