293 



chloric acid should be given every morning, mixed with the drinking 

 water. When an apprentice, I remember horsekeepers and farmers giving 

 clay-water to their horses to drink, when suffering from this complaint, 

 and on enquiring why, was told " that the clay stopped up the little 

 holes in the kidneys, and prevented the urine filtering through ! " 



716. Suppression of Urine. — This takes place when, from some 

 cause or other, the urine is not secreted by the kidneys. It may arise 

 from fever, an inflammatory attack, or functional derangement 

 of the kidneys. Symptoms. — The animal is very dull, and makes 

 frequent attempts to stale, but only succeeds in passing very small 

 quantities of urine ; on examination, (by the rectum), the bladder is 

 found to be empty. Before any treatment is adopted, it is necessary 

 that the real cause be ascertained. If it arises from the effects of 

 inflammation of the kidneys, strong diuretics are dangerous, whereas, 

 if from the sluggish action of those organs then diuretics may be given. 



717. Retention of Urine. — This is very different from suppression, 

 as in this case the urine is properly secreted by the kidneys, and passed 

 along the ureters to the bladder in the natural way, but is not ejected. 

 There are many causes for this condition, of which the following are 

 the chief: — Extreme muscular contraction, or spasm of the neck of 

 the bladder — strangury — due, perhaps, to the application of a fly 

 blister to any part of the body ; paralysis of the muscles of the 

 bladder ; enlargement of the glands, near the neck of the bladder ; 

 the presence of calculi in the bladder, or in the urethral passage ; or 

 the coagulation of the solid portions of pus discharged from an 

 abscess in the kidneys, or bladder {par. 710). Examples of the three 

 last-named have come under my own observation. Again, another 

 great cause of retention is the habit which a horse acquires of refusing 

 to stale except in a box, or stall, with straw under it. On coming in 

 from a long journey, the urine has been retained such a length of time 

 that, even when anxious to urinate, only small jets of the fluid are 

 passed. In these cases, the neck of the bladder becomes inverted, 

 and the body of that organ overlaps and presses on the inverted 

 portion, thus preventing a free flow. Symptoms. — The animal is very 

 uneasy, groans, has colicky pains, draws the penis, and makes frequent 



