144 PEINCIPLES OF VETERINARY SURGERY 



Dogs and s-wine show abdominal pain, Tomit ; symptoms 

 of collapse soon follow ; otherwise tlie hernial tumor exhibits 

 the same conditions as in the horse. 



How do you treat a hernia ? 



There are two methods : 1, palliative ; 3, radical. 

 Describe the palliative treatment. 



Only employed in reducible hernia. Here by means of 

 a truss the protruded mass is retained in its cavity, as a result 

 of which sometimes the hernial mouth becomes so small that 

 the gut no longer can protrude. This method is at times of 

 value in young dogs, colts and brood mares. At the same 

 time it must be remembered that in the young a hernia may 

 disappear spontaneously, as the bowels quite rapidly enlarge 

 and become too large to pass through the hernial mouth. 

 Some practitioners advise the application of blisters and 

 caustics, as sulphuric acid, the actual cautery. Others, again, 

 advocate the hypodermic injection of a salt solution or 

 alcohol — all with a view to produce artificially an inflamma- 

 tion and scar formation around the rent in the wall of the 

 cavity from which the contents protrude. These latter 

 methods are of doubtful value and not without danger, as it 

 is known that the integument covering the hernial sac 

 sloughs off, thus causing a prolapsus ; while the hypodermic 

 injections have as sequels peritonitis and septic cellulitis. 



Describe the radical treatment. 



Unless the mouth of the hernia is too large (say, exceeds 

 five inches in length), the hernial sac may be obliterated by 

 tying it off by means of an elastic ligature, as a rubber tube 

 or even a common string (do not apply it too tight or the skin 

 will slough off too soon and a prolapsus may follow); or by 

 stitching off the sac — that is, ligate it in sections. This latter 



