SURGICAL DISEASES III 



ing the stitches in about a week. In case the " ridg- 

 Hng " is a double one, the operation is repeated on 

 the opposite side. 



SPAYING— OVARIOTOMY 



The spaying of the sow is not practiced as exten- 

 sively at present as it was ten or twenty years ago. 

 Of late years the operation has been made unneces- 

 sary by the marketing of the sow at the age of six 

 or eight months, unless it is in special cases. We 

 occasionally come across a person who still believes 

 in the practice of spaying, but the large majority of 

 swine breeders consider it of no value. 



The proper age to spay is when the sow is three 

 or four months old, as at this age she is not suffi- 

 ciently developed to take the boar, is easily handled 

 and but little inconvenienced by the operation. The 

 sow should be prepared for the operation by not feed- 

 ing her for about twelve hours, or long enough to 

 partially empty the intestines so that they will not 

 interfere with -the operation. 



The flank operation is to be preferred to the one 

 on the median line, and the procedure is very much 

 the same as in castrating an "original." The sow 

 is laid on an inclined board or table, the hind parts 

 more elevated than the foreparts, and held by the 

 assistant. The operator should supply himself with 

 the necessary instruments and material, such as 

 operating knife, scissors, needles, suture thread, dis- 

 infectant, etc. A special shaped knife is recom- 

 mended for making the incision in the flank, but an 



