DISEASES OF ANIMALS 



161 



Zinc carbonate and sulphate are used 

 as tonics and astringents. Dose for 

 horses, 2 drams ; for cattle, 2 to 4 drams ; 

 for sheep, % to 1 dram. 



For the actual use of the various medi- 

 cines mentioned under this list, see un- 

 der the Diseases of Horses, Cattle, 

 Swine, Sheep and Poultry. 



CASTRATION AND SPAYING 



Castration — It is frequently necessary 

 for the farmer to perform this opera- 

 tion on his animals and a few sugges- 

 tions are therefore in place regarding the 

 methods to be adopted in castrating stal- 

 lions, bulls, rams, boars or other male 

 animals. In the first place some form of 

 throwing or casting apparatus is neces- 

 sary for large animals, unless they are 

 confined in a chute. For this purpose 

 many simple devices may be adopted 

 requiring merely the use of a rope at- 

 tached about the shoulders and passing 

 back to the hind feet. The use of strap 

 hobbles about the ankles is desirable in 

 order to prevent the animal from burn- 

 ing the skin on hard ropes. The ap- 

 paratus should be so adjusted as to pull 

 all four feet together and thus make the 

 animal fall as easily as possible. Some 

 operators prefer to castrate stallions in a 

 standing position. For this purpose they 

 may be confined in a chute, or, if the 

 operator has acquired sufficient skill, the 

 use of a twitch on the nose is sufficient. 

 The advantages claimed for castration in 

 the standing position are that it is done 

 more quickly than by any other method, 

 the animal is not worried by being 

 thrown and is therefore not liable to in- 

 jury. The disadvantage of the method 

 is a possible occurrence of a tumor on 

 the end of the cord after castration if 

 the cord is cut too long. In skilled hands 

 stallions may be castrated in a standing 

 position in ten to fifteen seconds. 



Altering colts — Male colts may be 

 castrated at one year of age or a little 

 later if a larger build of horse is desired. 

 The advantage of waiting until the age 

 of two years is that, as a rule, a stronger 

 development is thus obtained. Some 

 farmers believe that the shock of castra- 

 tion and danger from the operation are 

 less if it is done at one year of age, but 

 with care there should be no particular 

 danger in castrating two-year-old stal- 

 lions or even aged stallions. The blood 

 vessels are larger in stallions which have 

 seen service and more care is required in 

 preventing bleeding after the castration 



of such animals. In castrating stallions 

 a cut should be made through each side 

 of the scrotum from front to back, paral- 

 lel with the middle of the bag. The 

 cut should be made with a single quick 

 stroke and deep enough to cut both of the 

 membranes. The testicle is then forced 

 through the opening and the posterior 

 half of the cord may be at once severed 

 with the knife. This half contains the 

 muscle and after it is cut the stallion is 

 unable to exercise any strain on the tes- 

 ticle. Where straining occurs there is 

 always some danger of injury to the stal- 

 lion and possibly the development of a 

 fatal peritonitis. After the posterior 

 half of the cord is removed, the testicle 

 hangs limp and the remainder of the 

 cord containing the blood vessels, nerves 

 and spermatic tube may be crushed off 

 with an ecraseur, cut off after applying 

 clamps, seared off with a hot iron or cut 

 off after tying a catgut ligature. The 

 whole operation should be done as quick- 

 ly as is consistent with safety and the 

 parts may be sprinkled with iodoform or 

 some other dry antiseptic in order to 

 assist healing. 



Altering calves — The bull calf, if 

 not to be kept for breeding purposes, 

 should be castrated at about two to three 

 months of age. In young animals there 

 is no serious hemorrhage, but in old 

 bulls the spermatic artery must be 

 crushed or seared off or a clamp applied 

 in order to prevent bleeding. In castrat- 

 ing bulls a cut should be made through 

 the walls of the scrotum on either side 

 so as to expose the testicles, which are to 

 be removed one at a time as with stal- 

 lions. 



Altering pigs — If boar pigs are cas- 

 trated at the age of one to two months or 

 even at older age, but before they have 

 seen service, the operation may be done 

 with perfect safety by exposing the tes- 

 ticles as recommended for stallions and 

 cutting off the spermatic cord with one 

 stroke of the knife. In old boars excess- 

 ive bleeding may be prevented by crush- 

 ing or searing off the cord or by the ap- 

 plication of clamps. 



Altering lambs — Lambs may best be 

 castrated at the age of ten days co two 

 weeks. The testicles may be exposed by 

 an incision of the scrotum, as in other 

 animals, and the cord seared or crushed 

 off. If a hot iron or a hot crushing in- 

 strument is used for this purpose, it may 

 be well to use a sheet iron protector, 

 which fits around the scrotum, close to 



