190 CLINICAL DIAGNOSTICS. 



reached by the hand. In the horse the left kidney extends back 

 to about four inches behind the last rib and its inner border is 

 separated from the median line by about the same distance. In 

 the ox it is loosely suspended below the lateral processes of the 

 first lumber vertebrae. Sometimes it may be shifted over to the 

 right side. In the dog the kidneys lie in the lumbar region, the 

 right somewhat more anterior than the left; hence the left kidney 

 can be more easily felt from the outside than the right kidney. 



In palpating thekidneys follow the general 

 rules for this method of examination (see p. 23). In pyelone- 

 phritis of the ox the kidneys are enlarged and firm, the ureters 

 distended and their walls thickened and firm. 



Examination of the bladder, per rectum, 

 in the horse and ox. is quite practicable ; in the dog the ex- 

 amination must be made by external palpation. The extent 

 to which the bladder is filled is of importance ; if empty, in the 

 horse and cow, it represents a soft pearshaped body lying on 

 the floor of the pelvis. If well filled it can be felt as a" dis- 

 tended body projecting far beyond the anterior border of the 

 pelvis. To feel it the hand need not be inserted much fur- 

 ther than to the wrist. The contents of the bladder can be 

 removed by a steady but moderate pressure applied with the 

 hand, or by means of the catheter; this may be important to 

 determine whether evacuation is possible. If the bladder is 

 ruptured, which is most common in oxen with urethral calculi, 

 it is permanently small and flabby. 



Cystic calculi and tumors in the bladder can be recog- 

 nized with certainty only when this organ contains little or 

 no fluid contents. 



Examination of the urethra is of conse- 

 quence in male animals, particularly in oxen, when the pres- 

 ence of calculi may be suspected. As a rule these are lodged 

 in the upper or lower portion of the S shaped curve. , Pressure 

 exerted at the point where the obstruction is located produces 

 pain. As long as the bladder is not ruptured urine may drib- 

 ble from the distended urethra. Unfortunately catheteriza- 

 tion is impossible in the ox (sharp curves and narrow lumen 



