Causes. Follows acute. Same causes less potent. Lesions: as in acute,
or sclerosis, and abscess. Symptoms: delayed urination, last glairy or
purulent, constipation, defecation followed by urethral discharge,
little genital ardor, rectal palpation, tenderness of prostate to hand
or catheter, atony of hind limbs. Treatment: open air life, idle, milk
or succulent diet, saline laxatives or enemata, avoid generative
excitement, castrate, check masturbation, iodine, camphor, antiseptic
irrigations.
_Causes._ The acute disease often subsides leaving an indolent chronic
inflammation of the organ. Apart from this, the causes are essentially
those of the acute, but acting with lessened force or on a less
susceptible system. Thus indoor life and overfeeding, with constipation
and urine of a high density, calculus, irritant diuretics, the frequent
incautious use of the catheter, infection from the catheter or
otherwise, intense and frequent generative excitement, and exposure to
cold are all occasional factors. Old age is a common concurrent cause.
_Lesions._ As in the acute form these indicate three successive,
independent or concurrent forms, follicular, interstitial and
suppurative.
With the distinctively =follicular= form the gland is usually enlarged
and of a deep red color, but soft and friable, and when compressed
exudes from its follicles and gland ducts a whitish muco-purulent glairy
liquid. With the =interstitial= changes, which are often an advance on
the follicular, the organ may be enlarged or shrunken, but the
connective tissue has undergone a thickening and sclerosis which renders
the mass firm and resistant, and which may have extended to the tissues
in the immediate vicinity. In the =suppurative= form or stage, foci of
suppuration are found throughout the gland substance, bulging out on its
surface and even encroaching on surrounding tissues.
_Symptoms._ These are by no means obtrusive. There may be some delay in
the discharge when the animal attempts to urinate, and the last drops of
the urine, white and purulent or glairy, may be passed with evident
pain. There is a tendency to constipation with painful straining to
defecate. Compression of the prostate during defecation presses out its
muco-purulent contents so that there is a greater urethral discharge
following this act than at other times. This is also more abundant from
the compression of the abdomen when the animal is lying down. This
discharge is easily distinguished from semen by the absence or almost
complete absence of spermatozoa and _the abundance_ of spermatic
crystals, precipitated by ammonia phosphate. In the earlier stages there
may be undue generative excitement, erections, and even seminal
discharge, with or without the movements of masturbation but in advanced
cases genital ardor is usually defective or there may be practical
impotence. Conclusive evidence is obtained by rectal exploration, when
the enlarged, or irregularly shaped and tender prostate can be easily
recognized. If a sterile catheter is passed the pain caused as it
touches the prostate is significant.
In the dog the affection may last for years, and tends to advancing
atony of the hind limbs. A temporary arrest of the affection is often
misleading, though the urine may be clear and normally discharged, yet
manipulation may show a gradually advancing abscess, and when this
bursts, usually into the urethra, all the symptoms become aggravated and
cystitis, urethritis and general infection are to be dreaded.
_Treatment._ This is far from satisfactory yet in certain purely
follicular or catarrhal cases it may prove successful. An open air life,
without exertion, and a milk and farina diet are desirable, yet any
tendency to costiveness must be obviated by saline laxatives and
enemata. The avoidance of generative excitement must be secured, not
only by restraining stud animals from service, but by keeping them well
apart from all females of the same species. Even castration may be
sometimes resorted to with advantage. Stallions given to masturbation
must be restrained by net or otherwise. Any disease of the rectum, anus,
urethra or bladder should be corrected, and undue exposure to cold
prevented. Lafosse advises to slaughter butcher animals for food.
Hertwig recommends iodine ointment on the anus and perineum of affected
dogs. It must be borne in mind that the affection is maintained by
infective microbes yet it is difficult to reach and deal with these
thoroughly and effectively.
As an anaphrodisiac may be given camphor, or camphor bromide, ergot or
potassium bromide, along with the mild stimulating antiseptic eucalyptol
or copaiba. But the irrigation of the urethra, bladder and as far as
possible the prostate with such antiseptic solutions as potassium
permanganate (1:10000) or silver nitrate (0.5 to 1:100) or zinc chloride
(1:100) is desirable. These should be injected into the urethra so as to
reach the bladder, the contents of which they will render antiseptic and
thus protect the organ against the transported microbes of the prostate.
In man iodoform, europhen, and ichthyol are made into a bougie with gum,
palm butter or other soluble liquifiable agent and inserted in the
urethra as far as the prostatic part. Similar agents are used as
suppositories or enemata. Hertwig’s iodine ointment on the perineum may
be advantageously replaced by sinapisms.