PROLAPSE OF THE VAGINA. 
429 
infrequently meets with injury from the animal lying down, or from the 
parts being trodden upon, sometimes from attempts at replacement. 
During this time the patient strains continuously, and frequently passes 
urine. Prolapse occurring after delivery seldom disappears of itself, 
the vagina remaining continuously displaced until it receives proper 
attention. 
Prognosis. Incomplete prolapse is usually only of importance in 
breeding animals, but here demands attention on account of its recurring 
after every pregnancy, and interfering both with the animal’s condition 
and milking qualities. Injury may also cause inflammation of a 
dangerous character. In rare cases severe straining may be followed by 
rupture of the vagina and prolapse of bowel and bladder. This con¬ 
dition has oftenest been seen in mares, and is rarely curable. Under 
such circumstances the uterus may become prolapsed; cases of the kind 
have been reported in goats and sows. 
Complete prolapse is always grave, doubly so in pregnant animals, 
because of its almost invariably interfering with parturition. Prolapse 
in non-pregnant animals often occasions injury and inflammation of the 
vagina, which reduce the production of milk, and greatly lower the 
breeding value of the animal. 
In swine, the prognosis is still more unfavourable, because of the 
difficulty in treatment. 
Treatment. As a preventive, the animal must be placed in a proper 
stall, so arranged that the hind quarters are at least as high as the fore. 
Most other precautions necessitate increased outlay, thus rendering their 
adoption out of the question. The most important is, of course, to prevent 
the animal breeding. 
In reducing a complete prolapse—the incomplete form generally 
returns of itself—the cow is placed with the fore limbs lower than the 
hind. By introducing the finger into the urethra, the bladder is first 
emptied, the parts then cleansed as far as possible, any existing wounds 
sutured, and endeavours made to return the vagina through the vulva 
by placing the open hand against the swelling and gradually pressing it 
forwards. On attaining the vulval opening, the hand should be closed 
without relaxing the pressure, and the prolapsed vagina thus returned 
to its normal position. The operator takes advantage of the intervals 
between straining, and retains the hand in the vagina until these efforts 
stop. With the arm in the vagina the operator places his closed fist 
against the os uteri, which he pushes back as far as possible; this 
manoeuvre stretches the walls of the vagina and lemoves the folds. 
When reduction is complete it is important to make sure that the 
mucous membrane is equally distributed. 
Where the prolapse is very extensive and the parts greatly swollen it 
