Retained Placenta in Small Animals 8ii 



The handling consists fundamentally of a careful search for, 

 and removal of, the retained chorionic fragment, followed by the 

 proper handling of the resulting endometritis and laminitis. 

 These we shall discuss later. 



This type of retention is subject to preventive measures. 

 The veterinarian, when attending a mare in labor, or removing 

 the fetal membranes when completely retained, should always 

 carefully note whether the two horns of the chorion are complete. 

 If not, the missing apex should at once be removed and the 

 uterine cavity well irrigated. 



3. Retained Placenta in the Sma^i^er Animals. 



The smaller domestic animals do not suffer so frequently from 

 retained placenta as do the cow and mare. The ewe and goat 

 with cotyledonal placenta suffer occasionally. The sow and car- 

 nivora suffer but rarely from retention. De Bruin records teta- 

 nus infection in the ewe as a result of placental retention. Gen- 

 erally the disease in the ewe has about the same danger as in the 

 cow. The sow withstands the disease well. 



The handling is somewhat similar to that in the cow. If the 

 genital canal is large enough to admit of the in.sertion of the 

 operator's hand, manual removal may be carried out as in the 

 cow. Otherwise the uterine cavity is to be irrigated with warm 

 normal salt solution, thus mechanically cleansing the organ, 

 stimulating normal involution of the uterus and increasing pre- 

 sumably the number of leucocytes in the uterine walls. De Bruin 

 condemns the use of antiseptics in these cases. 



Should chronic metritis, with chronic vaginal discharge or 

 with vaginal prolapse, follow, hysterectomy, page 669, may be 

 indicated in the sow and carnivora. 



