112 DISEASES OF CATTLE. 



Not only are these organs alike channels for the excretion of albu- 

 minous products, but they are also related to each other structurally 

 and by nervous synipathy, so that suffering in the one is liable to 

 induce some measure of disorder in the other. 



As in the case of other mammals, this nitrogenous waste matter is 

 mainly present in the urine of cattle in the form of urea, but also, to 

 some extent, as hippuric acid, a derivative of \egctable food which, in 

 the herbivora, replaces the uric acid found in the urine of man and 

 carnivora. Uric acid is, however, found in the urine of sucking 

 calves which have practically an animal diet, and it may also appear 

 in the adult in case of absolute, i)rolonged starvation, and in diseases 

 'attended with complete loss of appetite and rapid wasting of the 

 body. In such cases the animal lives on its own substance, and the 

 product is that of the wasting flesh. 



The other products containing nitrogen are present in only small 

 quantities and need not be specially referred to. The urine of cattle 

 contains much less of carbonates than that of the horse, and eff'er- 

 vesces less on the addition of an acid. As the carbonates form 

 a large proportion of the solid deposits (gravel, stone) from the 

 horse's urine, the ox may thus be held less liable, yet even in the ox 

 the carbonates become abundant or scanty, according to the nature 

 of the feed, -and therefore gravel, formed by carbonate of lime, is not 

 infrequent in cattle. When fed on beets, clover hay, or bean straw 

 carbonates are present in large (]uantities. these aliments being rich 

 in organic acids and alkaline carbonates; whereas ux^on oat straw, 

 barley straw, and, above all, wheat straw, they are in small amount. 

 In calves fed on milk alone no carbonates are found in the urine. 



Phosphates, usually in combination with lime, are, as a rule, pres- 

 ent only in traces in the urine of cattle: however, on a dietary of 

 wheat, bran, or other aliment rich in phosphates, these may be jsres- 

 ent in large amount, so that they render the liquid cloudy or are 

 deposited in solid crystals. The liquid is rendered transparent by 

 nitric acid. 



Tlie cow's urine, on a diet of hay and potatoes, contained: 



Parts. 



Urea _ is. 5 



l'ot;is,si(.- liippnrati' _ 16.5 



Alkaline lactatt's 17. 2 



I'iit:issiiiin bicarbonate 16.1 



SlaKnesiuni carbonati' __ . 4,7 



Lime carbonate- 0.6 



I'otassium sulpliati.' o, (^ 



(.'oniuion salt 1,5 



.Silica Tr.'i<(j 



I'liosphatcs 



Water and undctcrniincd substane(>s 921.3 



Total 1,000.0 



