Bile Salts and Pigments are present in excess in cases of icterus, where these characters may be studied. See Icterus.
Blood and Hæmoglobin in Urine. In a variety of diseases (anthrax, hæmaturia, nephritis, Texas fever, hæmoglobinuria, etc.) blood or blood coloring matter escapes in the urine. When blood escapes one finds the reddish color, and under the microscope red globules, normal or crenated (especially in alkaline urine), free, aggregated in masses, in small clots, or embedded in casts of the uriniferous tubes. Under the spectroscope the spectrum shows two dark absorption bands, one in the yellow and one in the green. When the color is due to hæmoglobin the urine shows under the microscope numerous masses of amorphous brown pigment, and the spectrum shows one dark line in the yellow, and three others less deep, (but one of them very broad) on the limit of the green and blue. Urine which contains the elements of blood is usually turbid and thick or glairy, by reason of the presence of salts, albumen and fibrine. There may also be crystals of urinary salts (calculi), fragments of broken down tissue (tumors) or the ova of worms.
Epithelium in Urine. The slight cloud seen in healthy urine contains epithelial cells. The source of these may be often determined under the microscope. The bladder epithelium are the most numerous, the largest, and are squamous. Those from the ureters and renal pelvis are also squamous, but neither so large nor so numerous. The epithelium from the uriniferous tubules are polyhedral with large nucleus or columnar. The cells from the male urethra are also largely columnar. In cases, however, in which these cells are passed in large amount because of catarrh of the mucosa all alike tend to assume the globular form with large nucleus so that their true source cannot be certainly stated. It is only from such cells as have become detached without change of form that the seat of desquamation can be determined. If an excess of cells approximating to the kidney type are associated with albuminuria and cylindroid casts they become diagnostically significant. Polygonal cells darkly granular with large oval nucleus and nucleolus suggest kidney inflammation. If the granules are freely soluble in ether there is probably fatty degeneration. If hard, tough and glossy they suggest (but don’t prove) amyloid degeneration.
Pus Cells in Urine. Pus cells, with multiple nuclei revealed by adding dilute acetic acid, may be found in small numbers in apparently healthy urine. When present in large numbers, they usually indicate a catarrhal affection of the mucosa, and especially pyelitis, cystitis, or urethritis. There is always cloudiness, excess of mucin, and, in the alkaline herbivorous urine, the liquid may be glairy or stringy.
Casts of the Uriniferous Tubes. These usually indicate the existence of nephritis, yet they may be present in small numbers in the urine of healthy individuals under a slight toxic action such as alcohol.
Unorganized casts of urinary salts or hæmatoidin found in sucklings appear to have no pathological significance. Organized casts, on the other hand, usually imply renal troubles, and especially inflammation. As these will be fully described under Bright’s disease, it need only be noted here that they may be composed in great part of red globules, leucocytes, epithelium, bacteria, granules, a homogeneous wax-like matter, fat globules, hyaline matter, or urinary salts. The predominance of one or other of these determines the nature of the cast.
The observations of Mayer, Knoll, Bovida, Von Jaksch and others seem to show that the basis substance of urinary casts differs from all our familiar proteids and must be considered as a distinct nitrogenous compound, a derivative of one of the common proteids.
GENERAL SYMPTOMS OF URINARY DISEASE.
External symptoms, arched back, stiff gait, straining, tender loins, backing, turning, dropping under weight, urine checked, dribbled; in dogs and cats, palpation of kidney; bladder, urethra, pains in different animals. Internal symptoms, rectal exploration, vaginal, urethral, straining, ureters, bladder, calculi, neoplasms, prostate, urethritis.
External Symptoms. With inflammatory or painful affections of the urinary organs the animal tends to roach the back or loins, tuck up the abdomen, move the hind limbs stiffly and with a straddling gait, protract and withdraw the penis which may be semi-erect, retract and drop the testicles alternately, and stretch himself and strain to pass urine without success. Lying down and rising may be accomplished with marked effort and groaning. The loins along the spines or beneath the outer ends of the transverse processes may prove tender to tapping or pinching, the animal drooping to excess. Backing or turning in a narrow circle may be accomplished awkwardly and stiffly though usually more easily than with lumbar sprain. The animal drops when mounted but less than with sprained back. Urine may be passed in excess or in diminished amount, or it may be entirely suppressed. It may be abruptly interrupted when in full stream, suggesting calculus or polypus, or it may be passed often in mere dribblets, or finally it may ooze away constantly partly lodging in the sheath and partly trickling down the thighs.