444 Veterinary Obstetrics 



skin from the buckles or knots, and should be carefully read- 

 justed daily c>r as often as conditions may dictate. 



In applying the emergency bandage to cases where the tendon 

 has already parted or its rupture seems very imminent, it is im- 

 portant to get it quite tight. In order to facilitate this, it is best 

 to tie a .solid loop in each upper tail, that is, in each tail of the 

 bandage which passes over the back, through which each lower 

 tail may run as through a pulley. The bandage cannot be properly 

 tightened at the first effort. One after another of the tails is to 

 be tightened as well as convenient at the first tying. As soon as 

 all are fa.stened, go back to the first ones and tie them over again 

 and continue the process until the desired support is secured, and 

 the great weight of the viscera lifted from the abdominal floor 

 and largely transferred to the spine through the bandage. 



The decrease in the weight of the abdominal viscera is also of 

 very great importance. We should les.sen the weight of the 

 digestive viscera by withdrawing all bulky food and replacing it 

 with limited quantities of concentrated aliment. We might 

 hurry the unloading of the intestinal tract by the aid of small 

 doses of eserine sulphate, or arecoline, such as half-grain doses 

 every half hour, until the desired effect has been induced. 



If the tendon has parted, the induction of premature labor 

 should receive careful consideration. 



As a rule, the foal perishes unless aid is given. Even under 

 close watching, the uterine contractions go on unobserved and 

 cause the death of the foal through separation of the placenta 

 before adequate expulsive force is brought into play. Most of 

 the expulsive power is destroyed when the abdominal floor gives 

 way, leaving the uterus alone to expel the fetus. It therefore 

 seems desirable to anticipate this danger to the fetus by bringing 

 about artificial delivery not later than the completion of the 

 eleventh month, in a way to best safeguard the life of the fetus. 

 The premature delivery is best effected by carefully dilating the 

 OS uteri with the hand ; grasping and, if necessary, cording the 

 fetal parts presenting, and applying moderate traction to com- 

 pensate for the lost expulsive power of the abdominal muscles. 

 It is to be remembered that it is best to have the patient in lateral 

 recumbency during delivery, since this raises the fetus approxi- 

 mately to a level with the pelvic inlet. When the mare is in the 



