INFLAMMATION OF THE KIDNEYS 71 



INFLAMMATION OF THE KIDNEYS. 



SYMPTOMS. This complaint is usually preceded by 

 fever ; and when completely formed, the horse stands 

 with his hind legs wide apart, and has an awkward 

 gait in his walk. He withdraws from the pressure of 

 the hand on the loins, which also indicate an undue 

 heat, considerably above that in the natural condition. 

 When turning with moderate quickness, he feels pain, 

 and looks wistfully back at his flanks ; a suppression 

 of the action of the urinary organs takes place, and is 

 followed by a difficulty in voiding urine, which comes 

 off in small quantities, and is generally high coloured, 

 and not unfrequently mixed with blood. Strong 

 efforts are made by the horse to discharge it in larger 

 portions, but at length it is almost quite suppressed. 

 Hence it will be manifest that there is an affection of 

 the urinary organs ; but whether in the kidneys or 

 bladder it will be difficult at first to determine. At 

 this stage of the disease the pulse is hard and accele- 

 rated ; it soon afterwards becomes small, although re- 

 taining its character of hardness. 



In order to ascertain the seat of the disease, the 

 hand must be introduced into the rectum, and if the 

 bladder (which is situated under the rectum) feels dis- 

 tended and hard, then it is certain that the neck or 

 sphincture of the bladder is inflamed. If, on the other 

 hand, it is soft and feeling empty, with a heat in the 

 intestines over it, then there is inflammation of the 

 bladder itself ; but if there is no unnatural heat over it, 

 then it may be certain that the affection is in the 

 kidneys. 



CAUSE. Musty or mow-burnt oats, from their 

 diuretic properties, are often the cause of inflamma- 

 tion in the kidneys. Indeed, very strong diuretics, 



