226 THE HORSE IN HEALTH AND DISEASE 



or disease of the pelvic organs, or to some abnormality in the 

 size, form, or position of the fetus. All that may be required is the 

 straightening of a retained leg, or the turning of the head, to place 

 the fetus in position so that the mare can proceed with the act 

 of parturition. Unfortunately, in practice the difficulties are often 

 much more serious and can be overcome only by resort to all the 

 skill and resourcefulness possessed by an experienced veterinary 

 obstetrist. Therefore, no time should be lost in calling him, and 

 this before traction is exerted on the foal, for the chances of a suc- 

 cessful delivery become rapidly less if assistance is delayed until 

 the water-bags are ruptured and their contents escape and the mare 

 is exhausted from continued straining. 



DISTURBANCES FOLLOWING PARTURITION 

 Acute metritis means inflammation of the uterus. It results 

 from the decomposition of bloody fluid and remnants of the after- 

 birth retained in the womb after parturition. Bacteria multiply 

 very rapidly in this material under the warm, moist conditions that 

 prevail. The poisonous products of their activity are quickly 

 absorbed and blood-poisoning (toxemia) with its attendant symp- 

 toms sets in. This is shown by a fever ranging between 103° and 

 105° F., loss of appetite, shrinking of the udder, reduction in 

 the milk flow of the mare, and digestive disturbances in the foal. 

 Unless the accumulated fluids and placental fragments are 

 soon removed the symptoms become more aggravated and acute 

 laminitis develops. Copious irrigations with warm 0.5 per cent, 

 carbolic acid or other suitable antiseptic solution will serve as a 

 means to cleanse the uterus. Care should be taken that all the 

 fluid is removed, for the uterine walls are incapable of much con- 

 traction. In our experience simply swabbing out with sterile 

 absorbent cotton moistened with tincture of iodin has given re- 

 markably quick relief. 



Retained placenta occurs less frequently in the mare than the 

 cow. It is often caused by infection carried into the uterus at the 

 time of parturition. Sometimes no cause can be found and the 

 foal is born in a perfectly normal manner. In any event no time 

 should be lost in removing the placenta, for it will decompose very 

 rapidly. Toxemia results if the products of decomposition are 

 absorbed. By gently pulling on the protruding membranes they 

 may frequently be removed without inserting the hand. Frag- 



