DISEASES AND TREATMENT OF SHEEP AND PIGS 495 
open up the cuts with your finger and allow the matter that 
has formed in the bag to run out. This is one thing that 
should never be neglected after castrating any animal. Use 
butter upon the fingers when doing this. 
II. Castrating When the Bag is Ruptured. 
1. Ruptures are caused in young pigs by standing on 
the hind feet with the front feet up on the front of the pen 
when you go to feed them. In other cases it is noticed to 
be present at birth. 
2. Rupture is present when the bag is enlarged by the 
bowels coming out into it. When you catch the pig and 
press on the enlargement, you can press the bowel back into 
its place, but as soon as you let go it comes out again. 
3. Operate on a ruptured pig as follows: It is best to 
castrate ruptured pigs when they are young — about five or 
six weeks old. If a large boar, starve him for twenty-four 
hours before operating, so that his bowels will be empty. 
They then slip back to their place easier while castrating him. 
Have help enough to hold the hind end of the pig well up 
while you press the bowels back. This is easily done when 
they are empty, r cl his hind end being higher than his front 
causes them to stay back better while operating on him. Take 
the testicles out in the same manner as you would a pig that 
was not ruptured, only make the cuts as small as you can. 
After each testicle is out, sew up the cut with a needle and 
thread (the same as used for sewing up wounds). Put the 
stitches in about one-quarter of an inch apart, so that the 
bowels cannot slip out. 
If a small pig, let him run with the others, but if a large 
pig, keep him in a quiet place and do not give him much to 
eat for a few days until the cuts swell. The swelling keeps 
the rupture back. Leave the stitches in until they rot out of 
their own accord. 
III. SPAYINa 
Be sure that hands, instruments, etc., are scrupulously 
clean and thoroughly disinfected. 
It is best to operate through the left flank. 
Tie the sow to an inclined plank, the head to the lowest 
end. Make an incision in the left flank a little below and in 
front of the point of the hip, large enough to admit two 
fingers, care being taken not to injure the intestines. Insert 
