CATARRH OF THE BLADDER ' 193 



and perhaps a few blood corpuscles, and masses of bacteria and epi- 

 thelium of the bladder. This condition may continue for a long time. 

 The reaction of the urine depends on the nature of the bacteria present, 

 and it is generally alkaline but may be acid, as in cystitis produced by the 

 coli bacilli. Mild cases of cystitis are not diagnosed, but as the disease 

 continues the urine becomes thicker and turbid, and on making a micro- 

 scopical examination of the urine we find numerous pus cells and epi- 

 thelium of the bladder; the urine rapidly loses its acid reaction and soon 

 becomes neutral or alkaline, and has a strong ammoniacal odor. Urine 

 from an animal in this condition ferments very rapidly and contains num- 

 erous crystals of triple phosphate, ammoniacal phosphate of magnesia, 

 and, in rare instances, uric acid crystals and numerous bacteria. 

 (Fig. 81.) 



Fever as a rule is present in this disease, but is never intense, but is of 

 rather an intermittent character. There is also severe depression and 

 loss of appetite. The course of the disease, generally, is rapid, and in 



Fig. 81. — Urine of a dog with cystitis, triple phosphate crystals, red and white blood corpuscles, and 



cystic epithelium. Bacteria. 



slight cases the animal recovers in a few days; but in acute cases, the acute 

 symptoms may last for weeks, and then the animal is liable to have relapses 

 from time to time, and if the primary causes such as stone, urethral 

 stricture, paralysis of the bladder continue, the cystitis becomes chronic. 

 The chief danger in cystitis lies in the possibility of a complication of pye- 

 litis, pyelonephritis, suppuration, paracystitis, etc., and death may finally 

 be caused by perforation of the necrosed bladder and the animal dies of per- 

 itonitis, gangrene, or uraemia. The most frequent termination of the 

 acute form is into the mild chronic form. 



In the chronic form the symptoms are much milder, and for a long time 

 the urine is the only guide to a diagnosis, as it is only in advanced cases 

 that the animal will show any pain on pressure of the abdomen; the change 

 in the urine characteristic in this condition is that it becomes strongly 

 ammoniacal. The contractile power of the bladder is gradually lost, and 

 the animal may present symptoms of incontinence of urine, passing small 

 quantities of urine without any effort; or this is seen in well-trained house 

 13 



