1004 Chronic Iiiflurative Nephritis. 



affected buffaloes permit the assumption that the urine is fre- 

 quently altered in the course of the disease in ruminants, and 

 evidently also in other animals, although the animals appear 

 otherwise healthy. Other observations and those of the authors 

 even indicate that the very light forms do not noticeably impair 

 the health of the animals, even in bilateral disease, and do not 

 lead to alterations in the urine. In the great majority of cases, 

 however, morbid phenomena are observed during the life of the 

 animals. 



The development of the clinical picture proceeds in exactly 

 the same manner as in chronic non-indurative nephritis (see 

 page 997). Nutritional disturbances, diminished ability to work, 

 listlessness, rapid fatigue, languor, diminished appetite, in dogs 

 recurring vomiting are observed frequently, but may occasion- 

 ally be absent for a long time and even to the end of the 

 disease. 



The most constant symptom is polyuria in which the ani- 

 mals void large amounts of urine at frequent intervals, and 

 house dogs often discharge their urine in the room against their 

 custom. The daily amount of urine is often several times the 

 normal quantity, although great variations exist in this respect. 

 The urine is watery or almost as clear as water, sometimes it has 

 a greenish tinge, the specific gravity is very low, even as low 

 as 1001. Small amounts of albumen are present, but may disap- 

 pear entirely for brief periods. On standing, very little or no 

 sediment forms, and occasionaly hyaline casts and epithelial 

 cells from the urinary tubules may be found in it (Fig. 175). 



Regenbogen observed lipuria in two cases of chronic nephri- 

 tis in dogs associated with fatty degeneration of the renal 

 epithelia; the urine looked like watery milk and maintained this 

 appearance even on standing or after filtration ; it contained 

 %-l% of fat, many fat globules and fatty casts. 



••1^ 0^% 



• • ^ 



«♦ 



Fig. 175. Renal epithelia in the urinary sediment of a dog with chronic indurative 



nepliritis* 



The increased quantity of urine is due to several causes. It is characteristic, 

 especially for the chronic indurative form of nephritis, that more or less atrophied 

 portions of the kidneys alternate with portions that are more or less unaffected 

 and may be quite healthy; the latter assume the function of the diseased portions, 

 owing to the power of accommodation of the renal tissue. For this reason the 

 watery amount of urine does not diminish, in spite of the destruction of a portion 

 of the renal substance. Since in the affected portions many arteries have become 

 impassable, the remaining patent arteries of the portions of the kidney, which are 

 still capable of excreting, dilate and this is the more likely to occur, as in many 



