130 ANIMAL CASTRATION 



trating, pendent mass. Such cases need some local 

 treatment for a week or ten days. 



This method of handling umbilical hernia is espe- 

 cially indicated in cases where the abdominal opening 

 is nearly circular in shape and not too large. It con- 

 stitutes a very safe and practical means of handling 

 hernia of colts eighteen months of age or less. 



Clamps have a field of usefulness in certain cases 

 where there exists an oblong opening in the abdominal 

 wall and a laparotomy is thought inadvisable. There 

 are many patterns of clamps employed, but all are cal- 

 culated to bring about the same effect upon the tissues 

 that are confined within their grasp. 



The same general teehnic is employed in the ap- 

 plication of clamps as in the use of skewers. The base 

 of the pouched skin and fascia is grasped and the 

 clamps are applied as closely as possible to the abdom- 

 inal wall and this directly over the central part of the 

 hernia. 



Care should be exercised that too much pressure 

 is not exerted upon the tissues in large hernise, 

 that early sloughing and possible eventration may 

 be avoided. Some clamps are so constructed that they 

 may be in part supported by straps which encircle the 

 body of the subject. This affords a means of preserv- 

 ing the clamps when the tissues have sloughed, but 

 necessitates careful confinement of the subject lest the 

 clamp be prematurely dislodged by the girth or sup- 

 port being caught upon fences, walls, etc. 



Hernias, umbilical and abdominal, have been re- 

 duced by means of sutures such as the cobbler's stitch, 

 or mattress sutures. The principle of this method con- 

 sists in effecting apposition of tissues in a manner sim- 

 ilar to that done by clamps. The sutures are passed 



