244 ON THE MANAGEMENT OF THE FARM HORSE. 
No young animals are more prone to disease than the pampered or 
over-fed ones : living an idle life, accumulating fat to the exclusion 
of muscle, their tone becomes enfeebled, and, when put to work, 
they are sure to become the victims of disease. 
Diseases of the parturient mare and foal are not many. Udder-ill, 
or an inflammation of the mammary gland, sometimes comes on in 
about three or four days after foaling. It assumes occasionally an 
acute character: the udder becomes painfully distended, very 
tender to the touch, so much so that she will not allow the foal to 
suck. The treatment consists in the abstraction of five or six quarts 
of blood, with laxative medicine, and also emollient fomentations. 
Her diet must consist only of bran mashes, with a little hay; no 
corn to be allowed until the inflammatory action has subsided. The 
udder sometimes becomes very much distended about three or four 
weeks before foaling. Bleeding is here also sometimes indicated, 
with low diet and a little cooling medicine. Never give an aloetic 
purge to the parturient mare more than once, as I have seen it pro¬ 
duce abortion. Bleeding rarely induces any ill effect when exer¬ 
cised with judgment; whilst the administration of a dose of physic 
is always attended with danger. After weaning the colt, the udder 
frequently becomes over-distended with milk: once or twice milk¬ 
ing out the udder, with low diet for a few days, is all that is re¬ 
quired. The parturient mare is also liable to an inflammation of 
one or both hind extremities, which happens about three or four 
weeks before foaling, the result of impeded circulation : the upper 
part of the extremities gets stiff, hot, and tender; the fever 
sometimes runs high, and requires the abstraction of blood, with 
fomentation of hot water. The assistance of the farmer or vete¬ 
rinary surgeon is sometimes required to help the mare in the act 
of parturition, but not so often as in cattle. Unnatural presentations 
do not so frequently occur in the mare as in the cow. Manual 
assistance is sometimes required in natural presentations, when the 
throes of the animal are languid, and the work of expulsion does 
not proceed. In those presentations in which the breech presents, 
let your hand and arm be well smeared over with lard, and en¬ 
deavour to lay hold of the hind legs. The foetus can be taken out 
backward, but force only in moderation will be necessary. In all 
cases of unnatural presentations the aid of an established veterinary 
surgeon will be required. In aiding the parturition of animals, 
never use any undue or improper interference. 
[To be continued.] 
