ABORTION 211 



ance, arched back, inappetence or diminished appetite and a bloody 

 or purulent vaginal discharge. Unless the cases are properly treated, 

 metritis becomes chronic and the inflammation of a purulent char- 

 acter, and there will be a creamy white purulent discharge. Such 

 animals are unthrifty, become more or less emaciated and fit subjects 

 for the ravage of other diseases^ 



Those cases in which there is more or less persistent metritis fre- 

 quently become sterile. 



TREATMENT 



Preventive and control measures should be in the direction of 

 improving sanitary surroundings, quarantining the aborting sows 

 and care in the use of the boar. It is possible that the causative 

 agent of this disease may soon be positively identified, and it is 

 hoped that it will be feasible to produce some type of biologic agent 

 that may be successfully used in immunizing against this disease. 



Aborting sows should be absolutely isolated and if the placental 

 membranes have not been sloughed, uterine irrigation of salt solu- 

 tion should be resorted to. It is not difficult to irrigate the uterus, 

 providing a speculum is used to dilate the vaginal canal. The cervix 

 of the uterus in these cases is usually relatively flabby and the irri- 

 gating tube can usually be inserted. Care must be exercised in this 

 flushing-out method that the xiterus is not distended too severely with 

 the irrigating fluid. Such patients should be given clean, sanitary 

 quarters, wholesome feed and injected once daily with quinin bisul- 

 phate, using 20-gram doses. 



