THE URINARY SYSTEM 473 



801. Septic Metritis in the Mare occasionally occurs, and 

 may be due to some septic matter having gained admission into the 

 system from impure water or food, but more often by inoculation, 

 arising from some peculiarity of the stallion (Dourine), in whose 

 system the septic material seems to hang about for months, or even 

 years, without being perceptible, yet is transmitted at time of service 

 to the mare, in whom it remains latent, only to make itself manifest at 

 the time of parturition. As a rule the mare shows no signs of illness 

 until a few hours after foaling, yet the morbid poison has established 

 its action on the fcetus, which may be expelled before its time, or 

 it may go up to or over the full period of gestation. In such cases 

 the foal, although seemingly fully developed, is usually still-born, or 

 it dies within a few seconds after birth. The placenta, or after- 

 birth, is expelled immediately after foaling, and is generally of an 

 unhealthy drab or grey colour. Shortly after parturition the mare 

 commences to be ill, and shows somewhat similar symptoms to 

 simple metritis (par. 800). Sometimes these cases become com- 

 plicated, and turn into pyaemia, when large abscesses form in 

 various parts of the body. Treatment. — First inject the womb as in 

 par. 800, and give small doses of aperient and antiseptic medicine, 

 such as hyposulphite of soda, in 2-ounce doses, every eight hours, 

 dissolved in water and given as a drench, — supplemented with 

 i -drachm doses of sulphate of quinine, dissolved in io drops of strong 

 hydrochloric acid, given every eight hours in cold hay tea to drink, 

 or in i pint of cold water as a drench. Good nutritive and easily 

 digestible food — green food if it can be procured — must be given. 

 When a case of this kind occurs all in-foal mares on or near the 

 premises should at once be removed to other quarters which are not 

 less than two miles distant, while the buildings and utensils should 

 be thoroughly washed and disinfected. Mares recovering from this 

 malady should not be put to breeding for at least 12 months. 



802. Septic Metritis in the Cow (infectious inflammation of 

 the womb) shows the following symptoms, viz. :. Great dullness, 

 prostration, quick breathing, fever, straining, swelling of the external 

 genital organs, and discharge of a dirty brown, blood-coloured fluid 



