18G DISEASES OF THE URINARY AND SEXUAL APPARATUS 



clean and of a lighter specific gravity, it increases in quantity and the 

 dropsical regions return to their normal condition. 



Therapeutics. — The treatment of chronic nephritis is the same as in 

 acute. As the course of the disease generally covers a long period and the 

 affected animal suffers great loss of strength, the animal must be fed fre- 

 quently on milk, rice, or meat, being careful to use no salt or spices. But the 

 dropsical conditions can be treated by diuretics and aromatics; pilocarpin 

 is also sometimes used, and when there is great anaemia give iron salts to 

 assist absorption of the pathological neoformation resulting from the in- 

 flammatory processes. Iodine, iodide of potassium, or sodium may l)e 

 administered. 



Other Diseases of the Kidneys. 



There are in the dog a number of pathological conditions of the kidneys 

 Avhich are of very little importance; the most important of these will 

 here be described briefly. 



Renal Hyperaemia. — This follows as a result of arterial hypersemia and 

 may be produced by the same causes as produced acute nephritis; fre- 

 quently certain diseases of the circulatory or respiratory organs, interfer- 

 ing with the venous circulation, produce passive hypersemia of the kidneys 

 (renal stasis). Thrombus in the renal circulation or tumors pressing on 

 the vessels may also cause it. In renal congestion there is a large amount 

 of urine secreted, which is light in color and of a low specific gravity, 

 whereas in renal stasis the urine is of high specific gravity, dark in 

 color and contains a certain amount of albumin, hyaline, cylinders and 

 blood corpuscles in small amount. The urine after standing some time 

 forms a thick red precipitate of urates, which are readily redissolved 

 by heat. 



The treatment consists in endeavoring to remove the active ca\ise of 

 the hypersemia by treating the primary affection. 



Amyloid Kidney. 



Amyloid kidney gcncrall}' occurs in connection with amyloid degenera- 

 tion of some other organs of the body. The kidney is slightly increased in 

 volume, firm, smooth, with yellowish-white coloration of the cortex, and 

 in the parenchymatous form the condition can usually be recognized by 

 the character of the urine. This generally presents the same symptoms as 

 those of acute nephritis. The urine is loaded with albumin and much 

 lessened in quantity. 



The amyloid condition is seen not only in the kidneys, but also in 

 the liver, pancreas, and intestines. 



