CHAPTER IX.

THE URINARY ORGANS--THEIR ACCIDENTS AND THEIR DISEASES.

NEPHRITIS OR INFLAMMATION OF THE KIDNEYS.

The straddling gait is not peculiar to any one disorder. It denotes no more than the region in which the affection is to be sought; but it does not characterize any special disease. Therefore so general a trait is placed at the head of the chapter treating of ailments confined to the urinary organs, so that he who perceives the horse assume this position may at once recognize that part of the body in which the disorder resides.

=Nephritis= is not so common at the present time as it used to be formerly; the growing information of the people has in some measure altered the practices of the stable. The master is not quite so much the slave of a groom's ignorance as was once universally the case; the animal is no longer regarded as a mysterious creature which it required a particular education to understand. Urine balls, therefore, are no longer regularly kept in every loft. Niter--one ounce of "_sweet_ nitre," or, to speak correctly, an overdose of _harsh_ saltpeter--may, however, be still permitted, and by particular horse proprietors regarded as a charm against every ill. It is true that such a dose of a powerful diuretic is four times the strength which science would, under any circumstances, approve; but certain people in remote parts are happy in the conviction that an ounce of "_sweet_ niter" can _possibly_ do no harm.

The urinary organs of the horse must be little disposed to disease; they must be capable of surmounting a vast quantity of ill treatment. Were not ignorance thereby protected from the consequences which it provokes, half the horses in England would be disabled; inflammation of the kidneys would become the most common of equine disorders.

The horse has small need of diuretic medicine; it is much exposed in that direction. Every purge, should it not act as intended, passes out of the body by stimulating the kidneys; the ordinary provender of the animal may operate in the same manner. Foxy oats, kiln-dried oats, new oats; musty hay, mow-burnt hay, new hay; beans in particular conditions; grasses, when first in season, and water of any novel kind, will all operate energetically upon the renal glands; therefore the horse, in its ordinary food, will possibly imbibe more than a sufficiency of a most debilitating medicine; and the knowledge of such a liability may induce some men to withhold "_sweet_ niter" from the future diet of the creature.

It may be necessary to inform men and masters that a horse needs rest when under the operation of diuretic, quite as much as when subject to the action of purgative medicine. It is never safe to take the horse from the stable while the animal is passing any unusual amount of water. Excess of secretion proves the eliminating organs are excited. Before any part can exhibit excitement, an extra quantity of blood must circulate within it, or it must be in a condition bordering upon inflammation. The urine is secreted from the blood by the kidneys; therefore before a greater bulk of water can be passed, of course more blood must flow through the glands.

The animal in such a state is not fit for work; every step taken brings into action muscles which pass directly under the kidneys, and which must, therefore, when contracted, compress those organs. During labor, in proportion to the force required must be the power of the contraction exerted by the organs of motion; in a healthy state, such exertion is not always free from danger. Excitement is, however, far from a healthy state. Then the glands are gorged with blood; being squeezed for an hour or two while thus swollen or plethoric, they are very likely to be bruised; inflammation may thereby be engendered, or renal abscess may possibly ensue.

Agriculturists are entreated to pause over the above statement. Such persons often possess a well-bred and promising colt. The farmer, however, is mostly uneasy until he has, according to his own notions, "tried the beast." He may be a personable man, riding fully "eighteen stun." The colt, probably, would be taxed to carry a third that load. The "_sweet_-niter" dose is administered over night to take all fever out of the body; and, while the kidneys are excited, the animal is saddled, mounted, and ridden to the hunt. Everybody knows the manner in which most farmers ride. The horse may have a hard run and be kept out for a long day. On the return, a full rack and a heaped manger are placed before the overridden quadruped. Neither are touched. The saddle is removed and the back appears to be "queerly sticking up." The large full eyes are repeatedly turned round; and the renter of land is in doubt whether the creature is staring reproachfully at him or is simply inspecting its own quarters. However, with the apathy which too many agriculturists habitually display, the colt is left for the night. By the next morning the animal is ruined, even should it survive an attack of acute nephritis.

The symptoms of inflammation of the kidneys are a hard pulse, decidedly accelerated; quickened and short breathing, suggestive of pain; pallid mucous membranes; frequent looking toward the seat of anguish; head depressed; back roached; hind legs straddled, and the urine scanty. The animal almost refuses to "come round" in its stall, seldom lies down, and crouches beneath pressure when made upon the loins.

Subsequently, as the symptoms alter, pus or matter may subside in the water. It is indicative of an unfavorable termination should a fetid odor attend the secretion, and should it be deeply tinted by the blood. Death is generally close at hand when the pulse grows quicker but more feeble, when pressure elicits no response, when the body is covered with perspiration, and when a urinous smell is perceptible on approaching the animal.

The treatment of nephritis consists in applying fresh sheepskins to the loins. Should the case be urgent, a quantity of lukewarm made mustard may be first rubbed in and the sheepskin placed over it; or mustard poultices in any case may be employed and covered over to prevent them becoming dry, till sheepskins can be procured. Injections of warm linseed tea should be thrown up every hour, as these are the nearest approach that can be made to actual fomentation. Two scruples of croton farina, mixed with half a drachm of belladonna, may be given immediately in the form of a ball, the bulk of which should be made up with crushed linseeds and treacle. One scruple of calomel, with one drachm of opium, may be sprinkled on the tongue every hour while the acute stage continues. A pail of good linseed tea should be kept before the horse; but as for more substantial provender, none is requisite during the agony of the disease.

Should the slightest doubt be entertained concerning the nature of the affection, immediately insert the arm up the rectum. This intestine is anatomically spoken of as "a floating gut." It is suspended from the spine by mesentery or a loose fold of thin membrane, and, therefore, is easily raised or depressed. It is situated under the kidneys, and nothing consequently interposes between the diseased organ and the inserted hand but the pliable coats of the bowel and the fatty substances which immediately surround the glands. The hand is not conscious of the soft wall of the intestine which covers it. The motion is so free, and the fingers are so readily moved, that previous knowledge alone assures the operator his arm is within a circumscribed canal, and not located in a free space.

By inserting the hand and moving it gradually upward, an approach can be made to the immediate vicinity of the inflammation. Sensitiveness will be exhibited as the seat of disease is touched. Heat will also be felt. A fore leg should, however, be held up on the same side as the operator stands. Should the horse struggle violently and denote positive agony when the hand is approaching the region of the kidneys, the signs may be considered conclusive without attempting farther exploration. Should the animal remain quiet at first, nevertheless let the operator be cautious, as the too near vicinity to the inflamed part provokes resistance, which, in its utter heedlessness, is closely allied to madness.

Several reasons will suggest the point at which the hand should pause. In the first place, pressure cannot benefit a delicately-formed and a diseased organ. In the second place, the agony of the animal may endanger the safety of the operator. In the last place, anything approaching to downright resistance brings the muscles that pass under the kidneys into energetic action, which circumstance is by no means favorable to ultimate recovery.

Many men can speak of the pain induced by affections of the kidneys. The torture consequent upon disease of an internal organ appears to be so excessive as at times to destroy reason in the human being. No one can look upon a horse suffering from nephritis, without feeling that, in sensibilities at all events, the two creatures are alike. Sympathy has been interpreted to mean no more than a conscious similarity of emotion. Such a definition must be erroneous, or more sympathy would actuate man toward his slave. The life is devoted to the service of the master. The body is disabled before its time for the pleasure of mankind. The horse is such a slave as no words can express. It lives but to obey. Its master's whim is the animal's joy. It is happy to exist where and how its superior may appoint. Still there is no sympathy felt toward its tortures, no feeling evinced for its sufferings: its life is one long solitude, its death is the degradation of misery. Were man to read of some wild beast capable of such sincere docility, what pains would not be spent to secure so valuable a companion! The animal is beside him and it is disregarded; or its goodness is converted into the means for its mutilation.

The additional treatment of nephritis consists more in the food than in the physic; linseed, both the seeds and the infusion, may be given for the body's support. The best oats should be procured upon recovery, and the quality of the hay also should be attended to; as for physic, that is almost limited to belladonna and to aconite. Belladonna is administered mixed with four times its amount of opium, so long as the pain is acute.

Extract of belladonna Half a drachm. Crude opium Two drachms.

Make into a ball with linseed meal and honey; give three daily while the symptoms require them; or, should the pain be excessive, administer one every hour.

The aconite root is intended to lower the circulation. When the pulse is quick and hard, a scruple of the powder may be thrown upon the tongue every half hour, till the beat of the artery soften, or till the animal appear to be affected by the medicine. The above measures are to be adopted without regard to the calomel and opium previously recommended.

A horse having survived one attack of nephritis, can scarcely, however successful may be the treatment, be restored to its original condition. The glands which have suffered inflammation must be left in an irritable state.

CYSTITIS--INFLAMMATION OF THE BLADDER.

This disorder is somewhat rare in the horse. Few cases have occurred; even those were not strongly marked. Besides the general indications present during nephritis, such as quickened breathing, accelerated pulse, straddling gait, etc. etc., the most prominent sign concerns the emission of the urine. The bladder is irritable at the commencement; the kidneys have not secreted half a pint of fluid before it is violently expelled, and much straining, accompanied by sounds expressive of pain, follows the act. As the disease progresses, the bladder is contracted, and the water issues drop by drop, or as a constant dribble. This particularity marks the disease, which is also distinguished from nephritis by the roached back being absent; the spine rather being hollowed more than is usual in =cystitis=.

Most lecturers direct the student to insert the arm up a horse affected with cystitis and to feel the compressed bladder; this is easily accomplished, as the engraving demonstrates; but is the operation perfectly safe? White muscular tissue, when inflamed, becomes acutely sensitive. The bladder possesses a thick coat of that substance, and the hand, grasping an organ of this formation when in a state of disease, would probably torture the sufferer to frenzy. It is not wise to excite a creature commanding so huge a strength. There is, however, a test which yields as certain a response, and, at the same time, is far less hazardous. This consists in placing the hand under the flank and keeping it there till all the action which could be attributable to skittishness has disappeared; then press the abdomen, which, should it be hard and resistant, is a convincing proof cystitis is not present; for contraction of the recti abdominis muscles would force the contents of the cavity into violent contact with the inflamed bladder. Should any doubt be entertained concerning the condition of the muscle named, a little more pressure will soon ascertain the fact. However, let the person who applies the test be prepared for the consequence, as the application of pressure to a diseased organ provokes a sudden and energetic resistance, intended to strike the tormentor backward.

The treatment for inflamed bladder and diseased kidneys is alike as regards the administration of aconite root, extract of belladonna, calomel and opium. The reader is, therefore, in some measure referred to the article upon nephritis; there is, however, a difference in application of counter-irritation by means of a rug doubled over a cloth, which last is saturated with strong liquor of ammonia diluted with six times its bulk of water; should this not be within reach, hot cloths retained under the belly are the next best application; but these require constant change and a larger supply of heated fluid than most private establishments can command. Should both recommendations prove useless, then apply cloths dripping wet from a cold bath, and keep renewing them so often as they become warm.

The cause of cystitis is the same as produces many cases of inflamed kidney, namely, the abuse of medicine, or new and unwholesome food; blows likewise may induce it. Kicks under the belly, the too common mode of expressing impatience among carters, are very likely to provoke it. Horses are frequently seen in the streets of every town now whipped to make them proceed; then the rein jagged to command the animal to "stand still." Next the whip is again applied; afterward the animal's belly is spitefully aimed at with the heavy boot of the countryman. The horses know not how to interpret these different signs: they become confused; they turn various ways, as if they hoped by such devices to please their chastiser. All is in vain! At length the animals burst into perspiration and shiver violently; by their alarm they are rendered stupid. But so disgusting an exhibition of folly and of cruelty on the part of the driver mostly creates small indignation in the wayfarers who behold it. The spectators generally look on with smiling countenances, and for the most part move onward without a word of displeasure or rebuke. To the human mind a man appears invested with absolute authority over the life which he has bought. So also no man risks reprobation, who keeps his animals upon poisonous provender. The hay, oats, and beans may be of a character calculated to engender disease. But has not the owner purchased the right to treat his property as he thinks proper? It is true, religion teaches that life is not in the custody of man, and that health is not at mortal command; but where horses are involved, all restraints appear to be forgotten, and mankind seem leagued together to inflict suffering on the dumb. For, is it not universally agreed that heavenly precepts were intended for man alone, and do not stoop so low as to include all the creatures the existence of which dates prior to the origin of the human being? Animals, according to modern interpretation, are excluded from the ample embrace of Christian charity. An all-merciful power looks down with pity only upon one inhabitant of earth!

SPASM OF THE URETHRA.

This affection is commonly designated =spasm of the neck of the bladder=. The part named, however, has no fiber capable of excitation; and it is difficult to understand how the elastic tissue at the opening of the receptacle can display a condition which is inherent only within the contractibility of muscle. The compressor urethræ muscle, however, being morbidly excited, is more than capable of preventing all discharge of urine.

The causes which provoke the spasm are not thoroughly understood. The affection is mostly attributed to some acridity existing in the food or water; else the supposed agent is said to be developed during the process of digestion.

The symptoms are: a widely straddling gait; total suppression of urine, or small portions forcibly ejected at distant intervals. The suffering attendant on distention of the bladder is sometimes so violent that the affection has been mistaken for phrenitis. At other times the horse has been imagined to be griped. Both these blunders are unpardonable. The haggard countenance, copious perspirations, and the frequent glances toward the flanks, joined to the straddling gait and to the desperate but at the same time guarded struggles, are all opposed to such conclusions. Were a proper examination instituted, the real nature of the affection would at once be made apparent, beyond the possibility of error.

Insert the greased arm up the rectum, and, when fully advanced, make pressure downward; the dilated bladder will then be under the hand. The best remedies are sulphuric ether and laudanum, which should be given in large quantities. Four ounces of each should, in a quart of cold water, be administered by the mouth: the like quantities, blended with three pints of cold water, ought to be thrown up as an injection. The last being given, the hand should be placed over the opening and pressed upon it for ten minutes. Should one dose not succeed, in a quarter of an hour the injection may be repeated. Again and again it must be had recourse to; till the spasm is vanquished or till the urine flows freely forth.

Should the horse be seized where no medicine can be obtained, then extract blood from free openings till fainting takes place. Several small depletions are very weakening, and a large quantity of the vital fluid drawn at different times is far less likely to overcome the disease than one full venesection. Open both jugulars: allow the blood to flow from both veins till the water rushes forth or the animal falls, when, insensibility being produced, everything like spasm disappears, and the bladder will mechanically empty itself. Should not such a relief ensue, the greased arm may be inserted up the rectum, and gentle pressure made upon the gorged viscus. Advantage is thus taken of the animal's insensibility to adopt a mode of relief which we dare not hazard while consciousness is retained.

CALCULI.

Stones within the urinary apparatus are designated by various names, that are derived from the situations in which they are found. Thus =renal calculus= represents a stone which has been discovered within the pelvis of the kidney. =Uretal calculus= implies a stone found within the tubes leading from the kidneys to the bladder; but calculi of this kind are as yet unknown in the horse. =Cystic calculus= signifies a stone which resides in the cavity of the bladder. =Urethral calculus= denotes a stone which was detected within the passage leading from the bladder. Of these the cystic are altogether the largest, and the renal, at a considerable distance, rank as the next in magnitude. All consist of carbonate of lime or of common chalk, held firmly together by the secretion of the mucous membrane.

The symptoms which characterize renal calculus are not well marked. The urine may become purulent, thick, opaque, gritty or bloody. Exertion may provoke extreme anguish, resembling a severe fit of colic; but the attack is distinguished from genuine gripes by the back, during the pain, being always roached. However, the most decided symptom is of a negative nature; being the absence of stone in the bladder to account for the diseased urine. The inference is, moreover, strengthened if, when the hand within the rectum is carried upward, pain and alarm are elicited; or if pressure made upon the loins causes the animal to shrink.

Cystic calculus is denoted, as is the previous kind of stone, by certain conditions of the urine. Added to these general signs, the water, when flowing forth, will often be suddenly stopped, and every emission is followed by violent straining. Abdominal pains also are present; but the back is rather hollowed than roached. The point of the penis is, in particular instances, constantly exposed; and the horse, when going down hill, sometimes pulls up short, either to recover from torture or to relieve the bladder.

The way to ascertain the presence of cystic calculus is to make an examination per rectum. Make the investigation with all gentleness. The foreign body may then be distinctly felt; even its size, form, and irregularities can by this means be discovered.

Urethral calculus is a small stone which, during the flow of urine, has been carried out of the bladder and is spasmodically grasped by the muscle of the urethra. The passage is effectually closed and great suffering is induced. Should the stone be impacted within the exposed part of the canal, the precise situation is easily told. Behind the stoppage the passage is distended by fluid; while before it all is natural. The calculus should be cut down and removed; the wound being afterward dressed with a solution of chloride of zinc--one grain to the ounce of water. This is an easy and by no means a dangerous operation. Any person of ordinary skill having a sharp knife may undertake it.

For renal calculus little can be done. That little, however, consists in mingling two drachms of hydrochloric acid with every pail of water, and allowing the animal to imbibe as much as it pleases. Should the medicated drink be refused, the horse must be starved into accepting it. With this liquid, however, the stone must be small to be dissolved; but it effectually checks the further increase of the calculus.

=Lithotomy= is the name given to that operation by which large stones are removed from the bladder of the horse. It is far too complicated and too serious a proceeding to be entrusted to any general reader. No direction which possibly could be misconstrued shall, therefore, be attempted. When an operation is required for stone in the bladder, a qualified veterinary surgeon had better be employed. Mr. Simmonds, of the Royal Veterinary College, Camden Town, however, deserves praise for having invented an instrument by means of which stone can generally be removed from the bladder of the mare without resort to the knife being necessary.

HEMATURIA, OR BLOODY URINE.

The name fully characterizes this affection. The blood emitted may consist of small clots; it may congeal after it has left the body; or it may be entirely mingled with--giving a brownish tinge to--the water. Upon the exhibition of this disorder, always treat the symptoms first; when all chance of immediate danger has disappeared, examine the body to ascertain whence the hemorrhage proceeded, because in this affection the symptoms really constitute the disease; and when the first has disappeared, the last is cured.

The extent of the bleeding, of course, regulates the symptoms. When that is copious, the breathing is short and quick; the pupils of the eye are dilated; the pulse is not to be felt at the jaw; the head is pendulous; and the visible mucous membranes are cold as well as pallid. Lifting the head produces staggering; if continued, the animal would fall. The back is roached; the flanks are tucked up, and the legs widely separated, as though the horse was aware of its inability to support its body.

The treatment consists in disturbing the sufferer as little as possible; in acting upon the report received, for in a case of this kind it is hardly credible there should be any mistake. Administer, as gently as it can be done, two drachms of acetate of lead in half a pint of cold water, or as a ball, if one can be delivered. If this has no effect, in a quarter of an hour, or sooner should the symptoms demand haste, repeat the dose, adding, however, one ounce of laudanum or two drachms of powdered opium. Give two more drinks or balls of the like composition; but should these be followed by no beneficial result, change the medicine after the administration of one ounce of acetate of lead.

When the indications are not alarming, the horse may be left for a couple of hours, with strict orders that the animal be watched, but on no account disturbed. Should, however, activity be required, obtain some of the coldest water, and have several pailfuls dashed from a height upon the loins. After this inject some of the same fluid, allowing the water to flow freely forth from the anus--the object only being to procure the advantages of excessive cold. For medicine, a trial may be made of the ergot of rye. Pour on to four drachms of the drug half a pint of boiling water, and, when cold, add one ounce of laudanum and four ounces of dilute acetic acid--not vinegar, as that always contains sulphuric acid, which would counteract the action of the lead. Two drinks, two enemas, (each lasting twenty minutes,) and any quantity of water upon the loins will serve for the second hour.

If these remedies have produced no change, all further treatment must be suspended for eight hours, at the expiration of which period the treatment may be resumed, and the previous measures repeated.

Should the hemorrhage have ceased, leave the horse undisturbed for the night. On the following day, if no blood has been noticed, have the animal gently led under cover. Then proceed to examine the horse per rectum. If the kidneys are not enlarged, hardened, or sensitive, and if the bladder is without stone, but of its natural thickness, there is every prospect of a favorable termination.

Should the bladder be thickened, adopt the treatment laid down for cystitis; if stone is discovered, an operation is indicated; be the kidneys disorganized, the case is hopeless. If none of these are present, then any of the following medicines may be experimented with, it always being uncertain which will prove beneficial:--

Extract of catechu In one-ounce doses daily. Strong infusion of oak bark Three pints daily. Alum One ounce daily. Sulphate of iron or of copper One ounce daily. Muriatic acid Six drachms daily.

DIABETES INSIPIDUS, OR PROFUSE STALING.

In this affection, which, properly treated, is but a passing annoyance, the thirst is enormous; but more fluid is voided than the animal drinks. The strength and condition are quickly lost, while the flesh fades rapidly away.

Either the horse has been tampered with by the groom, or the hay, oats, or beans are unsound. A sudden change of water is said to produce the disorder; but that, probably, is far more a stable excuse than an established cause. However, change both food and water. Take into the stable two slips of blotting-paper. Dip the ends of them into some of the urine, which will always be retained in the interspaces of the brick flooring. Smell one piece. If it communicates a scent resembling violets, that is proof positive turpentine has been administered. Dry the other piece. Should that, when perfectly dry, and a light is applied, prove to be touch-paper, the evidence is conclusive: "sweet niter" has been secretly given to the animal. Should both these tests fail, the groom is innocent, as other diuretics are unknown in the stable.

The horse should not be taken out while the prominent symptom lasts; it is languid; is unfit for work or even exercise. No brutality can quicken the body when the vital powers are exhausted; but inattention to the suggestion of mere humanity may change a slight and temporary evil into a severe and critical disorder--nephritis.

A pail of good linseed tea, made by pouring boiling water on whole linseeds, and afterward allowing the infusion to stand till lukewarm, should be constantly before the manger. The animal may drink according to the dictates of its condition. The linseed, when strained off and mixed with sound bruised and scalded oats, may be given as food. No hay or grass should be allowed. Attend to the grooming, although it is a sick horse and does not go out. Nothing relieves the kidneys more than the restored action of the skin. A ball may be given every day. It should consist of--

Iodide of iron One drachm. Honey and linseed meal A sufficiency.

Or, should a drink be preferred, dilute--

Phosphoric acid One ounce. Water One pint. Give night and morning.

The author was once prepossessed in favor of iodide of potassium for the cure of diabetes. He is indebted to Mr. Woodger, the excellent practical veterinary surgeon of Paddington, for a knowledge of the very superior efficacy of the drug just named. It exercises a potent action over the kidneys, at the same time it is a first class tonic, and in a surprising manner reduces the desire for fluids. It is in all respects the exact medicine which could be wished for in a case of =diabetes insipidus=.

ALBUMINOUS URINE.

Two cases of this description occurred in the extensive practice of the late William Percivall, Esq. They are narrated in the admirable work entitled "Hippopathology," bequeathed to posterity by the estimable author. The present writer having been honored by the friendship of the gentleman named, is, from frequent conversations upon the subject, the better able to describe and to depict the disorder.

The positions of both horses were remarkable. One stretched the fore and hind legs out, as though it were about to urinate; the other roached the back and brought the hind feet under the body as far as possible. Turning in the stalls was, in each case, accomplished with difficulty; and the straddling gait remarkable in both, indicating the seat of the affection.

Some urine being caught by the groom, it was thick but clear--like melted calves' foot jelly--and, when cold, the surface was uneven. Bichloride of mercury being added to a portion of the fluid, caused a thick, colorless, opaque substance--resembling coagulated white of egg--to be thrown down, leaving a clear straw-colored liquor above the settlement. Another portion being first treated with acetic acid, afterward mixed with prussiate of potash and subsequently boiled, became in appearance like to milk. With time, however, a white sediment occurred, leaving the fluid perfectly clear.

Mr. Percivall's treatment was mildly depletive. He bled moderately, gave a laxative, and applied mustard to the loins for a brief space. Perfect rest, strict attention to diet, and repeated doses of opium, constituted the after-measures. It is also mentioned that diuretics, tonics, and stimulants were tried, but all proved injurious. Both animals ultimately recovered.

Those who desire ampler details are referred to "Hippopathology," by W. Percivall, published by Longman & Co.