184 FITTING SHEEP 



dead lambs in her he should lose no time in removing them_ 



If the shepherd has cuts or wounds of any kind on his 

 hands he should refrain from performing the operation him- 

 self, for if blood poison is in evidence serious results may 

 follow such a course. 



Before attempting to relieve the ewe the operator should 

 carefully trim his fingernails to avoid injury to the womb. 

 He should also anoint his hands with some lubricant of an 

 antiseptic nature, such as carbolized oil, carbolized vaseline,, 

 or carbolic soap. 



When relieving the ewe of a dead lamb the operator should 

 study her comfort as much as possible. It is usually more 

 handy to have her lying on her back when taking the lamb 

 from her, but where the operation is necessarily slowly per- 

 formed, her position should be changed once in a while so 

 as to rest her. It is important that the operator does not 

 attempt to pull the lamb away, only in sympathy with the 

 exertions of the ewe to eject it, or in other words, he should 

 pull only when the ewe strains. 



Sometimes the lamb is more easily removed by taking its 

 intestines out as jt lays in the womb, after which its legs 

 can be easily removed by getting hold of the blade bones by- 

 putting the hand inside the lamb and skinning them out of 

 its body, as it were. By forcing the finger through the under 

 ]aw of the lamb a good, firm hold is obtained which aids 

 much in getting it away successfully. Slipping a piece of 

 cord with a running noose over the under jaw or the foot 

 of the lamb also gives the operator a good purchase. Vio- 

 lence must be avoided in performing this operation or the 

 ewe will almost surely succumb. Where the time occupied 

 in relieving the ewe is somewhat protracted, stimulants. 



