418 DISEASES OF THE BLADDER 



a thickening of the mucosa, which is corrugated, often 

 presenting projecting growths. The muscular walls become 

 contracted, thickened and incapable of distention. The 

 apices of the corrugations are darkened, eroded and ulcerated. 

 The bladder is usually empty and contracted. Inflammation 

 of other portions of the urinary tract will be more or less 

 apparent. 



Symptoms. In acute cystitis, the animal will show marked 

 symptoms of difficult micturition, severe straining as if to 

 urinate, with only small quantities of urine passed. Some- 

 times small quantities of blood follow the attempts to urinate. 

 The animal stands with the back arched, shows pain when 

 forced to move, and stiffness in walking. When moved the 

 patient will cry out; it often assumes the attitude of urinating. 

 An erection of the penis is a frequent symptom. Pressure 

 over the region of the bladder induces pain. A dog being 

 examined in the standing position will often cry out with 

 pain, and try to bite and get away. Digital pressure either 

 through the rectum or vagina produces the same symptoms. 

 In most cases the bladder is found empty. Unless the 

 condition is mild, general symptoms are usually observed. 

 The temperature is elevated in the early stages, depending 

 upon the cause and kind of infection. Later it may be 

 normal or subnormal. Suppression of appetite, thirst, and 

 general depression are often observed. Uremic symptoms 

 will be found in some cases due to reabsorption of urine, or 

 lack of elimination in cases where the other urinary organs 

 are involved. The urine, passed in small quantities, will be 

 dark in color, contains varying amounts of albumin, some- 

 times pus, and stringy mucus. Shreds of fibrin and necrotic 

 membrane are passed in the croupous and diphtheritic forms 

 of cystitis. The urine is usually alkaline in reaction but 

 may be acid. It will contain fibrin, pus cells (both the large 

 cells and the long slender variety), crystals of ammonium 

 urate, and numerous bacteria. The urine content assists 

 in confirming the diagnosis. Chronic cystitis produces much 

 the same symptoms but less severe than in the acute form. 

 The most noticeable indications of chronic cystitis are painful 

 micturition, the urine passed containing pus, red corpuscles, 



