Castrating 185 



lu small animals where hemorrhage is feared, if the 

 cord, is scraped or torn apart there is much less dan- 

 ger of bleeding than when the cord is cut w^ith a sharp 

 knife. 



After the operation the colt should rest for a time 

 and then have gentle exercise, as this tends to remove 

 blood clots that ma\" collect in the scrotum. If there 

 is much swelling give plenty of exercise, and nitrate 

 of potash ( saltpeter) a small tablespoonful to a two- 

 year -old daily for two or three days. If there are 

 symptoms of septicemia, or blood - poisoning, the 

 wounds and scrotum should be thoroughly cleaned out, 

 blood clots and pus removed and antiseptics used freely 

 at least twice daily. Peritonitis, or inflammation of 

 the lining membrane of the abdominal cavity, some- 

 times follows and is usually fatal. Antiseptics should 

 be used on the wounds, and enemas of warm water and 

 glycerine to empty the bowels. If the animal suffers 

 severely, laudanum in ounce doses may be administered 

 every six hours until the pain is lessened. 



In castrating lambs, it is a good plan to cut off 

 the lower end of the scrotum instead of making a sepa- 

 rate incision on each side. The testicles are then drawn 

 down and the cord cut off well up. There is very 

 little danger of hemorrhage in castrating young lambs, 

 and the cord can usually be torn, scraped or cut off. 



The same method is sometimes used in castrating 

 calves. In castrating bulls the end of the scrotum is 

 frequently cut off, but the cord should be separated 

 with the ecraseur, emasculator, or scraped off, as there 

 is often considerable hemorrhage. 



