82 DISEASES OF THE HORSE. 



BLOODY URINE, OR HEMATURIA. 



Cause. — As seen in the horse, bloody urine is usually the direct 

 result of mechanical injuries, as sprains and fractures of the loins, 

 lacerations of the sublumbar muscles (psoas), irritation caused by 

 stone in the kidney, ureter, bladder, or urethra. It may, however, 

 occur with acute congestion of the kidney, with tumors in its sub- 

 stance, or with papilloma or other diseased growth in the bladder. 

 Acrid diuretic plants present in the food may also lead to the escape 

 of blood from the kidney. The predisposition to this affection is, 

 however, incomparably less than in the case of the ox or the sheep, 

 the difference being attributed to the greater plasticity of the horse's 

 blood in connection with the larger quantity of fibrin. 



The blood may be present in small clots or in more or less intimate 

 admixture with the urine. Its condition may furnish some indication 

 as to its source ; thus, if from the kidneys it is more likely to be uni- 

 formly diffused through the urine, while as furnished by the bladder 

 or passages clots are more likely to be present. Again, in bleeding 

 from the kidney, minute cylindrical clots inclosing blood globules 

 and formed in the uriniferous tubes can be detected under the micro- 

 scope. Precision also may be approximated by observing whether 

 there is coexisting fracture, sprain of the loins, or stone or tumor in 

 the bladder or urethra. 



Treatment. — The disease being mainly due to direct injury, treat- 

 ment will consist, first, in removing such cause whenever possible, and 

 then in ax^pl^ying general and local styptics. Irritants in food must be 

 avoided, sprains appropriately treated, and stone in bladder or 

 urethra removed. Then give mucilaginous drinks (slippery elm, lin- 

 seed tea) freely, and styptics (tincture of chloride of iron 3 drams, 

 acetate of lead one-half dram, tannic acid one-half dram, or oil of 

 turpentine 1 ounce). If the discharge is abundant, apply cold water 

 to the loins and keep the animal perfectly still. 



HEMOGLOBINURIA (aZOTURIA, AZOTEMIA, POISONING BY ALBUMINOIDS). 



Like diabetes, this is rather a disease of the liver and blood-form- 

 ing functions than of the kidney, but as prominent symptoms are loss 

 of control over the hind limbs and the passage of ropy and dark- 

 colored urine, the vulgar idea is that it is a disorder of the urinary 

 organs. It' is a complex affection directly connected with a plethora 

 in the blood of nitrogenized constituents, with extreme nervous and 

 muscular disorder and the excretion of a dense reddish or brownish 

 urine. It is directly connected with high feeding, especially on 

 highly nitrogenized food (oats, beans, pease, vetches, cotton-seed 

 meal), and with a period of idleness in the stall under full rations. 

 The disease is never seen at pasture, rarely under constant daily work, 



