848 Veterinary Obstetrics 



should be armed at each end with a heavy straight needle. The 

 suturing should begin at the top, that is, opposite the superior 

 vulvar commissure,, and the two needles inserted at approxi- 

 mately opposite points, about j^ in. from the superior border of 

 the organ, each needle emerging at the point where the other 

 entered. By drawing firmly upon the ends of the ligature, the 

 included portion of the uterus is strangulated. The needles are 

 then turned back, and reinserted at a point about ^ in. farther 

 down, and the process repeated until the inferior wall or floor of 

 the prolapsed organ is reached and included, when the ends of 

 the suture are firmly tied together. In this manner the circula- 

 tion in the organ to be amputated; is completely cut off, and 

 hemorrhage rendered itnpossible. 



The uterus may, now be excised at a point 2 or 3 in. beyond 

 the suture line, but the incision should not beat once completed- 

 The incision may be begun at either end of the suture and ex- 

 tended for a short distance, followed by the application of a^ 

 second ordinary continuous suture, closing the margins of the 

 new-made wounds. When the suture has; reached the poin,t to 

 which the excision has been carried, the cut may be .extended,, 

 the attachments of the organ serving fmerely as a means for hold- 

 ing the stump while it is being sutured. The excision could be 

 cornpleted at once, and the stump held with forceps. The same 

 precautions are to be taken in this operation as in ligation,, to not 

 wound or include the urinary bladder, intestine, or other viscera. 



When the operation is completed,' and all blood clots have been 

 removed, the stump may be permitted to return ipto the vagina. 

 Whether amputated by ligature or suture, the vagina should be 

 kept as nearly aseptic or antiseptic as possible during the heal- 

 ing of the wound. It should be irrigated daily and dressed with 

 powdered iodoform. 



II. EVERSION OF THE VAGINA. VAGINAL PROIvAPSE. 



Prolapse or eversion of the vagina may occur in any domestic 

 animal after parturition. We have already dealt with pro- 

 lapse of the vagina, as related to sterility, on page 199, and 

 as occurring during pregnancy, on page 449. The character of 

 prolapse of the vagina after birth, in a large proportion of cases, 

 is essentially different from that seen before or during pregnancy. 

 Prolapse of the vagina consists of the displacement of some por- 



