SECTION X 



DISEASES OF THE BLADDER 



DISEASES of the bladder, while not very com- 

 mon, are numerous, including cystitis, spasm 

 of the sphincter vesicae, paralysis of the sphincter 

 vesica, lithiasis, retroflexion, new growths, prolapse, 

 and eversion. 



Cystitis 



Cystitis consists of a catarrhal inflammation of 

 the mucous coat of the bladder. 



Etiology. — Pyogenic bacteria, colon bacilli, and 

 other organisms may gain access to the bladder 

 from the kidneys, during the course of septic dis- 

 eases, from an extension of an infection in a near-by 

 organ (uterus or vagina) or from the surrounding 

 tissues, and from the introduction of a dirty catheter. 



Cystitis may also be produced by chemical irri- 

 tants, such as cantharides, turpentine, and phenol 

 administered internally or absorbed through the 

 skin or wound surfaces and eliminated in the urine ; 

 by irritation of a cystic calculus; by prolonged 

 retention of urine ; by hypertrophy of the prostate, 

 and by traumatisms resulting from kicks or being 

 run over. 



Symptoms. — The irritable condition of the bladder 

 is shown by the patient's frequent desire to micturate 

 and by the increased amount of urine passed in the 

 twenty-four hours (the normal amount of urine voided 

 in twenty-four hours is seventeen to fiftv ounces, de- 

 pending upon the size of the animal). The amount 

 passed, however, at each act of urination' is usually 

 small and often accompanied by pain. 



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