20 CANINE AND FELINE SURGERY 



tightly round each leg (in the fore-legs above the carpus or 

 elbow, and in the hind-legs above the tarsus) ; secure the fore- 

 legs first by passing the keys through two of the holes in the 

 table and giving them a twist, then the hind-hobbles in the 

 same way, pulling the hind-legs down together. With very 

 large dogs it is sometimes also a good plan to pass a piece of 

 stout webbing over the back and loins and tie it under the 

 table, or an extra key may be made use of on either side. 

 With a cat, on account of the facility with which this animal 

 withdraws its limbs from restraint, thin tape is advisable for 



Fig. 15. — A Dog fixed on the Operating table in the 'Dorsal' 



Position. 



the hobbles, and it should be drawn very tight just above 

 each paw. The chief precaution to take is to see that the 

 legs are just sufficiently wide apart and well stretched out to 

 allow of no violent struggling. When the hobbling is done 

 properly, it is astonishing with what ease an animal can be 

 controlled-. This places the patient flat on its abdomen, and 

 for convenience will be referred to, when speaking of positions 

 for operative purposes, as the abdominal one. 



When it is necessary to operate upon the abdomen or 

 under parts of the body, the animal is turned upon its back 

 and fixed in a similar way, extra care, however, being here 



