PARTURIENT PARESIS 83 



Although the os is usually firmly closed in this stage, 

 the irrigations of the vaginal canal seem to do much 

 good. These douches are to be given several times 

 daily by the owner or attendant. Medical treatment 

 internally consists of spartein sulphate, from twenty 

 to thirty grains three or four times daily for a week, 

 or usually until the dropsical swellings leave. Warm 

 quarters and good nursing help much, and in some 

 cases a dose of mixed bacterins seems to do good. 

 The mortality is very high w^here the ailment is al- 

 lowed to progress to this stage. 



PARTURIENT PARESIS 



This disease, commonly termed milk fever, is of 

 very frequent occurrence in dairy cow^s. 



Not so many years ago milk fever was considered 

 a very serious disease; it w^as usually fatal. Today 

 this disease causes but few deaths. Although the 

 present day treatment of this disease is wholly em- 

 pirical, it is the one disease that the veterinarian can 

 almost invariably handle with success. This is the 

 more astounding when we take into consideration the 

 rapidity with which the disease attacks and the hyper- 

 acute character of its manifestations once it becomes 

 established. In but few other pathological condi- 

 tions do we see such a profound symptomatology occur 

 so precipitately. In a way, the prompt and regular 

 recovery removes the stain of empirics from this treat- 

 ment to a certain degree. There can be not a shadow 

 of doubt but what the present day treatment of par- 

 turient paresis is correct. Even though we understood 

 the pathology of the disease fully, it is not probable 

 that we could make any improvement in the treat- 



