100 WOUND TREATMENT 



the work. Respiratory anesthesia is not applicable be- 

 cause the operation is of too long duration. 



For wounds on the legs we have found the casting har- 

 ness better than the standing position because the legs 

 are never well immobilized standing, and the surgeon 

 is forced into a very uncomfortable bending position, par- 

 ticularly if the wound is about or below the knees or 

 hocks. 



In every form of recumbent restraint some care must 

 always be exercised in letting the patient up without 

 inflicting violence to the sutured wound. The forcible 

 movements of the legs may stretch a sutured wound wide 

 open by tearing either the sutures or the skin in which 

 they are inserted. In taking from the operating table 

 a horse that has just been sutured about the buttock, or 

 which has been operated for shoe boil, we always keep 

 the foot of the affected leg in the hopple until it lands 

 safely to the floor and supports weight. Otherwise a 

 swing might do much harm. For wounds of the legs 

 treated in the casting harness ample protection can al- 

 ways be given against such injury by using plenty of 

 bandaging material, and by helping the patient promptly 

 to its feet without unnecessary struggles. 



2. Disinfection. — We always try to begin this part of 

 the treatment before securing the animal, by giving the 

 body a thorough cleaning. Dried mud on the legs, 

 feathers, and abdomen must always be curried and 

 brushed off. Otherwise a veritable halo of dust will 

 cloud the whole atmosphere when the patjent is strug- 

 gling during the operation. A good brushing and then 

 a wiping of the whole body with a w^et towel are essen- 

 tial. A preoperative bath where there are accommo- 

 dations for such treatment would of course be better, but 

 as animal bathrooms are not usually available, the above 

 method of cleaning must answer the purpose. 



