392 VETERINARY SURGICAL OPERATIONS 



ficult and is much more prone to end in annoying complica- 

 tions than the simple shears and hot iron method, although 

 it has the advantage of leaving a haired stump instead of a 

 hairless cicatrix. 



To perform this operation well the tail must be submitted 

 to a good disinfection which, on account of the hairs, is dif- 

 ficult of execution, and the patient must either be placed in 

 the recumbent position of else the tail well cocainized. 



The tourniquet is applied as described in Step'i, and then, 

 after completing the disinfection, two lateral flaps one and a 

 half inches long are made of the skin and muscles. The am- 

 putation is effected through an inter-vertebral disc located 

 well upward, so that the bone stump does not extend be- 

 tween the flaps, which are then sutured with a continuous 

 suture. 



The bleeding is prevented by allowing the tourniquet to 

 remain taut for two hours, at which time it may be safely re- 

 moved. The sutures are removed at the end of eight days, and 

 in the interval the patient should be kept in the standing 

 position to prevent contamination of the wound from the 

 stable floor. 



As caudal amputations in the routine of -country practice 

 are rather few, and the equipment required to- perform the 

 shears and hot iron methods somewhat costly, the dovetail 

 method may be deemed the most desirable, notwithstanding 

 the greater safety of the former. By providing against 

 pyogenic infection during the operation, and by adminis- 

 tering a preventive dose of antitetanic serum three days 

 after, untoward sequalas will be few. 



SEQUELiE. — i. Tetanus is a very common complica- 

 tion of docking. The infection generally is traceable to some 

 mishap occurring during the operation. After the amputa- 

 tion has been effected and before the searing has been suf- 

 ficient to close the wound the patient may fall and soil the 

 stump upon the floor or ground and as tetanic spores are 

 very resistant to extreme heat the searing process creates 

 a favorable environment for their propagation. Or, the skin of 

 the tail at the seat of amputation may be harboring the 

 microbes, which by resisting the burning process, find be- 

 neath the eschar the sheltered environment essential to their 

 pathogenicity. 



The facts that sterilization of the seat of operation is a 

 difficult task to accomplish effectually, and that post-oper- 

 ative infection is always possible, render preventive inocu- 



