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SWINE PRACTICE 



Spaying of Sows 



Unsexing- of sows is not commonly practiced in this section of the 

 country. Experiments have proved that spayed sows were more 

 economic than entire females in the production of meat. The char- 

 acter of the meat is apparently not changed by spaying. 



Spaying should be done on sows from two to four months of age. 

 Feed should be withheld from twelve to twenty -four hours before op- 

 erating. The patient should be restrained on an inclined table or 

 bj' some other means so that the head is considerably lower than the 

 hind quarters. They should be confined so that either flank is ex- 



Fig. 110. Internal genital organs of sow (diagrammatic). A,- rectum; 

 B, vagina; C, bladder; D, uterus; -E, left uterine horn; F, right fallopian 

 tube and horn; G, ovary; H. intestines; I, kidney. 



posed. After clipping the hair in the flank region, -anterior to the 

 angle of the ilium, the part should be cleansed and tincture of iodin 

 applied. An incision is made through the skin, fascia and abdominal 

 muscles, after which the peritoneum is punctured. The length of the 

 incision should be determined by the size of the sow. Two fingers or 

 the entire hand is inserted into the peritoneal cavity to locate the 

 ovaries, which will be found suspended on a relatively long broad 

 ligament which will permit of the ovaries being brought to the sur- 

 face where they can be removed by means of serrated scissors. 



It is not considered necessary to suture the peritoneum. The skin 



