Ruminant Urogenital Flashcards

1
Q

How would you examine the urinary system?

A

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

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2
Q

Where does the bladder sit in the female cow?

A

Ventral to vagina

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3
Q

What is the normal specific gravity of cow urine?

A

1.020-1.045

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4
Q

What should you check on a urinalysis when investigating the urinary system?

A
Colour
Pus/blood?
Specific gravity (1.020-1.045)
pH (normally alkaline)
Protein-usually trace only
Glucose-usually trace only
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5
Q

Give some clinical signs of urinary disease and possible causes

A

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)

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6
Q

Give some possible causes of haematuria (blood in urine)

A
Pyelonephritis (+ pus)
Cystitis
Urolithiasis
Enzootic haematuria
Acute bracken poisoning
Toxic nephrosis (acorns)
Glomerulonephritis, renal infarction etc
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7
Q

Give some possible causes of haemoglobinuria

A
Babesiosis ('redwater', breakdown of RBCs in circulation)
Post-parturient haemoglobinuria
Bacillary haemoglobinuria (Clostridium haemoliticum)
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8
Q

What is hypospadia?

A

Congenital abnormality

Urethra opens anywhere along length of penis at one or more locations

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9
Q

What would you see in a calf with a patent urachus?

A

Urine dribbling from umbilicus

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10
Q

Which bacteria classically causes pyelonephritis?

A

Corynebacterium renale

Also E.coli

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11
Q

Give some clinical signs of pyelonephritis

A

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

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12
Q

How do you treat pyelonephritis?

What is the prognosis like?

A

Long course antibiotics (penicillins, oxytet)

1/3 get better, 1/3 get better but recur, 1/3 never get better

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13
Q

What condition is often associated with pyelonephritis?

A

Cystitis

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14
Q

Cystitis can occur secondary to what?

A

Dystocia (ascending infection)

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15
Q

What are the clinical signs of cystitis?

A

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

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16
Q

How do you treat cystitis?

A

Antibiotics (penicillins, oxytet)

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17
Q

Describe amyloidosis in the cow

A

Not common
Deposition of amyloid and ab/ag complexes
Can be primary or secondary to other chronic infections

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18
Q

What are the clinical signs of amyloidosis?

A
Off food and ill
Profuse diarrhoea (rule out Johnes disease)
Generalised subcutaneous oedema
PUPD
Proteinuria
Low plasma albumin
Pale swollen kidneys
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19
Q

Describe enzootic haematuria in the cow

A

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)

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20
Q

Enzootic haematuria is associated with long term ingestion of what?

A

Bracken

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21
Q

How can bracken poisoning affect sheep?

A

‘Bright blindness’ (retinal atrophy)

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22
Q

What substance in bracken is toxic in horses but not ruminants?

A

Thiaminase (inhibits uptake of thiamin, a B vitamin)

23
Q

Give some clinical signs of bracken poisoning

A
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
24
Q

Toxic nephrosis occurs after ingestion of what?

A

Acorns (doesn’t affect pigs)

25
Q

How do acorns cause toxic nephrosis?

A

Tannins in acorns cause kidney damage

Death in 4-7 days despite supportive treatment

26
Q

Give the clinical signs of toxic nephrosis

A

Sudden death
Anorexia, depression, bloat due to ruminal stasis
Constipation and straining
Foetid tarry diarrhoea

27
Q

Which bacteria causes bacillary haemoglobinuria?

Where is it found?

A
Clostridium haemolyticum (Black disease)
In soil and dormant in liver
28
Q

What may act as a trigger for bacillary haemoglobinuria?

A

Migrating fluke (Black disease)

29
Q

Giv the clinical signs of bacillary haemoglobinuria

A

Pyrexia, jaundice, anaemia, oedema, haemoglobinuria

Fatal

30
Q

How can you prevent bacillary haemoglobinuria?

A

Vaccinate against Black disease

31
Q

What causes babesiosis (redwater)?

A

Babesia divergens

32
Q

Give the clinical signs of babesiosis

A
Pyrexia
Anaemia and haemoglobinuria (port-coloured urine)
Diarrhoea
Later:
-Constipated
-Temerature falls
-Anaemia/jaundice
33
Q

How do you dignose babesiosis?

A

Blood smear-capillary blood from ear
Parasites in RBCs
PCV (anaemia)
ELISA to assess herd exposure

34
Q

How do you treat babesiosis?
What is the dose?
What is the meat and milk withhold?

A
Imidocarb
213 days meat, 21 day milk withhold
Inform DVM
Curative: 1ml/100kg once, SC
Preventative: 2.5ml/100kg once, 4 wks cover
35
Q

When does post-paturient haemoglobinuria occur?

A

1-4 weeks after calving

Uncommon-older, high yielding dairy cows

36
Q

Give the aetiology of post-parturient haemoglobinura

A

Low phosphorus diet

Kale, rape, turnips etc

37
Q

Give the clinical signs of post-parturient haemoglobinuria

A

Sudden onset
Haemoglobinuria, pallor, jaundice
Collapse, dyspnoea, death

38
Q

How do you treat post-parturient haemoglobinuria?

A

Phosphorus
Blood transfusion
Guarded prognosis

39
Q

Which anti-coagulant would you add to cows blood for a transfusion?

A

Sodium citrate

10ml of a 3.85% solution added per 100ml of blood

40
Q

How much blood would you collect from a donor cow for a blood transfusion?

A

5 litres

Collect using a jugular trochar or 10/12G catheter

41
Q

Urolithiasis usually affects rams of what age?

A

2-4 month old (penis not fully developed, may have problems exteriorising penis)

42
Q

Which calculi are usually responsible for causing urolithiasis in rams?

A

Calcium/magnesium phosphate

43
Q

Which factors may lead to urolithiasis in rams?

A

Ca:P imbalance in diet
High concentrate diet
Water deprivation

44
Q

Give some clinical signs of calculi

A
Restlessness
Abdominal pain (kicking) and straining
Dysuria or anuria
Preputial crystals/sand
Progressive until urethra and/or bladder ruptures
45
Q

How could you test for a ruptured bladder?

A

Plasma/abdominal fluid will have high urea and creatinine

46
Q

In how many locations could the male urogenital system become blocked with calculi?

A

3:
Sigmoid flexure
Urethral appendage
Urethral recess

47
Q

How would you diagnose water belly?

A
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)
48
Q

What causes water belly?

A

Formation of small stones in the urinary tract causes the retention of urine and rupture of the urinary bladder or urethra

49
Q

How do you treat urolithiasis (water belly)?

A

Relaxants (Buscopan)
Casualty slaughter
Referral if hasn’t urinated in 2 hours
Can surgically remove

50
Q

In which 2 ways could you surgically remove calculi in rams with urolithiasis?

A
  1. Exteriorise end of penis (sedate, LA, forceps into prepuce and cut down midway, may have to partially amputate vermiform appendage)
  2. Catheterise urethra, flush with LA and Walpole’s solution (may damage epithelium if stricture)
51
Q

How would you perform a urethrostomy?

A

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

52
Q

How would you treat water belly?

A

Incise skin in multiple sites to produce drainage

Bath/spray with salt water if pet animal

53
Q

How could you prevent (re) occurrence of urolithiasis in rams?

A
Urinary acidification (ammonium chloride)
Check diet (no added magnesium, improve access to water, calcium/phosphorus ratio should  1.2-2:1)