Acute Congestion of the Kidneys in Cattle. 215 



ever, unfits the animal for a future vigorous life, and an}' 

 concurrent injurious influence may easily bring on active kid- 

 ney disease. 



Lesions. There is redness and swelling of the kidney, it may 

 be to two or three times its normal size, the enlargment being 

 especially referable to the cortical portion, which may be mottled 

 in different shades of red up to black extravasations. The lack 

 of firmness in its connection with its sheath, and the softening 

 and friability of the parenchyma resemble the .same conditions in 

 the horse. The urine may be clear or more or less tinged with 

 blood, and contains blood globules, albumen, and crystals of car- 

 bonate of lime and urate of ammonia, which seem to indicate the 

 presence of a bacterial ferment. 



Symptoms. The patient usualh- shows some indication of chill, 

 with staring coat and arched back, which is very sen.sitive to 

 pinching. There is impairment of rumination and appetite, de- 

 crease of milk in dairy cows, uneasy movements of the hind 

 limbs and tail, frequent straining to urinate, and the passage 

 of urine often in small amount and .sometimes of a pink or 

 reddish tinge. In bad cases this may become deep red, or 

 black, and the pulse becomes weak, with palpitations, marked 

 muscular weakness and a tendency to lie down most of the 

 time. 



With early improvement recovery ma}' be complete in from 

 four to six days. In the more .severe and fatal ca.ses death 

 may occur as earl}' as the sixth day. Unless under the in- 

 fluence of violent irritants or a persistence of the original poison 

 the prognosis is favorable. 



Diagnosis. It is especially important to distinguish this from 

 haemoglobinaemia, which shows an uniform red or brown 

 discoloration of the urine and an entire absence of blood 

 globules as such. In congestion the reddish material tends to 

 precipitate and is found to consist largely of blood globules. It 

 is further associated with albuminuria. 



Haemorrhagic cystitis and cystic calculi are both chronic 

 affections, and identified on rectal exploration by the tenderness 

 of the liladder and the presence of the stone. 



Prevention consists in the avoidance of the various causative 

 factors, and especially those that find access among alimentary 



