RENAL DROPSY 603 



in these cases if the animal is seen immediately after the injury, and 

 it appears to be severe, the best method of handling the case is 

 immediate slaughter for food purposes before any germ infection 

 or inflammation sets in. This will be found to be the more profit- 

 able practice in the majority of cases, except in pure-bred animals, 

 where the value for breeding purposes must be considered. 



CHRONIC NEPHRITIS 



The chronic form of inflammation of the kidney, which is quite 

 common in man and in the horse, is very rare in the hog. This is 

 probably explained by the fact that the hog lives only a few years, 

 and does not have a chance for the slow development of a disease, 

 such as chronic nephritis. 



This form of disease may, however, follow after an incompletely 

 recovered attack of the acute form. The symptoms are principally 

 the passage of a large amount of pale-colored urine, together with 

 considerable thirst, loss of appetite, loss of weight, and a general 

 unthrifty appearance. The sick animal becomes stupid, sluggish, 

 and loses strength and ambition. The heart usually becomes 

 weak, and the accumulation of poisonous substances in the body 

 as a result of faulty elimination from the kidney often produces con- 

 vulsions and, finally, death. 



Treatment for chronic nephritis is of no avail, and the animal 

 gradually loses weight and strength until death carries it away. 

 If the body of the animal be opened after death the kidneys will 

 usually be found to be considerably shrunken in size, quite firm 

 to the touch, and, if cut into, there will be seen a large amount of 

 tough fibrous connective tissue replacing the normal tissue of the 

 kidney. 



RENAL DROPSY (HYDRONEPHROSIS, CYSTIC KIDNEY) 



Cystic disease of the kidney is a condition which is very com- 

 monly met with in hogs during meat inspection. Lucks reports 

 finding the condition in 43 (0.67 per cent.) out of 6425 hogs exam- 

 ined. In female pigs it was found almost three times as frequently 

 as in males. In 29 cases the condition was only on one side (ten 

 times on the left side, nineteen times on the right side). In 14 

 cases both kidneys were affected. 



