162 Veterinary Elements. 



If all goes well the head and fore feet are presented 

 (sometimes the hind feet) and the young animal is in a 

 short time in a new world. The natural delivery in 

 mares is of short duration, only five to fifteen minutes 

 usually elapsing after extrusion of the water bag; the 

 cow may take one to two hours to deliver the calf, ex- 

 tending to that many days. Ewes take about fifteen 

 minutes to deliver or less, and if twins are present the 

 interval between births may be from 15 minutes to two 

 hours or even days. Assistance should not be offered 

 until the water bag shows. 



The sow takes a variable time to deliver, depending 

 on the number of pigs — may take from ten minutes to 

 several hours. In natural cases little assistance is needed, 

 and when given should be of the right kind; the attend- 

 ants should only apply traction when the young animal 

 is in the right position, and only when the expulsive 

 effort is being made, the direction of the traction should 

 be away from the back bone, that is towards the hocks 

 of the dam, downward if the animal is standing. The 

 foal is often born in its membranes, and should be released 

 immediately from them, especially about the head; any 

 mucus present being removed from the mouth and nostrils. 

 The membranes of the calf and lamb do not always fol- 

 low right after delivery; in the cow they remain for days; 

 in the ewe rarely so; while in the sow it is the exception 

 for such to occur; the reason for retention of the mem- 

 branes in ruminants (cow and ewe) is due to the pecul- 

 iarity of the attachment of the membranes in those 

 animals, which will be remembered from the description 

 of arrangement of the mucous (lining) membrane of the 



