Cystitis and Urolithiasis Flashcards
What is cystitis?
Inflammation of the bladder due to bacterial infection
What is cystitis often associated with?
- Trauma to the bladder
- Stagnation of urine
- Paralysis of the bladder
What are the most common predisposing factors for cystitis?
- Cystic calculus
- Dystocia or difficult parturition
- Late pregnancy
- Contaminated catheterisation
- Ascending infection from pyelonephritis
Why do animals with cystitis constantly want to urinate?
Stagnation of urine allows invasion of the mucosa, and causes irritation of the stretch receptors in the bladder wall, meaning the animal is constantly stimulated to urinate
What are the clinical signs for cystitis?
- Frequent and painful urination accompanied by grunting
- Maintenance of urination posture
- Only very small volumes of urine are passed
- Abdominal pain
- Moderate febrile reaction
- Pain on palpation
How will cystitis feel on rectal examination?
Bladder will feel thickened
How is cystitis diagnosed?
- Clinical signs
- Presence of blood, pus and mucus in urine
What are the differentials for cystitis?
- Pyelonephritis
- Cystic calculi
How do we treat cystitis?
- ATB for 10-14 days
- Free access to water and salt
- Urine acidifiers - ammonium chloride
List some congenital defects of the urinary tract
- Patent urachus
- Urethral atresia
- Hypospadiasis
- Ectopic ureters
- Renal hypoplasia or dysplasia
- Polycystic kidneys
What is another name for urolithiasis?
Waterbelly
Which animals are most likely to have urinary calculi?
Males - especially castrated animals
Where are urinary calculi most common in cattle?
At the distal sigmoid flexure
Where are urinary calculi most common in sheep and goats?
Urethral process
What is the difference between urolithiasis in sheep and that in cattle?
In cattle - rarely cause obstruction.
In sheep/goats - obstructions are common.
Why is urolithiasis more common in feedlot animals?
Longer urethra, with a bend, that narrows when it passes through the penis
What is a consequence of urolithiasis?
Bladder rupture
What are the different types of calculi?
- Phosphate stones
- Magnesium ammonium phosphate - struvite
- Silicate stones
- Oxalates
- Protein containing compounds
Which caculi are most common?
Struvite - magnesium ammonium phosphate
What predisposes animals to struvite?
Diets that promote the production of alkaline urine and high phosphate content, i.e. concentrated feedstuffs
How does struvite differ from silicate stones?
STRUVITE - soft, small, multiple and amorphous or sludge. Developing under alkaline diets
SILICATE - single and hard. Develop under acidic diets.
How do we prevent struvite?
- Avoid diets high in phosphorus
- Maintain optimal Ca:P (2:1)
- Supplement diet with calcium
- Include more roughage in diet
- Feed alfalfa
- Acidify urine - ammonium chloride
How do we prevent silicate stones?
- Reduce silica intake
- Increase water consumption
- Increase alfalfa and other legume intake
How do we treat cystic calculi?
MEDICAL
- Anti-spasmodics
- IV fluids
- Ammonium chloride - acidifies urine
- ATB and NSAIDs
SURGERY
- Removal
