DICTIONARY OF THE VETERINARY ART. 203 



some assistance from the abdominal muscles and diaphragm, 

 the urine is expelled. The author has opened several horses 

 that have died from lockjaw, and found the bladder distended 

 to its utmost capacity, containing about a gallon and a half 

 of dark-colored fluid resembling coffee-grounds. In one case 

 the muscular fibres about the neck of the bladder were lacer- 

 ated by the over-distention and spasm of the neck of that 

 oreran. When horses are accustomed to drink too much 

 water without being allowed to stale often enough at work, 

 the bladder becomes overworked, and often paralysis, weakness, 

 or local debility sets in, and the neck of the bladder becomes 

 at length so relaxed as to be unable to offer sufficient resist- 

 ance to the muscles that propel the urine into the urethra, so 

 that it is constantly dribbling off as fast as it is secreted. 

 This is termed incontinence of urine. 



Sometimes the irritability of the bladder, in the latter case, 

 depends on the acrimony of the urine ; and whenever this is 

 the case, attention to feeding, watering, &c, will remove it. 

 Diseases of the kidneys and bladder are accompanied with 

 tenderness over the loins, and a remarkable stiffness of the 

 hind legs. Whenever the bladder is distended with urine, 

 recourse should be had to the catheter. 



Palsy, or Paralysis, of the bladder is sometimes dependent 

 on functional derangements, as stomach staggers, or injuries 

 to the brain and spinal marrow. (For treatment, see the 

 author's pamphlet.) 



Blasting. When cattle or sheep are first turned into lux- 

 uriant pasture, after being poorly fed, they frequently gorge 

 themselves with food, which, fermenting in the rumen, or 

 paunch, so distends it with gas, that the animal is often in dan- 

 ger of suffocation. The symptoms are most distressing; and, 

 unless relief be speedily afforded, death very commonly en- 

 sues. If the symptoms are very alarming, a flexible tube 

 may be passed down the gullet : this will generally allow the 

 gas to escape and afford temporary relief, until more efficient 

 means are resorted to ; these will consist in arousing the 

 stomach and digestive organs to action, by stimulants and car- 



