Text book of veterinary medicine, Volume 3 (of 5)Law, James
Science
Text book of veterinary medicine, Volume 3 (of 5)
Law, James
Veterinary medicine
Any indication of urinary trouble, and especially with dropsy, weakness,
flabbiness and anæmia and a subnormal temperature, should lead to
examination of the urine, as a crucial test. A high density is good
ground for suspicion. But this is not constant. In advanced cases
(chronic interstitial nephritis, small white kidney, atrophic nephritis)
it may be 1015 to 1025, in exceptional advanced cases with polyuria, it
may be 1010, 1005, or even 1001. With such a condition, however, there
is great anæmia, pallor of the mucosæ, and prostration. Tested with
nitric acid and heat, the urine throws down an abundant precipitate of
albumen. Under the microscope it shows a profusion of granular,
degenerating epithelial cells, and casts of the uriniferous tubes.
_Progress._ The course of the disease is usually slow, extending over
several months, but with a tendency to constant advance. The thirst
increases and the urine increases in amount, clearness and levity. There
may supervene extreme sluggishness, dropsies, anæmia, and weakness,
irritability of the heart, and palpitations on slight exertion. So long
as the heart’s action is strong, elimination may be maintained and life
prolonged for months (in cow, Dickinson), or years (Friedberger and
Fröhner). When the heart’s action becomes weak, elimination is rendered
imperfect and the animal shows catarrh of the lungs or bowels (common in
dogs), local inflammation of the lungs, pleura or pericardium, or
œdemas, or hæmorrhages. The toxic effect on the nerve centres is shown
by stupor or lethargy, or vertigo. When an abscess forms it is
associated with a temporary rise of temperature (Trasbot). The patient
may die in convulsions, in a state of coma, or by gradually advancing
debility and failure of the heart.
_Lesions._ In cases of comparatively =short standing= the kidney is
usually of full size, or somewhat enlarged, with firmly adherent capsule
and rough or even nodular surface. The surface of the cortex may be red
or grayish or parti-colored, pink and gray. The cortical portion is firm
and it may even be attenuated somewhat, while the medullary portion,
naturally lighter, has often grayish streaks converging toward the
hilus. When the gray streaks are scraped with the knife a serous fluid,
mixed with fatty granules or globules, is obtained. The glomeruli may be
still about the normal size with some increase of the epithelial tuft
cells. The tubules contain casts (colloid, hyaline, granular), and their
epithelium normally columnar, are flattened down to cubes and are
swollen, granular or fatty.
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