302 



736. After Treatment for Castration. — If the colt has been 

 indoors before the operation, keep it in a box till the parts are healed. 

 If out at grass, bring it in, and keep indoors until the day after the 

 operation ; after which, if the weather be fine, let it out daily for a few 

 hours. As a result of castration, swelling to a greater or lesser 

 extent occurs ; this drops down into the sheath, and if left alone 

 for five or six days, usually disappears. Should the sheath be very 

 big and pendulous, stabbing with a small lancet, a darning needle, or 

 the point of a clean penknife, allows the escape of the collected serum. 

 Precautions. — Before operating, it is of the utmost importance to 

 ascertain, that there is no cold, influenza, strangles, or the like, 

 amongst the animals on the farm, or even on the neighbouring farms. 

 Furthermore, the operator must see that his hands and person are 

 thoroughly clean and aseptic, as it is highly dangerous to operate after 

 removing cleansings, making post-mortems, and the like. The owner 

 should also take every care that the box is thoroughly cleaned and 

 disinfected, and the bedding should be of clean straw. Often when 

 blood-poisonir.g follows the operation the operator is blamed, when 

 the real cause is the dirt and filth in the box in which the animal has 

 been placed. Complications. — There are many matters of a serious 

 nature that may arise after castration, particularly in the horse, even 

 when the operation has been performed with skill and dexterity, 

 and without any fault on the part of the operator, such as 

 haemorrhage (bleeding) ; protrusion of the omentum (net) 

 or bowels ; septicaemia, peritonitis, tetanus, abscesses, 

 scirrhous cord, etc. 



737. Bleeding may take place immediately after the operation, 

 but by walking the animal about, and dashing a few pails of cold 

 water under the tail matters will probably be set right ; when the 

 hemorrhage comes on a few hours after, the opening must be plugged 

 with tow well saturated with tincture of iron and water. This plug 

 should be removed in 12 or 24 hours, and the opening re-dressed 

 if necessary. Bleeding more often happens in the young bull than 

 in the horse, and, in some cases, it is necessary to cast the animal 

 again, get hold of the cord, and tie a ligature round it. 



