174 



Diseases of the Genital Organs 



B. Ventral Hernia 



Large ventral herniae, such as indicated in Fig. 58, also 

 inhibit copulation, rendering the bull worthless as a sire. 



Fig. 58 — Large Ventral Hernia preventing Coitus. 



C. Horizontal Vulva 



Horizontal vulva in the cow sometimes serves to render 

 copulation difficult or impossible. In aged cows with pen- 

 dulous abdomen and low back (lordosis, or sway-back) the 

 superior commissure of the vulva is depressed and dragged 

 downward and forward by the descent of the rectum and 

 anus, so that the vulvar opening is directed upward. More 

 rarely, the vulvar opening is directed upward in otherwise 

 well-formed heifers, as a peculiarity in conformation. When 

 the bull attempts to copulate with such an animal, the penis 

 tends to glide over the vulva and strike against the anal re- 

 gion. This is best avoided by causing the female to stand 

 with her hind feet in a pit or depression, with the fore feet 



