158 



VETERINARY SURGICAL OPERATIONS 



ness, the hopples, or the operating table will answer. The 

 latter is, however, preferable, owing to the elevated position 

 of the field of operation, the perfect immobilization of the leg, 

 and the possibility of performing the surgical work much 

 more cleanly than is possible upon a litter of straw, shavings 

 or peat. To take the best advantage of the table restraint, 

 the two legs are first tied tightly to each other with a strap 

 or rope arranged in form of a figure 8 just above the knees, 

 or if in hind legs, abo've the hocks. (Fig. 22, Vol. II.) 

 The affected leg is released from its hopple and fixed forward 

 with a smaller strap fastened around the coronet and passed 

 over the heel. This places the fetlock in dorsal flexion and 

 brings a desired tension upon the region to be incised. Co- 



/ Fig. 97. 



cainization of the field completes the restraint. When one 

 digital nerve has been divided, the wound is covered and the 

 legs reversed, to similarly secure the other leg for division of 

 the opposite nerve on the opposite leg. When this has been 

 done the patient is returned to its feet and placed end for end 

 upon the table and the same manipulations repeated. This 

 form of restraint requires careful protection of the previ- 

 ously made surgical wounds against bruising in the hopples 

 and contamination with dirt while the operation is proceed- 

 ing and while the patient is being reversed upon the table. 



If the casting harness is used, several methods are availa- 

 ble for immobilizing the leg. One of them consists of fixing 

 it at a right angle from the body by a rope extending from 



