670 PATHOLOGY OF PARTURITION. 



Giinther abstracted blood in large quantity, and gave extract of stramo- 

 nium. He also, on the supposition that the brain was congested, 

 applied strong stimulants to the back of the head and to the spine. 



CHAPTEE YIII. 



Parturient Laminitis. 



With the Mare,^ a few days after foaling or abortion, there has been 

 sometimes observed an attack of congestion or inflammation of the feet, 

 which closely simulated the painful and serious malady known as 

 " Laminitis," and appeared to be related to the parturient state. The 

 disease does not seem to be very common ; though Obich- asserts that 

 it and metritis are the most frequent sequelae of parturition in the Mare. 

 It appears to have been first described by Tisserant^ in 1846 ; since then 

 it has been alluded to by Gloag and Smith^ in England; Fabry, Guilmot, 

 Lecouturier, Windelinck, and Deneubourg ^ in Belgium; Obich'^ in 

 Germany ; and Ayrault" and others in France. It has been observed 

 also as a complication of ruptured vagina. 



Symptoms. 



The symptoms of the disease are those of laminitis occurring under 

 ordinary conditions. They are suddenly manifested on the second or 

 third day after foaling or abortion, more rarely on the fourth day, and 

 very seldom later. In a small number of cases, inflammation of the 

 feet has been noticed either during or immediately after parturition. 

 Exceptionally, it has taken place within twenty-four hours after the 

 contents of the uterus have been expelled. As a rule, there has been 

 nothing remarkable in the case — birth having taken place naturally ; 

 sometimes, however, parturition may have been difficult. 



The attack is either sudden, or only very indefinite premonitory indi- 

 cations are present. The animal becomes unusually restless, and moves 



' It would appear that Bovine animals are liable to a foot inflammation after parturi- 

 tion, as well as Glares. Roloff {]\Iittheiiu»gen aus de7- Thierai'ztUclien Praais in Preus- 

 zischen Staate, I860, 1866, p. 154) observed a peculiar inflammation of the feet of Cow.«, 

 supervening on parturition. Some days after that event, the skin between the claws 

 was observed to be reddened, swollen, and moist, and gradually the inflammation 

 extended to the coronet and heels (Ballen) ; the skin became more tumefied and dense, 

 and immediately above the claws was uniformly thick and red. In some cases absce.sses 

 formed at the coronet, the horn became separated, and finally the whole claw was shed. 

 The inflammation extended to above and behind the fetlock, and the pain was so great 

 that the animals ate but little, and consequently they soon lost condition. The hind- 

 limbs were most frequently attacked, first one, then the other, one being always more 

 affected than the other. The Cows had onl}' calved a short time previously. Roloff 

 supposed that the disease was due to contact of the skin about the hind-feet, with some 

 substance which had escaptd from the vulva after calving. He therefore insisted on 

 the utmost cleanliness being observed ; had the stalls cleaned out and sprinkled with 

 chloride of lime every daj', the hind-feet damped with chlorine water, particularly 

 between the claws, and afterwards sit eared with oil. By these measures the extension 

 of the disease was at once checked. 



- Wochtnschrift fiir Thitrheilknnde, 1869, p. 105. 



^ Journal des Veterinairex du Midi, vol. ix., p. 347. 



■* Veterinarian, 1851, pp. 14, 258. 



5 Annahs de Medecine Veterinaire, 1860, 1861, 1868. 



'' Op. cit. 



" liecueil de Midecine Veterinaire, 1866. 



