78 



CANINE AND FELINE SURGERY. 



with one hand and depress the lower jaw by pressing the ball 

 of the thumb on the top of the lower incisor teeth or by 

 taking hold of the hair below the symphysis of the jaw. 



Removal of Foreign Bodies. — The choice of an instrument 

 for the purpose must depend somewhat upon the foreign body 

 itself; the most common ones met with are bones and needles. 

 A strong pair of curved throat forceps will do in the majority 

 of cases, being applied when the mouth is held open. Sharp 

 pieces of bone frequently get wedged across the mouth, each 



mm- 



Fig. 45. 

 Jloutli speculum (Gray's iiattern). 



Fig. 4G. 

 Mouth speculum {author's pattern 



end becoming inserted between the molars, and occasionally 

 the hollow shaft of a long bone becomes fixed longitudinally 

 on the molars, causing the mouth to be propped open. 



When removing a needle, care must always be taken to see 

 in which direction the point has entered, as neglect of this 

 precaution may lead to the breaking of the needle and un- 

 necessary laceration of the mucous membrane. 



Operation for Ranula.— By the aid of a speculum the mouth 

 is fixed open, the tongue being drawn to one side or so 

 arranged as to place the ranula in the most suitable situation 



