A 6-year-old grade Holstein dairy cow was referred to Stange Memorial Clinic because of dystocia. The cow was due to freshen and labor was noticed first some four hours before the patient was brought to the clinic. History revealed that for the past two months the cow's abdomen was becoming excessively large, but it was assumed by the owner that the cow was going to have twins.

The artificial insemination of dairy cattle was introduced into Iowa in 1942 in the areas near Cedar Rapids and Kanawha. At that time around 3,000 cows were bred artificially and the program has grown steadily until in 1948 120,000 cows were bred artificially in the state.

A 2-year-old American Saddle stallion was admitted to Stange Memorial Clinic on June 15, 1949, with a growth protruding laterally from the pastern region on the right front foot. According to the owner, the neoplasm had been growing slowly for several months. The owner wished the patient castrated in addition to removal of the neoplasm.

In the bovine species there may be seen a considerable number of disease conditions which give rise to a very similar sequence of clinical symptoms. Every case has its own individual variation due to the behavior of that particular animal in response to a stimulus, but the general picture can be broadly painted. A cow is seen "off feed" by the owner. Some cases show acute symptoms of inappetence and associated distress while others show a milder but progressive advance of symptoms. Production drops in dairy cattle and beef stock shows suspension of growth. Often when these animals are treated with laxatives and stimulants they respond temporarily, then drop back; others show no response to medication. After a week or two such an animal will begin to show emaciation, the hair-coat becomes dry and wrinkled, and general depression follows. Clinical examination is usually inconclusive. Very often one feels, "If I could just get my head inside and look around!"