Pets

Vet’s diary: it’s painful to go…

Peterborough vet Laura Frost detects an unexpected trend amongst her patients...

Last month definitely had a theme. Never have I seen as many urinary problems. One week there were five different cases booked in, either for an ultrasound scan of the bladder or a surgical procedure. Four out of the five cases had bladder stones which are quite distinctive on imaging. The dense material at the surface of the stone disrupts ultrasound waves creating a bright line at the surface, followed by a black ‘comet tail’ shadow. This being said, by the end of the week I was beginning to wonder if I was imagining things. But no, several surgeries later, we have a large collection of stones in our lab. Some are big, some small; all different shapes and colours. Bladder stones are made up of different minerals that are excreted into the bladder from the bloodstream via the kidneys. In most dogs these crystals pass through to the outside world without any issues, however in some cases they stick together, first forming crystals and then forming stones. This process can be triggered for a whole host of reasons.

To name a few:
● Urinary tract infections (which are more common in the female dog)
● An increase in dietary minerals
● Poor water intake – this leads to more concentrated urine so that any minerals are more likely to stick together to form crystals and stones
● A potential genetic component making some dogs more prone to urinary problems. Some stones can be dissolved by special diets that change the pH of the urine, however others need to be removed by surgery.

In the spirit of maintaining a sense of humour on busy days, we usually have a sweepstake as to the number of stones prior to surgery (although it has been pointed out to me that I have an unfair disadvantage after doing the ultrasound scan myself). On Tuesday the leading guess was eight stones and we have 27, the biggest being about 5mm. On Thursday the guesses escalated, however only one stone was inside. This stone was around 4cm and resembled a sea anemone. I am pleased to say that both patients made a full recovery. Wednesday’s case (the only stone-free scan) was a simple case of cystitis. This showed up as a thickened bladder wall with small fragments, likely to be blood clots, floating free within the urine. By Friday all my cases had a good plan and I expected them all to have a full recovery. I packed up my belongings ready for home, thinking about the nice glass of wine that I had definitely earned, when out of habit I checked the diary for Monday morning. What did I see? A bladder scan…

Cystitis
This is a painful condition in which the bladder wall becomes inflamed. The animal may toilet frequently, emptying every last drop of urine from the bladder to try to relieve the discomfort. Sometimes this is caused by a urinary tract infection. In a dog this is most likely and a course of antibiotics are usually needed after analysis of a urine sample. Cats, however, are a bit strange. Some cats have a condition known as ‘Idiopathic Cystitis’. These cats show signs similar to an infection but no bacteria are present. The inflammation in their bladder is often increased at times of stress. Antiinflammatories and bladder support supplements are needed initially to relieve their distress. Long-term environmental management can help, such as increasing fluid intake (water fountains can be helpful), ensuring there are calm places for your cat to hide at stressful times (ie building work, house parties) and providing extra toys to prevent the indoor cat from getting bored/ stressed.

laurafrostLaura Frost MRCVS MA VetMB is a vet at local veterinary practice Pengelly and Mizen.

Pengelly and Mizen Veterinary Surgeons 89-93 Park Road, Peterborough PE1 2TR T: 01733 554953 Emergencies only: 01733 896000 www.pengellyandmizen.co.uk

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