SECTION V 



CASTRATION OF THE DOG 

 (SPAYING) 



A veterinarian's ability as a general practitioner 

 is often estimated by the results he has achieved in 

 the unsexing of female dogs and there are few opera- 

 tions that he is called upon to perform which are 

 more likely to bring him into disrepute among his cli- 

 entele if the outcome is not perfectly satisfactory in 

 every respect. As thei'e are some cases where the 

 execution of a good technique is almost impossilile 

 where the operation is done without proper facililies, 

 by one not thoroughly accustomed to doing it, it there- 

 fore behooves the vetsi'inarian to familiarize himself 

 with every detail of this operation. 



Females of the canine species, especially those of 

 the larger breeds which lead an ou+door life, should 

 certainly be castrated if undesirable for bi'eeding pur- 

 poses. This applies also to female houss dogs in the 

 city which not only are a source of a great deal of 

 annoyance in a neighborhood, but are likewise very 

 troublesome to their owners, if not closely confined 

 at certain periods. ^Moreover, the promiycuous gath- 

 ering of all sorts of males occasioned by a female at 

 large when in hea+, constitutes a direct menace in the 

 spreading oP various diseases such as distempo', mange, 

 and even r;diies. 



Age for Operating. — Animals that are in a healthy 

 condition are generally operated on between the ages 



in.3 



