354 CANINE AND FELINE SURGERY 



no visible evidence of their presence, or an abscess may- 

 form and some of the above causes thus be suspected. They 

 must then be sought for by manual or digital examination 

 and removed. 



In doubtful cases, with suitable patients, the application 

 of the Roentgen rays will usually decide the position and 

 prospects of surgical removal in a few moments. 



In the case of foreign bodies around the limb, such things 

 as rubber rings and pieces of string or cotton are the most 

 common, and it is astonishing how they gain access to the 

 part. The portion of a rabbit wire snare is not infret[uently 

 met with in the cat. For the rubber ring children are 

 usually blamed, the article being slipped on in play and 

 forgotten. 



The Symptoms shown are lameness or a continual irritation 

 of the part, the dog or cat constantly licking it, and a swollen 

 area (like that shown in Fig. 215) below the point of con- 

 striction, the latter being concentric. 



Operation. — The first thing to do is accurately to locate 

 the foreign body, then find out what it consists of and 

 remove it with scalpel or scissors and forceps. 



The wound is afterwards treated antiseptically. 



It sometimes happens that gangrene has already com- 

 menced, and the limb may even have to be amputated 

 (see p. 341). 



Serous Cysts between the Claws. 



This condition is one which the canine practitioner is 

 frequently called upon to treat, and at times it gives rise 

 to a good deal of trouble on account of the intense lameness 

 caused and the persistence with which the swellings recur. 

 It used to be thought to be most commonly seen in sporting^ 

 dogs, such as spaniels, etc., whose lives are spent largely in 

 the fields ; but in the author's experience it has been equally 

 met with in bulldogs, St. Bernards, and other breeds. The 



