330 DISEASES OF HORSES AND CATTLE. 



CHAPTER XXVI. 



ACCIDENTS AND DISEASES FOLLOWING PARTURITION. 



Retention of the Placenta, or Afterbirth. — This 

 seldom occurs in the mare, but is common in the 

 cow. In the cow the afterbirth is usually re- 

 tained for some time after the calf is expelled ; but 

 in the mare at the time of expulsion of the foal. If 

 it is not thrown off soon after the birth of the 

 foal, it acts as a foreign body and causes consid- 

 erable disturbance to the health of the mare. It 

 is best to remove it within a few hours after 

 birth. On the other hand, in the cow, it is best 

 not to remove it until after the third day, as 

 it does not seem to do the cow any harm until 

 decomposition takes place. The decomposing 

 membrane is liable to become absorbed into the 

 system, and if the animal does not die it usually 

 does not thrive well. The reason for not removing 

 earlier in the cow is that the placenta adheres to 

 the cotyledons on the inside membrane of the 

 womb (already described), which are very vascular 

 and easily made to bleed, and forcing them away too 

 soon might cause troublesome bleeding. There 

 are no cotyledons on the womb of the mare, hence 

 little danger of bleeding by their early removal. 

 All the so-called cleansing medicines usually do 

 harm. In my practice I find that medicines have 

 no action or power to expel the afterbirth. The 



