204 THE VETERINARY SCIENCE 



Should there be considerable swelling, bathe the cuts with 

 warm water until softened. Insert with the finger a little 

 butter until the cuts are opened up and the discharge allowed 

 to run out. A little swelling on the point of the sheath is 

 not to be alarmed at so long as it does not become too large 

 and so long as the discharge from the cuts is of a whitish 

 color and % t.he appetite of the colt is good. These are natural 

 results of castration. 



V — Diseases and Difficulties Following Castration. 



Great eare and cleanliness must be observed in castrating 

 in order to reduce the danger of after effects to a minimum. 

 However careful, in some cases difficulties will follow. 

 Symptoms must be noted and action prompt to prevent 

 further trouble. The principal difficulties are dealt with in 

 the following sections. 



7. Bleeding (Hemorrhage). 



Causes. — It may result from some disarrangement of the 

 clamps by jumping a fence or some other accident, or it may 

 be the result of the ecraseur failing to close the artery of the 

 cord. 



Symptoms. — The blood may come from one or other of 

 the following sources, viz. : the veins of the scrotum or the 

 arteries of the cord. The blood is slightly dark and dribbles 

 from a vein, but is brighter and comes in spurts from an 

 artery. An artery usually bleeds, if at all, immediately after 

 the ecraseur is removed. 



Treatment. — If from veins, cast the animal and plug the 

 cuts with cotton batting, saturated with Monsell's solution of 

 iron. These may be removed in twenty-four hours by placing 

 a twitch on the animal's nose and removing them without 

 throwing him. 



Should the bleeding be from arteries, cast the animal, 

 pull the cord forward and take off another piece of the end 

 with the ecraseur or place a clamp on the cord, securely 

 tightened, and remove in time, same as before. 



The question has often been asked : Will a year-old colt 

 bleed to death from an artery of the cord? The answer is: 

 Yes. We have known of cases where this has been the case. 

 As a general thing there is a certain amount of bleeding after 

 castration, but this is not alarming so long as the bleeding 



