Care of the Parturient Animal 551 



kinds and in which pathologic changes are very readily aroused 

 in case of accident or undue exposure. 



Normally this interval of time passes almost unnoticed in our 

 domestic animals, and it is only when we give close attention 

 that the changes which are taking place are observed. 



After-pains in the domestic animals are unobserved as a natu- 

 ral condition, beyond some expulsive pains, which are noticed 

 in some cases while the afterbirth is being detached and ex- 

 pelled. When this act is accomplished, we usually observe no 

 pains, although Saint-Cyr claims that in some cases there is a 

 whisking of the tail and an increased tension of the abdomen 

 which indicates that the uterus is contracting in 'a manner to 

 cause some pain to the animal. 



As a general rule, when evidences of abdominal pain follow 

 shortly after parturition, they suggest some pathologic condition, 

 which may be more or less important, such as the retention of 

 a portion of the fetal membranes or some displacement, such as a 

 beginning inversion of the uterus. Consequently, whenever 

 such pains are observed following parturition, a careful manual 

 exploration of the uterus should be made to determine the cause, 

 followed by the application of the necessary remedies. 



After the expulsion of the fetus and its membranes, there in- 

 evitably occurs in all animals a more or less recognizable dis- 

 charge from the uterus, consisting of blood and fragments of the 

 uterine mucosa or of the villi of the placenta, which substances 

 need be cast off before the uterus can resume its normal state. 

 This discharge is known as the lochia. Though prominent in 

 woman, on account of the very complex discoid placenta, it is 

 inconspicuous in animals, where the placentae are more e?;tensive 

 in area and less complex in their structure, so that one needs ob- 

 serve an animal quite closely in order to recognize the presence of 

 the lochial discharge following an easy birth. It becomes least 

 conspicuous when the placenta is distributed over a wide area and 

 has a feeble attachment to the uterus. It follows that, in the 

 mare, where a diffused placenta is found, in which the villi are 

 not very extensive, the lochia can scarcely be recognized at all, 

 while in the cow with the multiple or cotyledonous placenta it is 

 more evident, but even here, under normal conditions, quickly 

 disappears. In the mare the lochial discharge should not be 

 recognizable except after a few hours, nor should it be conspicu- 



