Diseases of the Urinary Organs. 299 



SPASM OF THE NECK OF THE BLADDER. 



Causes. Prolonged retention of urine in mares at work 

 or in horses hard driven. Chill when heated. Nervous 

 irritation. Is a common attendant on severe cohc and 

 gives way when that is reheved. Males suffer most Ere- 

 queutly. 



Symptoms. Frequent attempts to urinate, which prove 

 ineffectual or secure a dribbling only after much paia and 

 straLtiiag. There may be anxious looking at the flank 

 and uneasy shifting of the limbs, or in cattle twisting of 

 the tail. There is tenderness ia the back part of the ab- 

 domen in the median liae below. The hand, oiled and 

 introduced into the rectum, will feel the distended blad- 

 der, with its firm dense neck and no enlargement either 

 there or backward in the urethra, as from stone. 



If unrelieved the bladder becomes immoderately dis- 

 tended and finally bursts, especially ia ruminants. This 

 is followed by tenderness of the abdomen, febrile symp- 

 toms, dullness and languor, and if the bladder is exam- 

 ined it is found to be flaccid and tender. Perforation of 

 the lower part of the abdomen with the nozzle of a hypo- 

 dermic syringe allows the escape of urine, easily recog- 

 nized by its odor. 



Treatment. Spreading fresh htter under the horse will 

 sometimes induce staling. If not, use antispasmodics in- 

 troduced by the rectum or even by the mouth (opium, 

 laudanum, belladonna or hyoscyamus extract, tobacco 

 smoke or solution, chloral-hydrate, lobelia, prussic acid, 

 cyanide of potassium, etc.) Solutions of any of these 

 iig-^nts may be rubbed on the perinseiim. Sometimes the 

 spasm win give way under gentle pressure on the bladder 

 with hand or finger in the rectum. Finally, all other 

 measures failing, the urine may be vrithdrawn with a well- 

 oiled catheter. This should be ^ inch in diameter for 

 the horse, ^ inch for the buU and a line for the dog. Con- 

 trary to the usual statement a small catheter may bo 

 passed in the bull when the penis is sufficiently ers tended 



