228 CANINE AND FELINE SURGERY 



a kick or \'iolent blow. Sometimes it occurs as a sequel to 

 an operation on the belly wall. 



The contents of the sac ma}" consist of any of the abdominal 

 organs, especiall}' the intestine, \\'hich is apt to become 

 strangulated if the neck of the sac is at all constricted. It 

 consists of a soft, iiuctuating swelling which is readily dis- 

 tinguished from tumour tissue by the impression given to the 

 finger-tips. 



Treatment. — A general anaesthetic is much the safest and 

 most convenient for this, as any struggling on the part of the 

 patient is apt to cause protrusion, and consequent risk of 

 soiling, of the contained organs. 



Under strict antiseptic precautions (see p. 2), the skin and 

 sac wall are incised with scalpel and director, the contents 

 returned into the abdomen (care being taken to see that all 

 adhesions are broken down), the edges of the muscles are 

 lightly scraped and freshened up, and the edges of the 

 rupture are drawn together. If it is possible to secure the 

 peritoneum, three layers of sutures are inserted: the first, of 

 fine silk, through the peritoneal coat; the second, of silk or 

 catgut, through the muscle ; and the skin with silkworm gut. 

 If the peritoneum cannot be sutured separately, care must be 

 taken to pass the silk or gut sutures through it ^\■hen suturing 

 the muscular layer. The resulting cicatrix is stronger. A 

 layer of collodion and iodoform or orthoform (see Laparotomy, 

 p. 158) hermetically seals the wound, and, if the rent has been 

 a large one, it may become necessary to affix a bandage to 

 give support for a time. The silk sutures become buried and 

 absorbed in time, whilst the silkworm gut is removed in 

 about a week or ten days. 



Ing-uinal Hernia. 



Inguinal hernia is common in bitches which have already 

 borne young, and is not infrequent in maiden animals. 

 Between the years 1896 and 1900 alone, the author met with 



