188 CAUSES, SYMPTOMS AND TREATMENT OF 



wound, you can relieve it by breaking down the adhesions between 

 the cord and scrotum, in some cases, without throwing the animal ; 

 then bathe nicely, use astringents, etc., and it may be necessary to 

 break it down every day or two for several days, and bathe every 

 day with tepid water for some •time, and give a little exercise. 

 Sometimes the cord becomes enlarged by a fungoid growth, and, in 

 some cases the wound may entirely heal up, or there may be a 

 small opening left, through which issues an ichorous fluid, and it will 

 remain for a long time, even as long as the horse lives, if it is not 

 operated on. And the irritation is not confined to the cord alone, but 

 extends up toward the inguinal canal ; it becomes very vascular, new 

 growths are formed, etc. In such cases the animal suffers considera- 

 bly, there is difficulty in progression, he falls off in condition, and 

 sometimes there is profuse discharge of pus, after which the animal 

 seems relieved for some time ; but irritation is again set up, and the 

 same thing occurs. The remedy is to remove the diseased part of the 

 cord, and the sooner the better. If the animal has suffered, perhaps, 

 four or eight weeks, it is easily done. Open it up well and apply the 

 clam as close to the inguinal ring as possible, and cut the diseased 

 part off and secure the articles by ligature or by cautery — if by liga- 

 ture, leave the ends of the ligature long, so that they can be taken out 

 after a time ; and you often have to secure several vessels, and I pre- 

 fer a ligature. In some cases you might apply a clam and take it off 

 by torsion, or use the clams and sear the small vessels and ligature 

 the small ones ; keep him quiet, feed moderately, etc. But sometimes 

 it exists in the abdominal cavity, and then the operation is not 

 likely to be successful. 



Peritonitis is a result of castration, and is more apt to occur in 

 colts. It may be due to the manner of the operation, or to a change 

 of weather ; but I think this is more likely to occur where the tunica 

 vaginalis is irritated. I have seen it where there was a large amount 

 of caustic, causing inflammation and peritonitis ; or, it may be due to 

 atmospheric influence ; the symptoms are sometimes deceptive. It 

 generally appears in about three or four days. In some cases the 

 scrotum swells but very little, and there is no discharge of healthy 

 pus, but there ia a discharge of bloody fluid ; the pulse is quick ; the 

 appetite gone; slight pains, not violent; he lies down, gets up and 

 casts a peculiar, anxious look at the abdomen ; gets up and stands 

 around in a dull, languid manner; the breathing is affected ; the pulse 

 sixty or seventy, and weak. It has a great tendency to extend over 

 the whole peritoneum. Give opium and digitalis, and counter-irrita- 

 tion, etc., and support the system as well as you can by stimulants, 

 gruel, etc. 



Tetanus usually appears about eight or nine days after the opera- 

 tion, just about the time it begins to heal ; there may have been 

 changes m the system before this, but the symptoms were not devel- 

 oped. It may follow any operation, and, as a general thing, the 

 operator should not be blamed if the horse dies from some of these, 

 but he generally is. Tetanus may supervene a very trivial injury ; 

 cold weather, cold draughts and exposure in any way tends to bring it 

 on. There is an account given in our works of twenty-four horses 

 that were castrated, and were given a cold bath four times a day after 

 the operation, and sixteen out of the twenty-four died with tetanus ; 

 and I saw a case that I think was caused by the colt standing in a 

 stream. Keep the animal quiet ; apply fomentations, and endeavour 



