156 



SYMPTOMS OF PARTURITION. 



As the period of partiuitiou approaches the swelling of the udder 

 bespeaks the couiiug event, the engorgement in exceptional cases ex- 

 tending forward on the lower surface of the abdomen and even into the 

 hind limbs. For about a week a serous fluid oozes from the teat and 

 concretes as a yellow, wax-like mass around its orifice. About twenty- 

 four hours before the birth this gives place to a whitish, milky liquid, 

 which falls upon and mats the hairs on the inner sides of the legs. 

 Another symptom is enlargement of the vulva, with redness of its lin- 

 ing membrane, and the escape of glairy mucus. The belly droops, the 

 flanks fall in, and the loins may even become depressed. Finally .the 

 mare becomes uneasy, stops feeding, looks anxious, whisks her tail, and 

 may lie down and rise again. In many mares this is not repeated, but 

 the mare remains down; violent contractions of the abdominal muscles 

 ensue; after two or three pains the water-bags appear and burst, fol- 

 lowed by the fore feet of the foa^ with the nose between the knees, and 

 by a few more throes the foetus is expelled. In other cases the act is 

 accomplished standing. The whole act may not occupy more than five 

 or ten minutes. This, together with the disposition of the mare to avoid 

 observation, renders the act one that is rarely seen by the attendants. 



The navel-string, which connects the foal to the membranes, is rupt- 

 ured when the foetus falls to the ground, or when the mare rises, if 

 she has been down, and the membranes are expelled a few minutes 

 later. 



NATURAL PRESENTATION. 



When there is a single foal the common and desirable presentation 

 is with the fore feet first, the nose between the knees, and with the 

 front of the hoofs and knees and the forehead directed upward toward 

 the anus, tail, and croup (Plate IX, fig. 1). In this way the natural 

 curvature of the body of the foetus corresponds to the curve of the 

 womb and genital passages, and particularly of the bony i)elvis, and 

 the foal passes with much greater ease than if it were placed with its 

 back downward toward the udder. When there is a twin birth the 

 second foal usually comes with its hind feet first, and the backs of the 

 legs, the points of the hocks, and the tail and croup are turned upward 

 toward the anus and tail of the mare (Plate IX, fig. 2). In this way, 

 even with a posterior presentation, the curvature of the body of the 

 foal still corresponds to that of the passages, and its expulsion may 

 be quite as easy as in anterior presentation. Any presentation aside 

 from these two may be said to be abnormal and will be considered 

 under "Difficult Parturition." 



DLPFICULT PARTURITION. 



With natural presentation this is a rare occurrence. The great 

 length of the fore limbs and face entail, in the anterior presentation, 

 the formation of a long cone, which dilates and glides through the 



