118 DISEASES OF CATTLE. 



bones and downward through the penis. In the bull this canal of the 

 urethra is remarkable for its small caliber and for the S-shaped bend 

 which it describes m the space between the thighs and just above 

 the scrotum. This bend is attributable to the fact that the retractor 

 muscles are attached to the penis at this point, and in withdrawing 

 that organ within its sheath they double it upon itself. The small 

 size of the canal and this S-shaped bend are serious obstacles to the 

 passing of a catheter to draw the urine, yet by extending the penis 

 out of its sheath the bend is effaced, and a small, gum-elastic catheter, 

 not more than one-fourth of an inch in diameter, may with care be 

 passed into the bladder. In the cow the urethra is very short, open- 

 ing in the median line on the floor of the vulva about 4 inches in front 

 of its external orifice. Even in her, however, the passing of a cathe- 

 ter is a matter of no little difficulty, the opening of the urethra being 

 very narrow and encircled by the projecting membranous and rigid 

 margins, and on each side of the opening is a blind pouch (canal of 

 Gartner) into which the catheter will almost invariably find its way. 

 In both male and female, therefore, the passing of a catheter is an 

 operation which demands special skill. 



General sympto^ns of urinary diso-rders. — These are not so promi- 

 nent in cattle as in horses, yet they are of a similar kind. There is a 

 stiff or straddling gait with the hind legs and some difficulty in 

 turning or in lying down and rising, the act causing a groan. The 

 frequent passage of urine in driblets, its continuous escape in drops, 

 the sudden arrest of the flow when in full stream, the rhythmic 

 contraction of the muscles under the anus without any j3ow^ resulting, 

 the swelling of the sheath, the collection of hard, gritty masses on 

 the hair surrounding the orifice of the sheath, the occurrence of drop- 

 sies in the limbs under the chest or belly, or in either of these cavi- 

 ties, and finally the appearance of nerA-ous stupor, maj" indicate 

 serious disorder of the urinary organs. The condition of the urine 

 passed maj'^ likewise lead to suspicion. It may be white, from crystal- 

 lized carbonate of lime ; brown, red, or even black, from the i^resence 

 of blood or blood-coloring matter; yellow, from biliary coloring mat- 

 ter; frothy, from contained albumin; cloudy, from phosphates; 

 glairy, from pus; it may also show gritty masses from gravel. In 

 many cases of urinary disorder in the ox, however, the symptoms are 

 by no means prominent, and unless special examination is made of 

 the loins, the bladder, and the urine the true nature of the malady 

 may be overlooked. 



DIURESIS (POLYURIA, DIABETES INSIPIDUS, EXCESSIVE SECRE- 

 TION OF URINE). 



A secretion of urine in excess of the normal amount may be looked 

 on as disease, even if the result does not lead to immediate loss of 

 condition. Cattle fed on distillery swill are striking examples of such 



