SURGICAL DISEASES 10/ 



of the testicle incised and the testicle removed. The 

 incision should be large enough to allow the testicle 

 to drop out, and made with one stroke of the knife. 

 When the hog is on his side, the lower testicle should 

 be removed first. In young pigs the cord is usually 

 severed by giving the testicle a quick jerk, but in 

 older animals it is best to pull the cord well out and 

 sever it by scraping with the edge of the knife. 

 Other methods of severing the cord are tying a liga- 

 ture around it before cutting it off and using the 

 emasculator — an instrument that crushes as well as 

 cuts the tissues. These latter methods are practical 

 in grown animals and when the cord is large. How- 

 ever, the emasculator can be used to an advantage in 

 all cases. The operation is then repeated on the op- 

 posite side. 



Before letting the pig loose, the incisions in the 

 scrotum should be examined, and if they do not 

 extend to the lowest part of the pouch, should be 

 made longer. This allows the blood and pus to drain 

 off, instead of collecting in the part. Some precau- 

 tions should be taken for a few days against the 

 wound becoming dirty. The pigs should not be al- 

 lowed to wallow in the mud and sleep in dirty, dusty 

 places. If the conditions are favorable, the wound 

 will heal rapidly and require no after treatment. 



The belief that it is unnecessary to take the atiove 

 precautions is only too common. It is because of this 

 and the careless way in which the operation is per'- 

 formed, that complications so frequently follow. 



