404 
DISEASES OF THE PROSTATE. 
animals disease of this gland is much rarer than in man, but both acute 
inflammation and abscesses occur, and chronic thickening, with formation 
of new growths, has been seen in dogs. The first clearly results from 
inflammation spreading from the urethra. Haubner opened an abscess 
in the gland through the urinary passages ; Reinemann (in a steer) 
operated from the anus. Bang saw acute prostatitis in the horse; 
I rauenholz tuberculosis of the gland in oxen. 
Hypertrophy of the prostate, which often occurs in elderly people, 
and consists of new growth of glandular and muscular connective tissue, 
is, amongst animals, almost entirely confined to dogs, and even in them 
is seldom seen ; Forster has, however, examined several cases of the 
kind. Sickert made the post-mortem of a horse in which the prostate 
weighed 2J lbs. 
Tumours are common in the prostate ; Cadiot found cancer. 
In sheep, Built described a so-called prostatic calculus, consisting 
paitly of a piecipitate from the secretion of the gland, partly of gravel 
from the bladder. 
The gravity of these conditions depends on the fact that the urethra 
is piessed upon and urination rendered difficult. Acute inflammation 
may extend to the urinary passages, cause disease of the urethra, and 
prove fatal from pyelonephritis. 
Symptoms and progress. Difficulty in defecation and urination 
fiist dfleets attention to the disease. The animals strain, sometimes 
without result, sometimes with the discharge of urine in a thin stream or 
in drops, sometimes urine is discharged involuntarily. If in dogs thus 
suffei ing uiethral calculus is absent, a rectal examination must be made, 
when the swollen prostate will be felt close behind the bladder. When 
acutely inflamed, the swelling is soft and painful, but in chronic conditions 
it is hard and painless. Prostatic calculi sometimes cause the gland to 
feel almost like a shot-pouch. Abscesses occasionally discharge into the 
urinaiy passages under the pressure of the finger. Haubner examined a 
dog in which the prostate gland was as large as a hen’s egg; pressure 
caused the discharge of a purulent, ill-smelling fluid through the urethra, 
after which recovery occurred; but in the case noted by Reinemann in a 
steer the animal died from cystitis. 
Hypeitiophy of the prostate and tumours generally cause death by 
inteifering with urination, or they may necessitate slaughter of the 
animal. Lmeaux saw cases of hypertrophy of the prostate in dogs ; in 
one there was intermittent bleeding and difficulty in urination; in’the 
other these symptoms were accompanied by secondary cystitis and 
hydronephrosis. Both cases ended fatally. A third case was com¬ 
plicated with perineal hernia; this also died. 
Treatment. In acute cases, laxatives and clysters remove the pressure 
