CHAPTER XVII. 



Operative Surgery and Diseases of the 6ye. 



Operative Surgery, 



In the management of sheep, surgery as a part of the medi- 

 cal treatment is, with the exception of such operations as cas- 

 tration, docking and possibly at times spaying, very seldom 

 called for. Sheep, with the exception possibly of valuable pure- 

 bred animals, should they meet with such accidents as fractured 

 limbs or other severe injuries are, as a rule, at once turned over 

 to the butcher, the carcass being valuable as mutton, whereas 

 surgical skill in such cases besides being costly might not at all 

 times prove successful, and if unsuccessful, would result in a 

 total loss to the owner. We shall treat more particularly in 

 this chapter of the surgical operations necessary to the proper 

 management of the flock, describing also methods of setting 

 fractures and treatment of wounds, etc. 



Castrattoti. 



Is an operation for the removal of the testicles of 

 lambs, by which they become deprived of sexual desire, and 

 their ability to fatten becomes materially increased, the subject 

 maturing earlier, the quality of the mutton being improved, as 

 also is that of the fleece. Opinions differ considerably as to the 

 best age at which this operation should be performed, many 

 experienced flock-masters preferring to operate as soon as possi- 

 ble after the lamb is dropped, from twelve to twenty days of age, 

 provided the weather is favorable, and claim that when thus early 

 operated upon there is less danger of loss^ the young animals 



