THE CARE OF THE PARTURIENT ANIMAL 

 AND OF THE NEW-BORN. 



After the completion of labor, the mother should not be an- 

 noyed by the presence of other animals of her own or other spe- 

 cies, or by the unnecessary presence of persons. She should have 

 clean and comfortable quarters, whether in the stable or in the 

 field, and her body should be kept as clean as circumstances per- 

 mit ; if present, any blood or discharges should be washed or 

 wiped away from her tail and thighs or other parts of her body 

 which have become soiled. In case of the large domestic ani- 

 mals, the afterbirth, if it has come away, should be removed and 

 destroyed, although, as a general rule, no material harm comes 

 to the mother from eating it. If the animal is stabled, allowing 

 the expelled afterbirth to remain in the stall permits it to un- 

 dergo rapid decomposition, entices flies, and tends to render in- 

 fection of the mother or fetus more probable because of its pres- 

 ence. 



An abundance of good drinking water and suitable food should 

 be allowed. For herbivorous animals, which have given birth 

 to young during the warm season of the year, grass constitutes 

 the most favorable diet. Mares w'hich are used for work 

 purposes should be rested for a few days after parturition, as a 

 safeguard against disease. As a general rule the mare may 

 safely return to work in the course of three or four days, if 

 parturition has been easy and without accident, but the labor must 

 be of a gentle character. 



If the genital organs have suffered any material injury during 

 the act of birth, proper precautions should be taken against in- 

 fection. For this purpose some mild disinfecting solution should 

 be used to flush out the vulva and vagina. Unless these inter- 

 ferences are necessitated by conditions, the animal should be left 

 quite alone. 



:\i ;i; ^i -^ -Jfi ^ 



Immediately following parturition there occurs a series of rapid 

 changes by which the genital organs resume the form and func- 

 tions of the non-pregnant animal. In domestic animals this 

 interval is brief, usually extending over but three to five days, 

 and is marked by little exterior change. It is a period in which 

 the maternal body is highly susceptible to insults of various 

 550 



