INFLAMMATION OF THE SHEATH. 507 



Causation. Several predisposing causes undoubtedly exist. The 

 sheath is prolonged beneath the abdomen to a considerable distance 

 beyond the glans. It is narrow, deeply seated, and, during micturition, 

 not even the point of the penis passes beyond it. The urine, therefore, 

 soils the interior, or a certain quantity may be retained, according to 

 whether the orifice is more or less obstructed by urinary sediment, 

 sebaceous material, manure, or other material. Moreover, experience 

 shows that of all the large ruminants, those used for outdoor work are 

 the most affected. 



Of the occasional causes, if we except sebaceous and urinary pro- 

 ducts, the most important is mechanical violence, such as the lacera- 

 tions or wounds produced l)y the bed-piece of the trevis when the animal 

 is being shod. The working ox throws its whole weight on this bed- 

 piece, on which it lies on one side or the other, according to the foot 

 which is being lifted. The sheath is compressed, and if the animal is 

 heavy and struggles, the parts may be abraded and torn, or the sheath 

 and even the glans may be crushed. In less dangerous cases the con- 

 nective tissue may be lacerated by the edge of the bed-piece. Any 

 injury so inflicted is aggravated by dirt in the neighbourhood. 



Symptoms. The first signs which attract attention are of a general 

 character, and seldom very strongly marked. The animal shows slight 

 fever, dryness of the muzzle, is restless and continually moves about, as 

 though to get rid of the pain it feels. The hind limbs are frequently 

 lifted. In this attitude it makes efforts to urinate, but urine is passed 

 very slowly, and the act seems painful ; then, later on, the appetite 

 diminishes, rumination is suspended, and, as in all intense forms of 

 cellulitis, complications may occur. 



The local symptoms are more suggestive. The slowness and diffi- 

 culty with which urine is passed at once attracts attention to the 

 diseased parts. Examination immediately reveals extreme sensitiveness 

 of the sheath, although as yet there is only sHght engorgement. At a 

 later stage a large swelling develops and extends along the abdominal 

 wall on either side, sometimes upwards into the groin. In certain cases 

 the sheath may be totally obstructed by sebaceous and inflammatory 

 material, and in the absence of surgical assistance the bladder may 

 become ruptured. 



Inflammation most frequently ends in the tardy formation of an 

 abscess, which shows little tendency to open spontaneously. It is 

 usually accompanied by gangrene and liy mortification of a mass of 

 skin and subcutaneous tissue, sometimes of portions of the abdominal 

 tunic. Such grave complications may even lead to the opennig of 

 an arterv, and to fatal haemorrhage. 



All these symptoms develop comparatively slowly. Abscesses scarcely 



