DISEASES OP THE GENERATIVE ORGANS. 193 



means flexion can be effected in hocks and stifles, success will follow; 

 the hind feet will pass into the womb and clear of the brim of the 

 pelvis, and the body may now be advanced without hindrance, the 

 hind limbs falling into place when the hip joints are extended. At 

 the same time the pressure upon hind limbs must not be relaxed until 

 the buttocks are engaged in the pelvis, as otherwise the feet may 

 again get over the brim and arrest the progress of delivery. 



When the hind limbs are already so jammed into the pelvis that it 

 is impossible to return thein, the calf must be sacrificed to save the 

 mother. Cords with running nooses are first put on the two hind feet. 

 The body must be skinned from the shoulders back as far as can be 

 reached, and is to be then cut in two, if possible, back of the last rib. 

 The remainder of the trunk is now pushed back into the body of the 

 womb, and by traction upon the cords the hind feet are brought up 

 into the passages, and the extraction will be comparatively easy. 



HIND PRESENTATION WITH ONE OR BOTH LEGS BENT AT THE HOCK. 



After the bursting of the water bags, though labor pains continue, 

 no part of the fetus appears at the vulva unless it be the end of the 

 tail. On examination the buttocks are felt wedged against the spine 

 at the entrance of the pelvis, and beneath them the bent hock joints 

 resting on the brim of the pelvis below. (PL XVII, fig. 3.) The calf 

 had been caught by the labor pains while the limb was bent beneath 

 it, and has been jammed into or against the rim of the pelvis so that 

 extension of the limb became impossible. With the thigh bent on the 

 flank, the leg on the thigh, and the shank on the leg, and all at once 

 wedged into the passage, delivery is practically impossible. 



The obvious remedy is to push the croup upward and forward and 

 extend the hind legs, and in the early stages this can usually be accom- 

 plished in the cow. A repeller (PL XX, fig. 7) is planted across the 

 thighs and pointed upward toward the spine of the cow, and pushed 

 forcibly in this direction during the intervals between labor pains. 

 Meanwhile the oiled hand seizes the shank just below the hock and 

 uses it as a lever, pushing back the body and drawing forward the 

 foot, thus effectually seconding the action of the repeller. Soon a 

 distinct gain is manifest, and as soon as the foot can be reached it is 

 bent back strongly at the fetlock, held in the palm of the hand and 

 pulled up, while the repeller, pressing on the buttocks, assists to make 

 room for it. In this way the foot may be brought safely and easily 

 over the brim of the pelvis without any risk of laceration of the womb 

 by the foot. After the foot has been lifted over the brim, the whole 

 limb can be promptly and easily extended. In cases presenting 

 special difficulty in raising the foot over the brim, help may be had 

 by traction on a rope passed around in front of the hock, and later 

 still by a rope with a noose fastened to the pastern. In the worst 



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