Urolithiasis in Small Ruminants and Pigs

Presentation Description / Summary: Urolithiasis is a frustrating disease condition for veterinarians and owners because of the costs associated with management, complications associated with medical and surgical procedures, high likelihood of recurrence, and overall guarded long-term prognosis for survival. Castration before sexual maturity ( < 6-8 months), diet, urinary tract infections, and decreased water intake have been suggested as important risk factors for the occurrence of urolithiasis. The poor survival rates following medical and surgical procedures, and the prevention of the disease, have a significant impact on disease occurrence. The addition of urine acidifiers, such as ammonium chloride or methionine, to the diet, increasing water intake by spraying salt on hay, or warming up drinking water during cold weather, and avoiding diets with high macro-mineral content, such as alfalfa hay and grains, have been recommended as approaches to prevent the occurrence of urolithiasis. In some instances, clients only feed water with a known mineral content in anticipation of decreasing intake of minerals associated with urolithiasis, such as calcium and magnesium. However, urolithiasis is still reported in patients who have been raised following all the recommendations aimed at reducing the prevalence of urolithiasis. Identification of other risks, including the roles of trace minerals, calcifying nanoparticles, and lipid peroxidation metabolites, may provide new pathophysiologic mechanisms, treatments, and preventive measures for urolithiasis.
This presentation will discuss published, preliminary studies, and anecdotal impression on the role of trace minerals, calcifying nanoparticles, and lipid peroxidation metabolites in urolithiasis in small ruminants and pigs.