DISEASES OF HORSES 205 



irritation, and the sheath and penis should be washed with soapsuds, 

 any sebaceous matter removed from the end of the penis, and the 

 whole lubricated with sweet oil. Irritable mares should be induced 

 to urinate before they are 'harnessed, and those that clutch the lines 

 under the tail may have the tail set high by cutting the cords on its 

 lower surface, or it may be prevented getting over the reins by hav- 

 ing a strap carried from its free end to the breeching. Those proving 

 troublesome when in heat may 'have 4-dram doses of bromide of 

 potassium, or they may be served by the male or castrated. 



DISEASED GROWTH IN THE BLADDER. 



These may be of various kinds. They may be attached to the 

 mucous membrane by a narrow neck or by a broad base covering a 

 great part of the organ. 



Symptoms. The symptoms are frequent straining, passing of 

 urine and blood with occasionally gravel. An examination of the 

 bladder with the 'hand in the rectum will detect the new growth, 

 which may be distinguished from a hard resistant stone. In mares, 

 in which the finger can be inserted into the bladder, the recognition 

 is still more satisfactory. The polypi attached by narrow necks may 

 be removed by surgical operation, but for those with broad attach- 

 ments treatment is eminently unsatisfactory. 



DISCHARGE OF URINE BY THE NAVEL, OR PERSISTENT URACHUS. 



This occurs only in the newborn, and consists in the nonclosure 

 of the natural channel through which the urine is discharged into 

 the outer water bag in fetal life. At that early stage of the animal 

 existence the bladder resembles a long tube, which is prolonged 

 through the navel string and opens into the outermost of the two 

 water bags in which the fetus floats. In this way the urine is pre- 

 vented from entering the inner water bag, where it would mingle 

 with the liquids, bathing the skin of the fetus and cause irritation. 

 At birth this channel closes up, and the urine takes the course nor- 

 mal to extra-uterine life. Imperfect closure is more frequent in 

 males than in females, because of the great length and small caliber 

 of the male urethra and its consequent tendency to obstruction. In 

 the female there may be a discharge of a few drops only at a time, 

 while in the male the urine will be expelled in strong jets coinci- 

 dently with the contractions of the bladder and walls of the abdomen. 



The first care is to ascertain if the urethra is previous by passing 

 a human catheter. This determined, the open urachus may be firmly 

 closed by a stout waxed thread, carried with a needle through the 

 tissues back of the opening and tied in front of it so as to inclose as 

 little skin as possible. If a portion of the navel string remains, the 

 tying of that may be all sufficient. It is important to tie as early as 

 possible so as to avoid inflammation of the navel from contact with 

 the urine. In summer a little carbolic-acid water or tar water may 

 be applied to keep off the flies. 



EVERSION OF THE BLADDER. 



This can only occur in the female. It consists in the turning 

 of the organ outside in through the channel of the urethra, so that it 

 appears as a red, pear-shaped mass hanging from the floor of the 



