DISEASES OF DOMESTIC ANIMALS. 177 i 



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food, and give a slight laxative. Try hyposulphate of soda as a pre- ' 



ventive. Decomposition takes place quickly after death. When you ' 



make a post mortem, it is beat to do it as soon as possible. Under the \ 



skin it looks like the animal had been bled to death, and sometimes ; 



there is ecchymosis in the intestinal canal. The spleen will be increased I 

 in weight two or three pounds, and will be full of blood, and if held up 



the blood will gravitate from one end to the other. The blood is also i 



changed in character. Sometimes there is a discharge of a kind of i 



frothy mucous from the nose, and it is sometimes tinged with blood ; and ' 



sometimes a similar discharge takes place from the vagina. One farmer, ■ 



near Brockford, has lost in the past four years nineteen head of cattle, ! 



in which case I am satisfied it is of a local character ; but at the same j 



time it may be due to those spores. I think we have congestion of the i 



spleen, which terminates fatally, that is not due to the bacillus anthra- | 



cis. I would recommend you, in making post mortems, to be careful ■ 



especially after decomposition sets in, if there are any sores upon the i 



hands. I do not think it is very dangerous, but a certain amount of j 



caution is necessary. If you meet with it, change the locality, give j 



laxatives, stimulants, tonics, etc. ; carbolic acid is also recommended. i 



DISEASES OF THE KIDNEYS. 



Nephritis, Inflamniation of tlie Kidaeys.— The kidneys are the 

 great eliminators of the system, and as we cannot act so readily 

 upon the skin in our patients, we frequently act upon the kidneys. 

 Nephritis may occur in the acute or chronic form, and is more often 

 sub-acute or chronic, in the horse. Disease of the kidneys is often sus- 

 pected where it does not exist — as in rolling, looking at the sides, show- 

 ing pain, etc. These do not always indicate disease of the kidneys, but 

 sometimes do, and you will be called to treat what is supposed to be 

 disease of the kidneys, which is not. In enteritis the kidneys are affected 

 to a certain extent. 



Causes. — Exposure to cold ; food possessing diuretic properties too 

 largely ; musty food of any kind which over-stimulates the kidneys and 

 causes more or less inflammation ; eating certain herbs, grasses, etc.; 

 suppressed perspiration ; also, diuretic medicines in too large quantities 

 — bweet spirits of nitre, resin, nitrate of potash, etc., if too much is 

 given, or if it is given too frequently. It is also said to result from 

 violent exertion of any kind, especially with a heavy weight upon the 

 back. But in most cases it is due to the food, medicines, or exposure to 

 cold. It may terminate in resolution, softening, or enlargement of the 

 kidneys ; but when it goes on to any great extent, the lining membrane 

 of the uriniferous tubes passes off in the urine, which destroys the charac- 

 ter of the kidneys to a certain extent, and it may terminate in ulceration 

 and poisoning of the blood, when it is usually fatal. 



Symptoms. — More or less fever ; the pulse varying from sixty to eighty, 

 and it is not the full bounding pulse of enteritis ; the mouth is hot and 

 dry, more perhaps than in some cases of enteritis. There is considerable 

 pain in the region of the kidneys, and more or less abdominal pain ; he 

 lies down and rolls, but not to the same extent as in enteritis, arx/l does 

 not try to lie upon the back ; turns the nose to the flank, and /puts it 

 higher up ; the ears perhaps alternately hot and cold ; the breathing in- 

 creased ; frequent attempts to urinate, passes perhaps a small /Amount of 

 high-coloured urine, which looks like it was mixed with Wood, which 

 may be possible, and it may contain casts of the uriniferoua-'tubes. The 



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