Ruminant Urogenital Flashcards
How would you examine the urinary system?
History-how long/other signs?
Frequency/ease of urination
Urine-smell/appearance-sample
Rectal exam-palpate left kidney, bladder, diseased ureters, pain?
Catheterisation (sub-urethral diverticulum)
Prepuce
Where does the bladder sit in the female cow?
Ventral to vagina
What is the normal specific gravity of cow urine?
1.020-1.045
What should you check on a urinalysis when investigating the urinary system?
Colour Pus/blood? Specific gravity (1.020-1.045) pH (normally alkaline) Protein-usually trace only Glucose-usually trace only
Give some clinical signs of urinary disease and possible causes
Abdominal pain (pyelonephritis, calculi)
Dysuria (pyelonephritis, calculi, cystitis, vaginitis)
Oliguria (pre-renal, renal, post-renal)
Proteinuria (renal amyloidosis-breed)
Haematuria +/- pus +/- calculi
Polyuria (diabetes mellitus, diabetes insipidus, idiopathic in calves)
Anuria (obstruction by calculi)
Give some possible causes of haematuria (blood in urine)
Pyelonephritis (+ pus) Cystitis Urolithiasis Enzootic haematuria Acute bracken poisoning Toxic nephrosis (acorns) Glomerulonephritis, renal infarction etc
Give some possible causes of haemoglobinuria
Babesiosis ('redwater', breakdown of RBCs in circulation)
Post-parturient haemoglobinuria
Bacillary haemoglobinuria (Clostridium haemoliticum)What is hypospadia?
Congenital abnormality
Urethra opens anywhere along length of penis at one or more locations
What would you see in a calf with a patent urachus?
Urine dribbling from umbilicus
Which bacteria classically causes pyelonephritis?
Corynebacterium renale
Also E.coli
Give some clinical signs of pyelonephritis
Abdominal pain
Chronic weight loss +/- mild pyrexia
Appetite usually ok
Dysuria
Blood and pus in urine (pus on vulval hairs)
Examine per rectum: swollen painful kidney, involvement and thickening of ureter and bladder
How do you treat pyelonephritis?
What is the prognosis like?
Long course antibiotics (penicillins, oxytet)
1/3 get better, 1/3 get better but recur, 1/3 never get better
What condition is often associated with pyelonephritis?
Cystitis
Cystitis can occur secondary to what?
Dystocia (ascending infection)
What are the clinical signs of cystitis?
Similar to pyelonephritis (Abdominal pain
Chronic weight loss +/- mild pyrexia
Appetite usually ok
Dysuria
Blood and pus in urine (pus on vulval hairs)
Examine per rectum: swollen painful kidney, involvement and thickening of ureter and bladder)
Straining more pronounced
How do you treat cystitis?
Antibiotics (penicillins, oxytet)
Describe amyloidosis in the cow
Not common
Deposition of amyloid and ab/ag complexes
Can be primary or secondary to other chronic infections
What are the clinical signs of amyloidosis?
Off food and ill Profuse diarrhoea (rule out Johnes disease) Generalised subcutaneous oedema PUPD Proteinuria Low plasma albumin Pale swollen kidneys
Describe enzootic haematuria in the cow
Haemangiomata (benign tumours of blood vessels) in bladder
Associated with long-term ingestion of bracken
Older cows
Blood clots in urine
Tumours in guts (SCC)
Enzootic haematuria is associated with long term ingestion of what?
Bracken
How can bracken poisoning affect sheep?
‘Bright blindness’ (retinal atrophy)
What substance in bracken is toxic in horses but not ruminants?
Thiaminase (inhibits uptake of thiamin, a B vitamin)
Give some clinical signs of bracken poisoning
Bone marrow toxicity Pancytopenia and thrombocytopenia Petechiae in mouth, conjunctiva, vulva etc Subcutaneous bruising Blood clots (nose, faeces) Pryexia and depression Diarrhoea (bloody) Haematuria Death
Toxic nephrosis occurs after ingestion of what?
Acorns (doesn’t affect pigs)
How do acorns cause toxic nephrosis?
Tannins in acorns cause kidney damage
Death in 4-7 days despite supportive treatment
Give the clinical signs of toxic nephrosis
Sudden death
Anorexia, depression, bloat due to ruminal stasis
Constipation and straining
Foetid tarry diarrhoea
Which bacteria causes bacillary haemoglobinuria?
Where is it found?
Clostridium haemolyticum (Black disease) In soil and dormant in liver
What may act as a trigger for bacillary haemoglobinuria?
Migrating fluke (Black disease)
Giv the clinical signs of bacillary haemoglobinuria
Pyrexia, jaundice, anaemia, oedema, haemoglobinuria
Fatal
How can you prevent bacillary haemoglobinuria?
Vaccinate against Black disease
What causes babesiosis (redwater)?
Babesia divergens
Give the clinical signs of babesiosis
Pyrexia Anaemia and haemoglobinuria (port-coloured urine) Diarrhoea Later: -Constipated -Temerature falls -Anaemia/jaundice
How do you dignose babesiosis?
Blood smear-capillary blood from ear
Parasites in RBCs
PCV (anaemia)
ELISA to assess herd exposure
How do you treat babesiosis?
What is the dose?
What is the meat and milk withhold?
Imidocarb 213 days meat, 21 day milk withhold Inform DVM Curative: 1ml/100kg once, SC Preventative: 2.5ml/100kg once, 4 wks cover
When does post-paturient haemoglobinuria occur?
1-4 weeks after calving
Uncommon-older, high yielding dairy cows
Give the aetiology of post-parturient haemoglobinura
Low phosphorus diet
Kale, rape, turnips etc
Give the clinical signs of post-parturient haemoglobinuria
Sudden onset
Haemoglobinuria, pallor, jaundice
Collapse, dyspnoea, death
How do you treat post-parturient haemoglobinuria?
Phosphorus
Blood transfusion
Guarded prognosis
Which anti-coagulant would you add to cows blood for a transfusion?
Sodium citrate
10ml of a 3.85% solution added per 100ml of blood
How much blood would you collect from a donor cow for a blood transfusion?
5 litres
Collect using a jugular trochar or 10/12G catheter
Urolithiasis usually affects rams of what age?
2-4 month old (penis not fully developed, may have problems exteriorising penis)
Which calculi are usually responsible for causing urolithiasis in rams?
Calcium/magnesium phosphate
Which factors may lead to urolithiasis in rams?
Ca:P imbalance in diet
High concentrate diet
Water deprivation
Give some clinical signs of calculi
Restlessness Abdominal pain (kicking) and straining Dysuria or anuria Preputial crystals/sand Progressive until urethra and/or bladder ruptures
How could you test for a ruptured bladder?
Plasma/abdominal fluid will have high urea and creatinine
In how many locations could the male urogenital system become blocked with calculi?
3:
Sigmoid flexure
Urethral appendage
Urethral recess
How would you diagnose water belly?
Abdominal palpation: -Distended bladder -Free fluid wave -SC fluid-pitting Sand around prepucial orifice US (free fluid in abdomen) Abdominocentesis Palpate urethra per-rectum Blood sample (urea/creatinine)
What causes water belly?
Formation of small stones in the urinary tract causes the retention of urine and rupture of the urinary bladder or urethra
How do you treat urolithiasis (water belly)?
Relaxants (Buscopan)
Casualty slaughter
Referral if hasn’t urinated in 2 hours
Can surgically remove
In which 2 ways could you surgically remove calculi in rams with urolithiasis?
- Exteriorise end of penis (sedate, LA, forceps into prepuce and cut down midway, may have to partially amputate vermiform appendage)
- Catheterise urethra, flush with LA and Walpole’s solution (may damage epithelium if stricture)
How would you perform a urethrostomy?
Standing and epidural anaesthesia
Mid-line incision from 4” below anus in cattle
Identify penis and blunt dissect
Transect penis distally to leave a 4” proximal stump
Suture stump to skin (don’t go through urethra)
Leave indwelling catheter for a few days
Don’t allow to scab over
How would you treat water belly?
Incise skin in multiple sites to produce drainage
Bath/spray with salt water if pet animal
How could you prevent (re) occurrence of urolithiasis in rams?
Urinary acidification (ammonium chloride) Check diet (no added magnesium, improve access to water, calcium/phosphorus ratio should 1.2-2:1)
