DISEASES OF CATTLE 151 



so short and becomes so widely dilated during the urination that 

 the calculi easily escape in the flow of liquid and dangerous symp- 

 toms practically never appear. 



Even in the male the signs of illness are at first very slight. 

 A close observer may notice the cylinders of hard, earthy materials 

 encircling the tufts of hair at the opening of the prepuce. It may 

 further be observed that the stall remains dry and that the animal 

 has not been seen to pass water when out of doors. The tail may 

 at times be gently raised and contractions of the muscle (accelera- 

 tor urinae) beneath the anus may take place in a rhythmical or 

 pulsating manner. But as a rule no symptom is noticed for a cou- 

 ple of days, only the animal is lacking in his usual spirits. By this 

 time the constantly accumulating urine has distended the bladder 

 beyond its power of resistance and a rupture occurs, allowing the 

 urine to escape into the cavity of the abdomen. Then dullness in- 

 creases! the animal lies down most of his time; he becomes stupid 

 and sometimes drowsy, with reddish brown congestion of the lin- 

 ing membrane of the eyelids; pressure on the abdomen causes 

 pain, flinching, and perhaps groaning, and the lowest part of the 

 belly fluctuates more and more as the escaping urine accumulates 

 in greater and greater amount. If at this stage the oiled hand is 

 introduced into the rectum (last gut), the animal flinches when 

 pressure is made downward on the floor of the pelvis, and no round, 

 distended bladder is felt. If the same examination is made prior 

 to the rupture the rounded, tense, elastic bladder is felt extending 

 forward into the abdomen, containing one or two gallons of liquid. 

 There may be uneasy shifting of the hind limbs and twisting of the 

 tail, also frequent lying down and rising, but these symptoms are 

 exceptional. 



When the obstruction is low down between the thighs (at the 

 S-shaped flexure), the line of the pulsating urethra from the anus 

 downward may be felt distended with liquid, and though it is sel- 

 dom easy to distinguish the exact seat of the stone by the hard 

 swelling of the urethra, yet there is usually tenderness at the point 

 of obstruction, and from this it may be accurately located. 



Treatment. The treatment of stone in the bladder or urethra 

 consists in the removal of the stone by incision and the use of for- 

 ceps. When the stone has been arrested at the S-shaped flexure 

 just above the scrotum, the patient being lean, the thickened tender 

 part of the penis may be seized between the fingers and thumb of 

 the left hand, while the calculus is exposed by a free incision with 

 the knife held in the right. If there is no other obstruction be- 

 tween this point and the bladder, and if the latter has not yet rup- 

 tured, a flow of urine should take place from the opening. If 

 there is no escape of liquid a catheter or sound, one-fourth of an 

 inch in diameter, must be passed up through the canal (urethra) 

 until it is arrested by the next stone, on which a similar incision 

 should then be made to effect its extraction. In case the stone has 

 been arrested in the portion of the urethra which is in front of the 

 arch of the hip bone and inside the pelvis, it can only be reached 



