EETENTION OF URINE. 191 



staling, which are ineffectual, or perhaps a few drops only may- 

 issue from the penis. The horse does not betray the severe pain 

 of colic, but is rather unwilling to move, and rarely lies down. 

 He stretches himself out from time to time, renews the attempt, 

 and then returns to his former posture. On passing the hand up 

 the rectum we find the bladder very much distended with urine, 

 which assures us of the nature of the disease, which the mere 

 frequent attemj)ts at staling would alone be insufficient to decide. 



Treatment. — If the patient be a mare we should, without 

 hesitation, evacuate the bladder by means of a flexible tube, 

 called a catheter. The method of doing this, however, requires 

 a little tact. The instrument should be introduced at the lower 

 part of the vulva, under the fore-finger of the right hand, Avhich 

 serves as its guide. A few inches within the entrance the fold of 

 membrane is felt which coders the passage to the bladder ; this 

 membrane, being raised by the back of the fore-finger, the tube 

 is readily pushed onwards into the bladder. 



If, however, the patient be a male, we must first endeavour to 

 assist nature by back-raking and clystering and perhaps foment- 

 ing the abdomen and occasionally pressing the hand on the 

 bladder. If, however, we do not succeed in the course of half 

 an hour, and the bladder is very full, we should j^roceed to pass 

 the catheter, which is a hollow flexible tube, about a yard in 

 length, having a whalebone stilet within, which can be with- 

 drawn, as we please, from its cavity. 



An opportunity should be embraced when the penis is pro- 

 truded from the sheath, otherwise it may be exceedingly difficult 

 to reach and retain it. It should be then firmly grasped witli 

 the left hand, drawn out to its full extent, and with the right 

 hand the tube, well oiled, should be carefully forced up the 

 urethra until it enters the bladder. It may readily be felt 

 in its course, at the perineum, just under the anus. Having 

 entered the bladder, the whalebone stilet should be withdrawn, 

 and the urine will then flow. I have in this manner afforded 

 relief when all other means have failed. 



After the opei-ation the symptoms usually disappear, and the 

 animal feeds. If there is much general irritation, it is well to 

 bleed either before or after the operation; and if any other 

 symptoms appear, the case must be treated accordingly. 



If relief be not thus obtained, the urgency of the symptoms will 

 increase, and the bladder may burst, and death, of course, ensue. 



Sometimes, though very rarely, a hole is found in the bladder 

 which permits the urine to flow into the abdomen, and thus 

 produces fatal inflammation of the peritoneum. One case of 

 this kind occurred in my practice some years since, and is re- 

 lated in the Veterinarian, vol. iii. The case was complicated 

 with pneumonia, and the symptoms were thus rendered obscure. 



