356 A TREATISE ON HORSE-BREEDING. 



ecraseur or otherwise, following this up with antiseptic in- 

 jections, as advised under the last heading. 



DROPSY OF THE WOMB. 



This appears as a result of some disease of the walls of 

 the womb, but has been frequently observed after sexual 

 congress, and has therefore been confounded with pregnancy. 

 The symptoms are those of pregnancy, but without any 

 movements of the foetus and without the detection of any 

 solid body in the womb when examined with the oiled hand 

 in the rectum. At the end of four or eight months there are 

 signs of parturition or of frequent straining to pass urine, 

 and after a time the liquid is discharged clear and watery, 

 or muddy, thick and fetid. The hand introduced into the 

 womb can detect neither foetus nor foetal membrane. If the 

 neck of the womb closes the liquid may accumulate a second 

 time, or even a third, if no means are taken to correct the 

 tendency. The best resort is to remove any diseased product 

 that may be found attached to the walls of the womb and to 

 inject it daily with a warm solution of carbolic acid two 

 drachms, chloride of zinc one-half drachm, water, one quart. 

 A course of bitter tonics, gentian two drachms, sulphate of 

 iron two drachms, daily, should be given, and a nutritious, 

 easily digested and slightly laxative diet allowed. 



DROPSY OF THE AMNIOS. 



This differs from simple dropsy of the womb in that the 

 fluid collects in the inner of the two water bags (that in 

 which the foal floats) and not in the otherwise void cavity of 

 the womb. This affection can occur only in the pregnant 

 animal, while dropsy of the womb occurs in the unimpreg- 

 nated. The blood of the pregnant mare contains an excess 

 of water and a smaller proportion of albumen and red glob- 

 ules, and when this is still further aggravated by poor feed- 

 ing and other unhygienic conditions there is developed the 

 tendency to liquid transudation from the vessels and dropsy. 

 As the watery condition of the blood increases with advanc- 

 ing pregnancy, so dropsy of the amnios is a disease of the 

 last four or five months of gestation. The abdomen is large 



