160 PRINCIPLES OF VETERINARY SCIENCE 



with planing mill shavings. Keep the bedding clean and dry 

 by promptly replacing portions soiled by manure or urine. 



When labor pains start, leave matters to nature if the position 

 of the foal is normal. Avoid too early interference as it may 

 prove disastrous. If anything seems wrong send for a veterina- 

 rian. Allow the mare to rest for a time if lying down af terf oaling. 

 When she rises, or half an hour after foaling, if she is up, and 

 again at intervals of two hours, offer her a pailful of lukewarm 

 water. Feed her a bran mash an hour or so after foaling, if she 

 is accustomed to such feed, otherwise allow her a small feed of her 

 ordinary grain ration. If the afterbirth does not come away 

 promptly, it should be removed by the attending veterinarian, 

 who will employ antiseptics to prevent infection and consequent 

 inflammation of the womb (metritis) and "colt founder" 

 (laminitis). 



Turn the mare on grass for a short time, if the weather is fine, 

 a day or two after foaling, but do not allow the foal to He down 

 and become chilled Gradually lengthen the time on grass daily 

 and get the mare onto full feed, unless she has more milk than 

 the foal needs, in which case it will be well to withhold extra feed. 

 Return her to light work in from ten days to two weeks. 



Lactation is the process in which the udder secretes and yields 

 milk. The term is also applied to the period during which milk- 

 is secreted. The period of lactation follows parturition and 

 normally continues until the offspring is weaned. When milked 

 daily, animals have continued to produce milk for several years. 

 Most animals produce a larger amount of milk if they have 

 reached maturity before lactation begins. 



The secretion of milk is a feminine characteristic, nevertheless 

 at birth the mammary glands of both sexes are very similar. 

 Milk is produced in little cells that are broken down by the 

 suckling or by the hand of the milker. The fluid is discharged 

 into the milk cisterns at the bases of the teats. 



Growth of the mammary glands is largely controlled by the 

 ovaries. If these organs are removed before puberty, mammary 

 gland development and other secondary sexual characteristics 

 are repressed. 



That there is an intimate relationship between the activity 

 of the mammary glands and the generative organs there can be 

 little doubt. A worker in Starling's laboratory injected anextract 



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