Placentitis. Endometritis with Retained Fetal Membranes 799 



applicable to the genital infections of horses. If a horse 

 breeder desires to produce a vigorous colt, let him as the 

 first step breed a genitally sound mare to a genitally sound 

 stallion. 



The genitalia of the mare are to be examined the same as 

 those of the cow. Any cervicitis, metritis or other genital 

 disease discovered is to be handled upon the same funda- 

 mental principles. Stallions used to serve valuable. mares 

 should be examined at intervals, including their genital or- 

 gans, semen and spermatozoa. During pregnancy mares 

 should be guarded (just as non-pregnant mares should be) 

 against infectious fevers, such as "pink eye", not because 

 they can apparently cause abortion directly, but rather be- 

 cause, by lowering the vitality of the pregnant mare, the re- 

 sistance of her uterus to infections residing therein is low- 

 ered and disaster invited. The maintenance of the physical 

 vigor of the stallion and avoidance of sex overstrain should 

 have thoughtful attention. 



2. Infections of the Puerperal Uterus 



A. Placentitis. Endometritis with Retained Fetal 

 Membranes. Puerperal Laminitis. 



The diffuse placenta of the mare, spread over a far 

 greater area than in the cow, causes the placental structures 

 to be less elaborate and renders retention of the fetal mem- 

 branes far less probable. The placentitis which may cause 

 retention of the fetal membranes is probably as common in 

 mares as in cows, but the chorionic tufts are so short and 

 simple that the placentitis runs its course quickly and the 

 dehiscence of the placenta usually occurs before the expul- 

 sion of the fetus, or the incarceration is so feeble that the 

 membranes are expelled very soon after the fetus, before 

 retention is clinically recognizable. The placental arrange- 

 ments are such that endometritis and placentitis become 

 identical, the entire endometrium being placental. There 

 exists in the mare also a remarkable bond between the pla- 

 cental endometrium and the sensitive laminae and other 

 horn-secreting structures of the foot, so that when placen- 



