FIFTY-SECOND ANNUAL CONVENTION 229 



lowed for the relaxation of the openings from the uterus 

 and vagina. In general, labor should continue for two hours 

 or more before any help is given, although the condition 

 of the cow should be taken into consideration. She should 

 not be allowed to become too much exhausted before help 

 is given. 



The way to help is to take hold of the calf's feet, if 

 they protrude, otherwise pass cotton ropes around them, 

 and pull hard every time the cow strains. Do not pull at 

 any other time and do not be in a hurry about getting the 

 calf. Too much haste or excessive pulling may injure both 

 cow and calf. 



As soon as the calf is born, the navel cord should be 

 clipped about an inch from the belly, the few drops of 

 blood squeezed out, and tincture of iodine or full-strength 

 compound solution of cresol or other coal-tar preparation 

 applied. 



The afterbirth is usually passed in a few hours, but if 

 not expelled naturally within two days it is thought best by 

 most veterinarians to remove it by hand. This should not 

 be attempted by an unskilled person, as care must be taken 

 to avoid injury in disengaging the cotyledons which attach 

 the afterbirth to the uterus, and special effort must be made 

 to get all the afterbirth. It is also necessary to avoid intro- 

 ducing infection into the uterus by dirty hands or irrigating 

 tube. The irrigating tube should be sterilized by boiling 

 before and after use. Very mild antiseptic solutions, in 

 large quantities, or salt solution (1 tablespoonful to a gallon 

 of boiled water), are then used to flush out the uterus. If 

 the cow does not expel all the liquid herself, it should be 

 siphoned out. Flushing of the uterus should take pla^e 

 daily as long as a sterilized rubber tube can be inserted into 

 uterus. When the opening closes, so that a tube can not 

 be inserted, the vagina should be flushed every day or so 

 until all discharges cease. 



Milk Fever 



This is a disease that generally attacks mature cows 

 from the fourth to the sixth calf. High producers are more 



