age of the stone a free flow of urine
usually follows, in the midst of which may often be found gritty masses. If
the outlets from both kidneys are similarly blocked the animal becomes
poisoned by the retention in the blood of the elements of the urine, and by
their reabsorption after secretion.

_Treatment of renal and ureteral calculi._--Treatment is not very
successful, as only the smallest calculi can pass through the ureter and
enter the bladder, and even if they should do so they are liable to a
progressive increase there, so that later they may cause the symptoms of
stone in the bladder. Fortunately, ordinary dairy, growing, or fattening
cattle rarely show evident symptoms of illness, and even though they do so
they can usually be fattened and slaughtered before the health is seriously
impaired. In work oxen the case is different, and acute symptoms may
develop, but even then the animal may often be fitted for the butcher. When
treatment is demanded it is primarily soothing and antispasmodic.
Fomentations with warm water over the loins should be persisted in without
intermission until relief has been secured. The soothing effect on the
kidney will often relieve inflammation and irritation, should the stone be
in that situation, while if in the ureter the warm fomentations will at
once soothe irritation, relax spasm of the muscular coat of the canal, and
favor an abundant secretion from the kidney, which, pressing on the
obstructing stone, may slowly push it on into the bladder. Large doses of
laudanum (2 ounces) or of solid extract of belladonna (2 drams) will not
only soothe the pain but relax the spasm and favor the onward passage of
the calculus. The animal should be encouraged to drink large quantities of
cool water to favor the free secretion of a very watery urine, which will
not only serve to obviate irritation and continued deposit caused by a
highly concentrated urine, but will press the stone onward toward the
bladder, and even in certain cases will tend to disintegrate it by solution
of some of its elements, and thus to favor its crumbling and expulsion.
This is a principle which must never be lost sight of in the treatment of
calculi. The immersion of the stone in a liquid of a lower specific gravity
than that in which it has formed and grown tends to dissolve out the more
soluble of its component parts, and thus to destroy its density and
cohesion at all points, and thereby to favor its complete disint