idiopathic

Updated: May 12, 2025

Another disease, which is not confined to the abdominal cavity, is dropsy: but, as in the dog it most commonly assumes that form which is termed ascites, or dropsy of the abdomen, it may be noticed in this place. It is seldom an idiopathic or primary affection, but is generally the consequence of some other disease, most commonly of an inflammatory kind.

William Youatt - The Dog