PLATE II.
The above Engraving presents the natural position of the foal in delivery. The two front feet will be presented first, and the muzzle or the nostrils will rest on the top of the legs, and the membrane or skin around the foal, spoken of in [Plate I], will already protrude about two feet. The hind legs will sink down more and more, until they will be stretched out behind horizontally. Sometimes one foot will raise up too high and be forced against the inside of the entrance. The hand should be introduced and the foot pushed back a few inches and then brought back into the channel. Sometimes the forehead will project against the upper part of the entrance, when the hand should be introduced, and hold should be taken back of the poll, with a downward pressure, the other hand to the muzzle to raise it up, and a gentle pull should be made, when all will be right in a few minutes. The cord running to the navel of the colt should be tied about one inch from the surface of the skin, then cut off about one inch from the string, or if no string is at hand, the cord should be pressed very tightly between the thumb and the two first fingers of the hand for a few minutes, then cut off, and it will bleed no more. The colt should be drawn away a few feet, but not toward the mare, as she should not be disturbed. The mare will lie down flat, apparently dead, and will remain in this situation, five, ten, and even sometimes thirty minutes, according to the severity of the operation she has undergone. Suddenly she will raise her head, look about the stable, lie down again, and roll three or four times on her back, but never over her back, which is done for the purpose of loosening the membrane or lining of the womb spoken of in [Plate I], when she will rise up, go after her offspring, lick and dry it, after which the membrane and the afterbirth will be discharged. When the colt is dry, it should be assisted to its mother to obtain nourishment.
Sometimes the membrane attached to the womb will remain fast, and in this manner retain the afterbirth. In this case, bleeding from three to four quarts, and giving following dose of medicine in one pint of flaxseed tea is recommended, viz:
- 1 oz. Laudanum,
- 1 oz. sweet Spirits of Niter.
This will correct everything in a few hours. In some extreme cases, the membrane, the afterbirth and the fluid contained with the foal remained in the womb after a complete separation from the womb, causing such a strong inflammation, that some parts had began to mortify. I have bled copiously, and given one large tablespoonful of fever medicine, composed of
- 4 oz. of Nitre,
- ½ ” ” Digitalis,
- ½ ” ” Tartar Emetic,
in one pint of Linseed tea, every three hours, and by means of a syringe, or bladder, with a clean piece of elder tied in the neck, I have injected into the womb from four to six quarts of Linseed tea, which caused a copious discharge of bloody matter from the womb, amounting sometimes to a bucket full. In extraordinary cases, the purifying organs were overpowered and the mortified blood was carried through the whole system, and even then the mare recovered to a certain degree, until in about a week afterwards her hoofs came off, caused by the mortified blood, and she was accordingly destroyed.