I2 6 DISEASES OF THE DOMESTIC ANIMALS 



certain as compared with the results of radical operation, as follows : 

 Operation for Umbilical Hernia. — The necessary preliminaries 

 include starving the patient for twelve hours, free catharsis, shav- 

 ing and strict antisepsis of the skin (see Wounds, p. — ) and 

 anesthesia. With the animal in the dorsal position the skin is incised 

 transversely over the sac. The sac is isolated and freed from sur- 

 rounding tissue all about its neck where it joins the aponeurosis. 

 If the contents are reducible, reduction may be done and the sac 

 ligated by stout chromic cat-gut or silk as close to ' the ring as 

 possible. Otherwise the sac is incised, adhesions are broken, and 

 omentum is ligated in sections and cut off level with the hernial ring. 

 The bowel is pushed back into the belly. It may be necessary to 

 nick the ring on either side to replace the bowel. The whole sac is 

 cut off close to the ring. The ring is closed by overlapping of its 

 anterior and posterior borders. A needle threaded with stout sterile 

 silk is entered from without in, about two inches in front of the 

 anterior margin of the ring, and brought out through the ring. 

 A mattress stitch is taken in the edge of the posterior border of the 

 ring about % inch back of its margin. The needle is brought back 

 through the hernial opening under the anterior margin of the ring 

 in the abdominal cavity and is made to emerge about Yz inch from 

 its point of entrance. Usually three such stitches are used. On 

 pulling them tight and tying them the posterior border of the ring 

 is drawn forward under the anterior border. The free flap or 

 margin of the anterior border of the ring is finally fastened by 

 continuous chromic gut suture to the surface of the aponeurosis. 

 The skin wound is sutured with silkworm gut. Antiseptic gauze, 

 adhesive plaster and a band about the body complete the operation. 

 When suturing is difficult (in bringing together the edges of 

 a large ring), packing needles, eight inches long, have been used to 

 transfix the margins. Above these a clamp may be applied. Horse- 

 shoe nails with bent points may replace the needles to prevent the 

 clamp from coming off till it sloughs away. These will be rarely 



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