230 VETERINARY SURGICAL OPERATIONS 



among coach horses, caudal myotomy found its principal in- 

 dication in "setting up" the tails before they were ampu- 

 tated, and for this purpose the operation was chiefly known 

 as "nicking" or "pricking." Its object is that of producing 

 a higher carriage of the amputated stump. By dividing the 

 depressor muscles and then preventing them from reuniting, 

 the elevators, with their antagonist out of commission, are 

 free to raise the tail to a higher level. Today, however, this 

 use of caudal myotomy is as unlawful as docking itself, al- 

 though it can be employed lawfully if intended solely to 

 improve the carriage of the entire tail. Every horse of qual- 

 ity must carry a "good" tail to earn favorable consideration 

 and as an otherwise splendid individual may hug the tail 

 into the perineum or let it flop listlessly about, the operation 

 in such indications is justifiable corrective surgery. 



RESTRAINT. — The operation is best performed in the 

 standing position with the aid of the twitch applied to the 

 nose, and the side-line to elevate one hind leg. Cocainiza- 

 tion of the seat of operation is sometimes practiced, but it 

 does not help matters much on account of the impractica- 

 bility of depositing the solution into every part of the sub- 

 stance of the muscle where the section is to be made. While 

 a more or less effectual anaesthesia can be produced by in- 

 jecting the solution subcutaneously at different points around 

 the depressor muscle of each side, into the space between 

 the muscle and bone, and then directly into the substance of 

 the muscle, the process of administration is difficult, and the 

 numerous needle pricks necessary to complete it provoke as 

 much resistance as the operation itself performed without 

 anaesthesia. 



The extremely restive horse should be secured on the 

 table or with harness, but this emergency is seldom required. 

 ■ ANTISEPSIS. — Caudal myotomy is an extremely dan- 

 gerous procedure if performed without adequate antiseptic 

 precautions, especially in regards to the tenetome, which 

 should be made absolutely aseptic. Caudal myotomies per- 

 formed with an aseptic tenetome (pricking knife) heal up 

 without visible reaction, but if done with an unclean knife 

 or one only partially disinfected, inflammation, abscess, sep- 

 ticaemia and sometimes sloughing off of the tail, may super- 

 vene. In short, the # disinfection preparatory to the operation 

 must be thorough, absolute, perfect. 



To this end, the first step is to submit the tenetome to a 

 boiling of no less than ten minutes, or in lieu of this, to an 

 immersion in pure phenol for no less, than twenty minutes, 



