104 SPRINGTIME SURGERY 



"snake" them out into a big corral of at least 

 an acre for the operation. If the operating 

 corral is small the spayed heifers are always 

 charging the operator. We usually rope them 

 by the head and the hind feet and stretch them. 

 The upper or left-forefoot goes into the neck 

 noose and a figure of eight is put on just above 

 the hind fetlocks. The adjustment of this re- 

 quires a good man on the tail. It is best to 

 have a man sit on the head with the forefoot 

 pulled over with a handle noose. It is hard, 

 however, to get the boys to do this as they 

 prefer to stretch them between two horses. This 

 brings the abdomen too tight, and after breaking 

 through it is often necessary to ask the man on 

 the hind rope to slacken, so that occasionally the 

 heifers kick loose from the figure eight knot. 



Field of Operation. — Have the left side 

 uppermost in the recumbent position; stand at 

 the loin and rump and not at the abdomen. Grasp 

 all of the flank you can get into the left hand and 

 tense the skin. About two inches from the heel 

 of the hand begin the incision and cut straight 

 towards you — ^make it plenty long enough for 

 easy work. 



