SPASM OF THE BLADDER. 371 



Symptoms. — The disease usually commences suddenly ; the 

 animal breathes hurriedly ; the pulse rises in some cases to 

 sixty or even seventy beats per minute ; the animal paws the 

 gi'ound; the abdomen is pinched-up, the back is sometimes 

 arched, and the penis hangs pendulous out of the sheath ; the 

 animal throws himself down and rolls violently about, then 

 rises suddenly, looks round at his flanks, stretches himself out, 

 and strains forcibly to eject his urine, but after many attempts 

 fails to do so. Sometimes he perspires profusely, while in other 

 cases the perspiration exists in patches, and is limited to the 

 sides of the neck or beneath the abdomen. 



Causes. — Some horses exhibit the greatest repugnance to 

 urinate when in harness, but as soon as they are loosed out 

 they do it freely; such horses are very liable to sufier from 

 retention of urine, and if they be allowed to drink heartily of 

 cold water, especially while the bladder is full, the act is almost 

 certain to be succeeded by an attack of acute pain from spasm 

 at the neck of the bladder. An attack may also be caused from 

 the presence of a calculus in the neck of the organ. 



Teeatmein't. — The best remedies and modes of treatment 

 in general are — Aconite, Nux Vomica, Cantharides, and Injec- 

 tions of Hot Water. 



Eor instructions as to the use of the above-named remedies, 

 see pages 332 and 335 ; also for every instruction as to Injec- 

 tion, see pages 157 and 158. 



The practitioner should always examine the state of the 

 bladder per rectum. 



