206 Veterinary Elements. 



fingers secure the ovaries which are snipped off by the 

 spaying scissors, and then brought out. The incision 

 should be just large enough to admit the hand, a stitch 

 or two through the skin, muscles and peritoneum draws 

 the wound together, tar being applied over all. The 

 animal should be starved for thirty-six hours before the 

 operation and should only get light sloppy feed or grass 

 afterwards for a few days. 



Ruptures may occur in pigs and lambs, if shown after 

 castration, cleanse the bowels with tepid water containing 

 some mild antiseptic, return them, to do which it may be 

 necessary to stand the animal head downwards, and also 

 to introduce the finger into the rectum, when returned 

 sew up the opening as close to the body as possible, keep 

 quiet and give but little food. The navel rupture (um- 

 bilical hernia is the technical term) is often seen in foals, 

 and quite frequently disappears by the time the animal is 

 a year old; previous to that time the enlargement may be 

 blistered, some cases recovering froin that treatment; if, 

 however, it persists beyond the age stated a good surgeon 

 should be employed. 



Entires and geldings are sometimes ruptured in the 

 region of the groin (inguinal hernia), and the rupture 

 may even- extend down into the scrotum in any male 

 entire, constituting what is known as scrotal hernia, in 

 the latter case the skilled surgeon's help is needed; the 

 former trouble (inguinal hernia) is often the cause of 

 severe colicky symptoms in stallions, and, if not re- 

 lieved, becomes fatal; the symptoms are as follows: Sud- 

 denness of attack, colicky pains growing more intense all 

 the time, arching the back, lying on the ground or sit- 



