animals should not be operated on. The season of the year makes little
difference in the results, providing the animal can be kept under close
observation and given the necessary care and treatment. The spring of the
year, just before turning the herd on pasture, is the best season to spay
heifers.

_All animals should be prepared_ for the operation by withholding all feed
for at least twenty-four hours before they are operated on, and it may be
advisable to give them a physic. It is easier to operate when the
intestinal tract is comparatively empty, and the death rate is lower than
when the animal is not properly prepared for the operation.

_The method of operating_ is not the same in the different species. In
young heifers and sows, the flank operation is preferred, and in mares and
cows, the vaginal operation. The median line operation is practised in
bitches. A spaying emasculator, or ecraseur, are the special instruments
need for removing the ovaries.

The animal must be properly confined for the operation. Heifers are usually
held in the standing position by fastening the head securely, and crowding
the left side of the animal against a solid board partition, or side of a
chute. If the vaginal operation is performed, the mare or cow may be
confined in stocks. The bitch is usually anesthetized and placed on her
back on a table that is inclined, so that the hind parts are elevated.

Ovariotomy cannot be successfully performed by an untrained and
inexperienced operator. The necessary precautions against the infection of
the part must be observed, in order to promote the healing of the wound and
prevent peritonitis. The seat of the operation should be carefully cleaned
and disinfected.