Urinary tract Flashcards
what should be examined when presented with a suspected case with urinary issues?
history - all clinical signs
frequency/ease of urination
urine - smell/appearance
rectal - left kidney, bladder (pain?)
external anatomy (uroliths, pus, urine stain…)
why is catheterising ruminants difficult?
suburethral diverticulum (females)
sigmoid flexure
what needs to be done when placing a urinary catheter in female ruminants?
put finger into suburethral diverticulum to block it so the catheter doesn’t go into it
what is the rough pH of herbivore urine?
slightly alkaline
what is the range of normal specific gravity for herbivores urine?
1.020 to 1.045
what are the clinical signs of urinary disease?
abdominal pain
dysuria
haematuria, pyuria, calculi
polyuria
anuria
oliguria
proteinuria
if the animal begins to look a lot brighter after having a suspected urinary blockage, what could have happened?
bladder has recently ruptured - start to decline rapidly after a few hours
what is haematuria?
blood in urine
what are some possible differentials for haematuria?
pyelonephritis
cystitis
urolithiasis
enzootic haematuria
acute bracken poisoning
toxic nephrosis (acorns)
glomerulonephritis
what are some differentials for haemoglobinuria?
babesiosis (redwater)
post parturient haemoglobinuria
bacillary haemoglobinuria (Clostridium haemoliticum)
what is hypospadia?
the urethra doesn’t close properly (can be managed to fattening with proper management)
what is the classic bacteria associated with pyelonephritis?
Corynebacterium renale (E. coli common)
what is the usually route of pyelonephritis transmission?
via ascending infection (also haematogenous)
what are the clinical signs of pyelonephritis?
chronic weight loss
mild pyrexia
appetite usually fine
dysuria
blood/pus in urine
how is pyelonephritis treated?
long course of penicillin or oxytetracycline
what are the clinical signs of cystitis?
chronic weight loss
mild pyrexia
appetite usually fine
dysuria
blood/pus in urine
(similar to pyelonephritis but with more straining)
what is amyloidosis?
deposition of amyloid produced by antigen/antibody complexes
what are some clinical signs of amyloidosis?
off food and general illness
profuse diarrhoea
generalised subcutaneous oedema
polydipsia/polyuria
proteinuria
low plasma albumin
what is the classical finding of amyloidosis on post mortem examination?
pale swollen kidneys
what are the main differentials for haematuria?
enzootic haematuria
bracken poisoning
toxic nephritis
pyelonephritis (with pus)
why does long term ingestion of bracken lead to?
enzootic haematuria
what effect does bracken ingestion have in sheep?
blindness - sheep retinal atrophy
what effect does bracken have on the body?
bone marrow toxicity - pancytopenia, thrombocytopenia
petechiae in mouth, conjunctiva, vulva…
subcutaneous bruising
blood clots - urine, faeces…
pyrexia and depression
bloody diarrhoea
death
what causes toxic nephrosis?
oak (acorn) poisoning - tannins cause kidney damage
what are the clinical signs of toxic nephrosis?
anorexia, depression, bloat (ruminal stasis), constipation, fetid diarrhoea, death
how can toxic nephrosis be treated? (acorn poisoning)
charcoal, rumenotomy, move other animals (often already absorbed tannin and little you can do)
what bacteria is associated with bacillary haemoglobinuria?
Clostridium haemolyticum
where is Clostridium haemolyticum found dormant?
soil and liver
what parasite can trigger Clostridium haemolyticum?
migrating fluke larvae (blacks disease)
what are the clinical signs of bacillary haemoglobinuria?
pyrexia, jaundice, anaemia, oedema, haemoglobinuria (fatal)
how can Clostridium haemoglobinuria be controlled?
fluke control
vaccinate - blacks disease
what causes babesiosis?
Babesia divergens
what spreads Babesia divergins?
ticks (Ixodes ricinus)
what type of immunity do animals get to Babesia divergins?
inverse age - expose them when young
what are the clinical signs of babesiosis?
pyrexia
anaemia
haemoglobinuria
diarrhoea (later constipation)
what is the treatment for babesiosis?
imidocarb
what are the two treatment regimes for babesiosis?
curative - low dose subcutaneous injection
preventative - high dose subcutaneous injection
what needs to be done if you give imidocarb to an animal with babesiosis?
contact divisional veterinary manager due to long meat withhold
what cows is post-parturient haemolglobinuria associated with?
older high yielding dairy cows
how is post parturient haemoglobinuria treated?
phosphorous - vigophos
blood transfusion
what is used as the anticoagulant in blood transfusions?
sodium citrate (heparin metabolised much slow which could cause the cow to bleed out)
what are the three animals that present with urolithiasis?
2-4 month old ram lambs
mature early castrated goats
bull beef calves
what are the risk factors for urolithiasis?
calcium:phosphorous imbalances
high concentrates
water deprivation
history of diet change
forage quality/concentrate intake
inappropriate feed - pig nuts in goat mix…
what are the clinical signs of urolithiasis?
restlessness - mild/severe
abdominal pain and straining (hiccups)
dysuria/anuria
preputial crystals/sand
urethral/bladder rupture (swelling, fluid thrill)
what are the most common sites for blockages in the urinary tract of males?
sigmoid flexure
vermiform appendage
urethral recess
do sheep cope if you cut their vermiform appendage off?
yes
how can urolithiasis be treated?
remove vermiform appendage
tube cystotomy
stabilise - IV fluids
what needs to be done to be able to exteriorise the end of the penis in early castrate goats?
sedate and local GA then place forceps into prepuce and cut down prepuce to exteriorise
if cutting off the vermiform appendage doesn’t work to unblock the animal, what is done next?
percutaneous bladder catheterisation (if bladder is full and visible on ultrasound)
how is a urethrostomy carried out?
standing/epidural anaesthesia
midline incision below anus
blunt dissect and transect the penis distally
place catheter and leave for a few days
if an animal has water belly due to rupture of the bladder/urethra, how is this treated?
incise in multiple locations to drain
bath/spray with salt water regularly
antibiotic cover and fly control
how can urolithiasis be prevented?
urinary acidification - ammonium chloride
check diet
why is not indicated to use alpha 2 agonists in suspected urolithiasis cases?
can cause increased urination
