202 The Diseases of Animals 
should be undisturbed, but a close watch should be 
kept to see that labor is proceeding normally, and that 
everything is going as it should. 
Labor-pains are muscular efforts of the mother to 
expel the fetus. The muscular walls of the uterus, or 
womb, contract at the time the animal strains, and 
thus the fetus is gradually forced out through the 
vagina. At first the labor-pains are slight and infre- 
quent, but, as parturition progresses, they become 
frequent and more violent. 
The normal position for young animals to be born 
is with the front feet and head foremost. This is the 
best and easiest position, as the head and fore legs act 
as a wedge and gradually dilate the passage. Young 
animals are frequently born with the hind legs foremost. 
No attempt should be made to turn them, as they are 
usually born without much difficulty, and seldom need 
assistance in this position. It is better that labor 
should proceed slowly, in order that the passages may 
gradually dilate and adjust themselves to the fetus and 
thus avoid injuring the soft tissues. 
DYSTOKIA 
Dystokia, or difficult labor, a condition in which 
assistance is needed in order to deliver the young 
animal, is rather frequent. It may be due to an ab- 
normal position of the fetus, a very large fetus, a 
small passage in the dam, or to some malformation, 
either of the fetus or of the dam. When an animal has 
been in labor for an hour or two, when the labor- 
