CcBsarian Section 669 



The wound in the uterus is then to be closed by means of 

 Lembert's or other intestinal sutures of silk. 



Before suturing the uterus, all parts except that in which the 

 incision has been made should be returned into the abdominal 

 cavity. After the uterine wound has been closed by a series of 

 interrupted sutures, the remainder of the organ should be allowed 

 to drop back into the peritoneal cavity. 



The abdominal incision should be closed by interrupted sutures. 

 If the laparotomy has been performed through the linea alba, it 

 is desirable to suture, separately, the peritoneum, the muscles and 

 the skin. The peritoneal wound may be closed with continuous 

 or interrupted catgut sutures which have been immersed in tinc- 

 ture of iodine. The sutures for the muscles and skin should be 

 of strong silk, thoroughly sterilized or rendered antiseptic. After 

 the skin has been sutured, Keller suggests that all the external 

 sutures be saturated with tincture of iodine, to guard against 

 suture infection. 



The animal should then be placed in a comfortable room to re- 

 cover from the anaesthesia, and allowed to rest quietly. No food 

 whatever, and only very small quantities of water, should be 

 allowed for 24 to 48 hours after the operation, but later, if the 

 animal shows an appetite, it may have a small allowance of suit- 

 able liquid food, later a restricted allowance of succulent or soft 

 food, and finally in the course of 8 or 10 days may be put upon a 

 regular diet. 



Hysterectomy. Under certain conditions of dystokia which 

 cannot be relieved by other means, where the fetus or fetuses 

 have undergone putrid decomposition and the uterus is in such 

 a state of infection or disease that, according to the judgment of 

 the veterinarian, recovery of the organ cannot be reasonably an- 

 ticipated, it may be deemed best to amputate the entire organ. 

 Such an operation totally destroys the breeding value of the ani- 

 mal, and its sole use is the saving of the life of the mother. The 

 operation has been limited to the smaller animals like the sow, 

 bitch and cat, in those cases where decomposition of the fetus 

 or fetuses and infection of the uterus are such as to bar success- 

 ful hysterotomy. 



The confinement of the patient, disinfection of the operative 

 area, anaesthesia or narcosis and other preparations, along with 

 the abdominal incision, are the same as for hysterotomy and the 



