Poultry Surgery 325 



soft cloth may be used for this purpose, or absorbent cotton. 

 Make sure that the wound is thoroughly clean. Do not be 

 afraid of hurting the bird. A little pain at the start is pref- 

 erable to a dead bird later. 



3. If necessary sew up the wound, using a good sized sew- 

 ing needle and silk. Both needle and silk should be soaked 

 in alcohol for 15 minutes before using. Small wounds need 

 not be sewed. Large ones will heal much quicker and more 

 certainly if they are sewed. If the wound involves the mus- 

 cles as well as the skin sew it up in two layers; one set of 

 stitches including only the muscles, the other set only the skin. 



4. Paint the skin in the region about the wound, but not the 

 wound itself with dilute tincture of iodine. 



5. Powder the wound well with iodoform. 



6. Smear a thick layer of the ointment alreddy recom- 

 mended (p. 55) over all. 



7. If the wound is very severe bandage it with a clean cloth. 

 The above treatment is only necessary in its entirety in 



very severe cases. Depending upon the gravity of the con- 

 dition the following items in the treatment may be omitted 

 in the order named : 



7 may be omitted except in most serious cases. 



7 and 3 may be omitted in less severe cases. 



7, 3 and 4 may be omitted in still less severe cases. 



7, 3, 4, and 1 may be omitted in still less severe cases. 



In case of slight wounds which appear still to demand some 

 treatment 6 and 2 or even 6 alone will suffice. 



Abscess 



Should an abscess appear lance it with a clean sharp knife, 

 making sure to cut to the bottom. Squeeze out the pus and 

 core if there is one, and then proceed to heal it by following 

 the treatment above outlined for wounds in general. 



