206 CANINE MEDICINE AND SURGERY 



ing forceps, artery forceps, and grooved dissector, 

 should all be sterilized by boiling, and swabs, iodin, 

 gauze and wool dressing, bandages, and boiled water 

 be ready for use. 



Technic. — Wash and shave the entire abdomen 

 and disinfect as usual. With the scalpel make an 

 incision the necessary length and exactly in the 

 middle line through the skin, subcutis, and linea 

 alba down to the peritoneum. Control hemorrhage. 

 Incise the peritoneum, being careful not to wound 

 the intestines or other organs, introduce the dis- 

 sector, and sliding the back of the knife along the 

 groove, slit the peritoneum open for the length of 

 the wound required for further manipulation and 

 proceed with whatever the abdominal section was 

 performed for. 



The wound should be closed with interrupted silk 

 or silkworm-gut sutures, taking care to include all 

 three layers of the abdominal wall; that is, the peri- 

 toneum, the muscles, and the skin. 



The edges of the wound should be grasped with 

 the dressing forceps while inserting the sutures, and 

 care taken to prevent the latter from touching the 

 body during inaction. Touch the wound only with 

 sterilized instruments to avoid infection. When the 

 sutures are all placed, tie them and swab off the 

 wound with boiled water, then dry it with a sterile 

 swab and apply the sterile gauze dressing and 

 bandage. 



Remove dressing in three days and inspect the 

 wound. If it is dry and aseptic, dress again with 

 sterile gauze and leave undisturbed for three days, 

 when the sutures should be removed. If at the first 

 inspection it is found that infection has occurred, 

 the wound must be cleaned with hydrogen peroxid, 

 dried, painted with tincture of iodin, and redressed 

 with a sterile gauze dressing. The wound must then 



