The Abdomen 249 



UBETHROTOMY. URETHROLITHOTOMY. 



For this operation on the Male the animal should be secured 

 in the dorsal position with the hind legs brought forward, after 

 having been previously placed under the influence of a narcotic. 

 Local cocaine anesthesia should also be established. As a guide to 

 the sight of incision, expose the penis and pass the catheter in the 

 usual manner until its further progress is arrested. The point of 

 the catheter is easily distinguished beneath the tissues and it is im- 

 mediately over this spot that the incision is made in the median line. 

 The median line of the perineum is not crossed by vessels of any 

 size and like the linea alba is comparatively bloodless. Make the 

 incision from one-half to one inch in length, and carry it through 

 the skin, subcutaneous fascia, and urethral muscles to the lumen of 

 the canal. The latter being exposed, remove the impaction with 

 probe, blunt forceps or curette. It is sometimes necessary to crush 

 before its removal can be effected. This being successfully accom- 

 plished, it must not be forgotten that a large number of calculi may 

 still remain on the proximal side of the obstruction. For this reason 

 the eictraction of the impaction should always be supplemented by 

 irrigation of the bladder with a copious supply of warm sterilized 

 water injected with the aid of a catheter through the wound. It 

 is best to leave the wound open. Though the urine finds vent for 

 a few days at the artificial opening thus established and there is 

 always a slight risk of its infiltration into the neighboring tissues, 

 in other respects it is an advantage, for the reason that additional 

 calculi may be passed from the kidney after the operation and are 

 thus more certain to escape, or may be dislodged should they be- 

 come fixed at the upper extremity of the wound as is sometimes the 

 case. The wound usually becomes entirely sealed up by granulation 

 in from eight to fifteen days and the urine is again voided by the 

 natural channel. If suturing is employed cicatrization may be com- 

 plete as early as four days. 



In the Female. The animal may be sucured in either position 

 and anesthetized. Dilate the vagina with a speculum and first at- 

 tempt to extract the stone with forceps. Sometimes manipulation 

 with the finger in the vagina is sufficient to effect dislodgment. 

 Failing in this, it becomes necessary to enlarge the urethra by in- 

 cision. The walls of both urethra and vagina are intimately con- 

 nected, which allows of the former being freely opened up. Intro- 



