Fatty Degeneration of the Kidney. 247 



rather friable, and if scraped, furnishes a serous or grayish pulp 

 in which oil globules are prominent features, together with gran- 

 ular epithelium and free granules that dissolve readily in ether. 

 Tubules are varicose and unequal at different parts. The medul- 

 lary portion has undergone little change. It may be paler at cer- 

 tain points, with some shrinking of its substance and increase of 

 firmness. ' 



Symptoms. As a rule the disease occurs in pampered, overfed 

 and obese animals, and in those of the improved breeds which 

 have great power of digestion, assimilation and fattening. It is 

 especially to be looked for after close confinement on full, stimu- 

 lating, amylaceous diet. Symptoms are not usually recognized 

 during life. There is, however, a lessening of the urinary secre- 

 tion, and, as the disease advances, albuminuria. When ex- 

 amined microscopically this is found to contain characteristic ele- 

 ments, such as granular epithelial cells, the granules soluble in 

 ether, oil globules, and at times crystals of cholesterine (Beale). 

 A diagnosis based on the mere presence of oil globules may, how- 

 ever, be fallacious, as these may be present in animals that have 

 just been heavily fed on oleaginous food, and again the oil used 

 to smear the catheter may float in the urine and prove misleading. 

 Under such circumstances vaseline or glycerine may be substi- 

 tuted on the catheter. Scriba induced fatty urine by injecting 

 fat or oil emulsion into the blood, and Chabrie by ligating the 

 large intestine. Trasbot says- that cylindroid casts may be 

 present. As in other grave kidney affections, dropsies supervene 

 as the disease advances. These may show in the limbs, in the 

 abdomen, or in other serous cavities. A steadily advancing 

 anaemia with pallor of the mucosae, listlessneos, weakness, debility 

 and sluggishness are to be noted. 



Prognosis. Since the disease is rarely diagnosed until it has 

 reached an advanced stage, it usually progresses steadily to a fatal 

 issue. If, however, it can be detected at an earlier stage, it may 

 be palliated, or held in abeyance, for a length of time varying 

 with the extent of the lesions. As it is very largely a disease of 

 meat producing animals and as the subject is at first in a condition 

 of marked obesity, it can usually be turned over to the butcher 

 without material loss. 



Treafmmt. If the disease has resulted from the inbred pro- 



