56 Veterinary Obstetrics 



narians having not yet succeeded in successfully handling such 

 lesions. When the rupture of the rectal wall occurs behind 

 the peritoneum or otherwise does not perforate it, the prognosis 

 is good if timely surgical aid is given, though, after a long period 

 of time, serious or fatal results may follow the impaction of feces 

 in the sac formed in the pelvic connecting tissue. The pressure 

 of the feces escaping from the rectum tends constantly to push 

 the loose connective tissue aside and, eventually, to form a large 

 sac, which is constantly filled with fecal masses. 



The handling in such cases consists of gently removing the 

 feces from the sacculated wound cavity in the pelvic connective 

 ti.ssue and cautiou.sly flushing it out at least twice daily wath a 

 mild antiseptic solution. At the same time, the rectum should 

 be manually emptied as far as the attendant can reach and the feces 

 thus prevented from dropping into the sac. The patient should 

 be kept at rest on a very .scant, laxative diet during the treatment, 

 which should be continued until the rupture is quite healed as it 

 is highly important to guard again.st extensive sacculation in the 

 part, which can only be done b\' avoiding the accumulation of 

 feces in it. 



In some instances, the injuries to the rectum from the entrance 

 into it of the penis are comparativeh^ trivial and consist merely 

 of wounds of the mucosa and somewhat of the mu.scular walls, 

 with the pa.ssage of bloody feces, some swelling about the anus 

 and other slight sj^mptoms of injury, which readily pass awaj' 

 under repeated antiseptic euemata. 



From a foren.sic standpoint, the owner of the stallion is probably 

 always responsible for the damages to the mare, since the acci- 

 dent is preventable with proper care upon the part of the groom. 

 Such were the findings in the only case which we have seen tested 

 in the courts. 



Harms, quoting Hinrichsen, mentions an instance in which a 

 cow had her tail fractured at the base during copulation. 



The vagina, especially of the mare, is not infrequently lacer- 

 ated or ruptured by the penis of the male. The size of the penis 

 of the stallion does not bear a constant ratio to the size of the 

 body, but is comparatively excessive in coarsely bred animals 

 with long legs and large heads. Such stallions, copulating with 

 small mares, con.stantly tend to produce vaginal injuries. Some- 

 times it is merely a slight laceration in the mucous membrane. 



