DISEASES OF. HORSES 203 



Symptoms. The symptoms are a constant dribbling of urine 

 when the neck is involved, the liquid running down the inside of the 

 thighs and irritating the skin. When the neck is unaffected the 

 urine is retained until the bladder is greatly overdistended, when it 

 may be expelled in a gush by the active contraction of the muscular 

 walls of the abdomen ; but this never empties the bladder, and the 

 oiled hand introduced through the rectum may feel the soft, flabby 

 organ still half full of urine. This retained urine is liable to decom- 

 pose and give off ammonia, which dissolves the epithelial cells, expos- 

 ing the raw mucous membrane and causing the worst type of cystitis. 

 Suppression and incontinence of urine are common also to obstruc- 

 tion of the urethra by stone or otherwise ; hence this source of fallacy 

 should be excluded by manual examination along the whole course 

 of that duct. 



Treatment. Treatment is only applicable in cases in which the 

 determining cause can be abated. In remedial sprains of the back or 

 disease of the spinal cord these must have appropriate treatment, and 

 the urine must be drawn off frequently with a catheter to prevent 

 overdistention and injury to the bladder. If the paralysis persists 

 after recovery of the spinal cord, or if it continues after relief of 

 spasm of the neck of the bladder, apply a pulp of mustard and water 

 over the back part of the belly in front of the udder, and cover with 

 a rug until the hair stands erect. In the male the mustard may be 

 applied between the thighs from near the anus downward. Daily 

 doses of 2 grains powdered Spanish fly may serve to rouse the lost 

 tone. These failing, a mild current of electricity daily may succeed. 



INFLAMMATION OF THE BLADDER (CYSTITIS, OR UROCYSTITIS) . 



Cystitis may be slight or severe, acute or chronic, partial or gen- 

 eral. It may be caused by abuse of diuretics, especially such as are 

 irritating (cantharides, turpentine, copaiba, resin, etc.), by the pres- 

 ence of a stone or gravel in the bladder, the irritation of a catheter or 

 other foreign body introduced from without, the septic ferment (bac- 

 terium) introduced on a filthy catheter, the overdistention of the 

 bladder by retained urine, the extrication of ammonia from retained 

 decomposing urine, resulting in destruction of the epithelial cells and 

 irritation of the raw surface, and a too concentrated and irritating 

 urine. The application of Spanish flies or turpentine over a too ex- 

 tensive surface, sudden exposure of a perspiring and tired horse to 

 cold or wet, and the presence of acrid plants in the fodder may cause 

 cystitis, as they may nephritis. Finally, inflammation may extend 

 from a diseased vagina or urethra to the bladder. 



Symptoms. The symptoms are slight or severe colicky pains; 

 the animal moves his hind feet uneasily or even kicks at the abdo- 

 men, looks around at his flank, and may even lie down and rise fre- 

 quently. More characteristic are frequently repeated efforts to uri- 

 nate, resulting in the discharge of a little clear, or red, or more com- 

 monly flocculent urine, always in jets, and accompanied by signs of 

 pain, which persist after the discharge, as shown in continued strain- 

 ing, groaning, and perhaps in movements of the feet and tail. The 

 penis hangs from the sheath, or in the mare the vulva is frequently 



