Conrad Mitchell

“ A great amount of force is required to raise the leg, until the knee joint is brought up. The left hand should then be warmed and greased by an assistant, and introduced, placing it on the knee-joint; the right hand should then be passed down, grasp the foot, and turn it backwards, when the left hand should press inward with great force, and with the right hand bring up the foot, keeping it turned backwards. When the foot is brought up, a rope should be attached to the lower jaw of the foal, when an assistant should take hold of the rope and pull in a slightly downward direction ”

“ At the same time a membrane or skin will spread around the entrance inside of the womb, from which a number of small cords branch out, uniting together as they run along, until they form one cord, extending to the navel of the foal, through which the blood of the mare circulates in the foal, in order to give it nourishment. ”

“ Of all the beasts of the field, which we are told, the Lord formed out of the earth, and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them, none has more engaged the attention of the historian and the philosopher—none has figured more in poetry, in war and in love, than the horse. ”

“ If an effort was made to extract the foal as it is presented, the back would come in below, and the operation would be impossible; but if it is properly turned, it may be extracted in the same manner, as those which present only the hind [34] feet, as already described. These cases require more aid than any others that I have ever treated. Two or three men should take hold of the mare’s head and neck, to keep her down, otherwise she will plunge about fearfully. One or two men should assist the Surgeon, as the effort required for this operation is so great that one man is soon exhausted. ”

“ To relieve the colt, it should be drenched with half a teacupful of milk from the mare, which should contain Barbadoes Aloes, the size of a grain of corn, pulverized, and about an equal amount of ginger, every six hours; at the same time an injection should be prepared, as follows: take one quart of wheat bran, and pour on it three quarts of boiling water. When cold draw off the liquid, add one teacupful of sweet milk, half a teacupful of molasses. Then by means of a syringe inject this composition into the rectum. ”

“ It will require one man to attend to the head of the mare, and two men must take hold of the foal, raise it up toward the tail of the mare, and bear inwards with all their strength, when the operator must put all his force to one of the hind feet, and push that in at full arm’s length ”

“ Sometimes one shoulder will present itself, and the other will incline a little to the rear. Under such circumstances, too much force should not be employed; the foal should be turned sometimes from right to left, [21] and then again from left to right, frequently introducing the hand, and moving it around the foal. In all cases the membrane or skin should be kept in its proper position around the foal, as this will greatly assist the work, and make it one of comparative ease. ”

“ Veterinary science has also made great progress from that time down to the present, and in particular, in the last half century, the structure of the horse—injuries and diseases to which he is subject, and the treatment of these, have been investigated, in this country and abroad, with much diligence and success, both in colleges and in societies devoted to the cultivation of veterinary knowledge, and by practitioners, whose education and experience render their observations worthy of great respect ”

“ It is an utter impossibility to extract it in the usual way. The operator must procure a knife, very straight in the blade, from twelve to fifteen inches in length, wrap the whole blade in a piece of muslin, take the point of the knife in his left hand, turning the edge downward, put his hand in the entrance of the womb and run it down until he reaches the chest of the foal. ”

“ Many are brought forth so weak, that they are not able to rise without assistance. A constant dropping of water from the navel may be perceivable, and the colt becomes so much enfeebled that death will shortly ensue. ”

“ 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 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. ”

“ Now, a bowl containing two or three quarts of very warm water, with a large tablespoonful of very fine lard or linseed oil on the surface of the water, should be at hand. Under no circumstances should a hand or arm be introduced to the mare, unless first thoroughly warmed and greased, otherwise they are rank poison to the mare. After the arm is prepared, the fingers and thumb should be brought to a point, and should be introduced, following the channel, until the neck of the foal is reached at Fig. ”

“ Scant blue grass is the pasture for sheep. Salt once a week. Raise the floor of your fold from four to six feet above the ground, board it only on three sides, and simply lath it on the south side, and your sheep will be healthy and without distemper. ”

“ They are of a very virulent nature, very often causing a painful rawness in the entrance to the womb, and extending from one to one and a half inches.
[46]
TREATMENT.
The Stallion should be brought out to a fence, and a mare should be placed on the other side of the fence, distant about one rod. This will cause the Stallion to present his penis. A clean crock should be in readiness, containing two ounces of chloride of lime, and two quarts of lukewarm water. ”

“ The horns should be examined, and if they are sometimes warm and then cold again, a hole should be bored through them, about two inches from the head, and the back of the cow should be fomented with very strong salt-water ”

“ The above Engraving represents a false presentation. The two fore feet are presented, and the head remains behind in the right flank of the mare. The operator [17] will be able to tell whether they are the front or hind feet, by examining the knee joints. ”