THE COW IN HEALTH AND DISEASE 101 



the first milk or colostrum that the cows give 

 at the first milking after calving. 



In two or three days following these symptoms 

 the abortion takes place, with slight general dis- 

 turbances. If this occurs early in pregnancy, the 

 afterbirth is usually passed with the foetus, but 

 if it occurs later it may be passed subsequently 

 or even retained for some little time and may be 

 removed manually. Following the abortion there 

 is a dirty brown or bloody discharge for several 

 days which may be putrid. This discharge may 

 accumulate in the uterus and be expelled at in- 

 tervals by straining. When the animal is bred 

 early the abortion usually takes place early in 

 the stage of gestation ; and, if the animal is bred 

 after several months, the animal is more likely 

 to carry the foetus to full term. Many of the 

 animals fail to conceive after the abortion and 

 most of them with difficulty. Those abortions 

 that occur early are usually dead, but those that 

 are nearer full term are often alive, and emit a 

 hoarse bellowing sound which is more than likely 

 due to some disease of the brain. 



The nature of the condition can be determined 

 by the symptoms that precede the abortion, and 

 by the catarrhal inflammation that persists for 

 such a length of time after abortion and by the 

 subsequent abortions that take place in the herd, 

 and also by the condition of the membranes of 

 the foetus which has a large amount of puru- 

 lent exudate on them. There are several sero- 

 diagnostic tests that are being perfected for 



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