12 CANINE AND FELINE SURGERY. 



aid of a catheter. A light meal of finely divided solid food 

 or a quantity of milk is advisable about two or three hours 

 before anaesthetisation. Vomition during, or when recovering 

 from, the application of chloroform, so frequently met with in 

 human patients under similar conditions, is very rare in the 

 dog and cat. The author has only met with it in eight or ten 

 instances out of more than a thousand chloroformisations. 



After an operation under anaesthesia the patient should be 

 put in a quiet place where there is plenty of fresh air, and 

 allowed to recover. The eyes, nostrils, and mouth should be 

 sponged with cold water, care being taken that none of it gets 

 into the back of the mouth. On no account should stimu- 

 lants or other fluids be administered in any quantity down the 

 throat until recovery has taken place, as some of it is likely to 

 find its way into the trachea and lungs. When the animal is 

 able to lap voluntarily, a little cold water may be allowed, but 

 solid food should not be given for at least an hour. A clean 

 place, attention to hygiene and dietary, together with anti- 

 septic dressings as often as necessary, will complete the direc- 

 tions to bring about restoration to health. 



PREPARATORY TREATMENT OF THE SITE OF 

 INCISON. 



All hair from this and the contiguous parts should be 

 removed a short time before operating, by the aid of scissors or 

 clipping machines and a razor, the skin being thoroughly cleansed 

 with soap and hot water and carefully disinfected. Before an 

 abdominal operation, or a serious one of any kind, it is always 

 a good plan, in addition, to lightly scrub the parts with ether 

 in order to remove all grease. A pad of wadding soaked in 

 some antiseptic, and carefully kept in position over the site for 

 an hour before the operation commences, completes the process 

 by which the parts are rendered aseptic. 



If this cannot be applied, owing to the situation of the wound, 

 the temper of the animal, or some other cause, the antiseptic 



