48 CANINE AND FELINE SURGERY 



of thorough cleanhness, the careful removal of all foreign 

 bodies, the application as often as necessary of some anti- 

 septic dressing, and the a\'oidance of all sources of irritation. 

 The deeply-rooted idea that the constant application of a 

 dog's tongue to a wound is beneficial maj- now be relegated 

 to a past age. If antiseptic treatment can be, and is, properly 

 carried out, an animal will not lick its wounds. It is the presence 

 of pus which accounts for the irritation. 



The application of saliva and the constant irritation of the 

 tongue will keep a wound open for a much longer time than 

 would be the case if this was prevented b)' thorough surgical 



Fig. 27. — Elizabethan Collar. 



cleanliness. This can be readily demonstrated when oppor- 

 tunity offers to treat two wounds on the same animal, one 

 being treated with antiseptic precautions, and the other left 

 to the care of the animal itself. The former will heal much 

 quicker, and also leave less scar tissue afterwards. 



The hair at the edges of a \AOund should always be removed 

 either b}' being clipped close with scissors, or, better still, by 

 shaving, the wound and its surroundings being thoroughly 

 cleansed with soap and water, and dressed \\ ith antiseptics. 



The advantage given by the iise of the razor cannot be too 

 strongly emphasized. 



All blood-clots and foreign bodies should be removed from 



