THE URINARY ORGANS 



261 



of chinosol or boric acid, after the introduction of an 

 evacuating catheter into the bladder. The wound is then 

 sutured, the urethra itself with fine silk, and the muscles and 

 skin separately, the whole being covered with iodoform or 

 orthoform and collodion. In small patients it is sometimes 

 impossible to suture the urethra, and even in the larger ones 

 some operators prefer to merely suture the skin and muscles. 

 Where the animal is of a quiet disposition, a catheter or 

 drainage-tube may be left in the urethra for two or three 

 days with advantage ; but if it gives rise to irritation, and 

 consequent continual efforts to lick the parts, its continued 

 use is best avoided. If the wound is not sutured, it must be 

 kept clean and treated antiseptically. 



In the bitch, the vaginal method is one which has given 



Fig. 167. — Urethral Dilator (Sewell's Modification of Barnes' Pattern) 



excellent results in cases where the patient is of sufficient 

 size to allow it to be done. The method of fixing is the 

 same as already described for urethral lithotrity in the male. 

 A conical-shaped dilating speculum — Avery's or Kramer's 

 answer well (see Figs. 50 and 182) — is forced into the vagina 

 to dilate the passage as much as possible, then withdrawn, 

 and a urethral dilator (Fig. 167) pressed into the urethra until 

 the latter is sufficiently large to admit the little finger. This 

 is withdrawn, and replaced by a small pair of stone-crushing 

 forceps (a pair of small parturition forceps improvise well 

 when the calculus is to be removed without crushing) or 

 a lithotrite, which is passed directly on to the stone in the 

 bladder. Care is taken to make sure that the mucous mem- 

 brane of the bladder is not included, and the stone is broken 

 up into small pieces. The pieces are then removed by means 



