Many times during our busy days we are presented with pets who are having various issues with urinary tract disease. These will often present in a variety of ways. Frequent attempts to urinate, bloody urine, accidents in the house, increase in water consumption and in some severe cases inability to pass urine are all common complaints. Obstruction of urine outflow is an especially common and dangerous problem in male cats. Often, our first step will be to conduct a thorough history and physical exam followed by the analysis of a urine sample. In some cases we will also need to obtain radiographs or X-rays to determine if there are "stones" or uroliths as they are technically referred to, in the bladder or other areas of the urinary tract.
One such case presented recently. "Sassy", a five year old spayed female shih tzu came to us with a history similar to those signs described above. Radiographs revealed the presence of numerous large stones present within the bladder. After discussion with Sassies owner, it was decided to proceed to surgery for removal and subsequent analysis of the uroliths. On Tuesday, January 29th, Sassy was prepared for surgery by placement of an intravenous catheter which allows us to deliver fluids to support her blood pressure and administer medication both for anesthesia and treatment of problems should they occur intraoperatively. The procedure performed is called a cystotomy. It involves opening the bladder and removing the stones. This is not always necessary if the chemical nature of the stones can be deduced. Some stones are amenable to dissolution with dietary modification. Others however require surgical removal. Sassy had such a large number of stones, it was decided to perform surgery for both diagnostic and treatment purposes. Everything went well and Sassy's recovery was uneventful. Now we wait for the results of the stone analysis to determine the best way to treat Sassy. Often, we will use dietary therapy in conjunction with antibiotics and other ancillary medications. The nature of the urolith determines the best treatment. Unfortunately the development of stones is not always well understood and treatment is not always an exact science. For more information on uroliths, check out the link below to the University of Minnesotas urolith center.

posted by Dr. Billeter @ 10:27 AM |