Re- opening of the Urachus 821 



may be substituted for the salt solution or may be given per 

 mouth. If these fail, resort may be had to 1/20 to 1/12 

 grain of eserin or arecolin given hypodermically, repeated 

 hourly if needed. In the meantime the foal should be 

 M^atched and any tendency to swallow hay or bedding frus- 

 trated by muzzling. Although not investigated, it is not 

 improbable that the hypodermic injection of the blood serum 

 or defibrinated blood of the mother of the foal in retention 

 of the meconium would have the same value as in arthritis. 



The feeding of foals should be upon the same principles 

 as that of calves. When a foal is born, the precaution should 

 at once be taken to draw all milk from the mare's udder in 

 order that it shall not gorge itself. If abortion in mares, or 

 dysentery or arthritis of foals is prevalent in the establish- 

 ment, the development of the two latter should be antici- 

 pated and vigorous measures taken to frustrate them. 

 Schofield' has reported favorably upon the use of bacterins 

 made from the streptococcus, usually found by him in the 

 joint lesions, for the prevention and cure of arthritis. He 

 and others state, however, that in outbreaks associated with 

 much abortion, the B. abortivo-equinus is present in the 

 joints and appears to be the causative agent. In such case 

 that bacillus needs to be added in the making of the bac- 

 terins. 



Forssell, in the Berliner Tierarztliche Wochenschrift, part 

 12, 1916, and in a later contribution not yet published, ad- 

 vocates what appears to be a more logical plan for prevent- 

 ing and handling arthritis in foals (and probably dysentery 

 as well), by the use of the blood of the foal's dam. His 

 recommendations have excellent support in clinical data. 

 In the Schofield plan the results are technically based upon 

 the causative agent's being used for the making of bacter- 

 ins. The causative agent is subject to such a wide variation 

 in species that the selection of bacterins is always a hazard. 

 Any pyogenic bacteria which may exist within the gravid 

 uterus or which may invade the foal through the umbilicus, 

 may cause the disease. In each case the possible number of 



1 Schofield, F. W. Investigation into Joint-Ill in Foals. Dept. Agr. 

 Toronto, 1916. 



