DOGS : THEIR MANAGEMENT. 329 



the bladder be empty, the intestines will be felt ; but if 

 the viscus be full, there will be a soft and pulpy mass 

 under the fingers. The sensation imparted by it con- 

 veys the idea that it is fluid, and the greatest care will 

 in it detect nothing denoting substance or form. The 

 proof thus obtained is positive, and will not deceive 

 him who has accepted it. All pretending to adminis- 

 ter to canine disease should be able to read this indi- 

 cation, but sometimes others direct attention to its pre- 

 sence. 



The dog having the bladder gorged, and not so debili- 

 tated as to be deprived of power to move, or by paralysis 

 disabled, mostly lies, but even then it is never at rest. 

 The position is constantly shifted. Food and drink are 

 refused, great dulness is exhibited, and a low plaintive 

 moan is from time to time emitted. If made to walk, 

 the animal straddles the hind-legs, and its gait is pecu- 

 liar. The spine is arched, but the posterior limbs are 

 not drawn or carried forward. If pressure is made upon 

 the belly, it provokes resistance ; and any attempt to 

 raise the dog from the ground induces it to struggle. 



Relief should without loss of time be afforded by the 

 use of the catheter. "When I was a pupil at the college, 

 the professor used to assert that the introduction of such 

 an instrument was in the dog a physical impossibility. 

 The bone found in the penis of this animal, the gentle- 

 man instructed his pupils to believe, opposed an obstacle 

 which could not be overcome. My former teacher, how- 

 ever, was in error. He had either never made the* trial, 



