Canine urolithiasis: a look at over 16 000 urolith submissions to the Canadian Veterinary Urolith Centre from February 1998 to April 2003.

The purpose of this study was to report on the age, sex, breed, and mineral composition of 16 647 canine bladder uroliths submitted to the Canadian Veterinary Urolith Centre between February 1998 and April 2003. Each urolith submission was accompanied by a questionnaire. Of the submissions, approximately 43.8% were struvite and 41.5% oxalate. Struvite uroliths were most common in female dogs. Mixed breed dogs predominated, followed by the shih tzu, bichon frise, miniature schnauzer, Lhasa apso, and Yorkshire terrier. Oxalate uroliths were most common in males and in the miniature schnauzer, bichon frise, Lhasa apso, shih tzu, and Yorkshire terrier. Urate uroliths were most common in male Dalmations. Other urolith types, including cystine, xanthine, silica, and calcium phosphate, were less commonly reported. A review of risk factors for the various uroliths is presented, along with some recommendations for treatment and prevention.

Feline urethral plugs and bladder uroliths: a review of 5484 submissions 1998-2003.

The results of 5484 submissions from cats to the Canadian Veterinary Urolith Centre between February 1998 and February 2003 are presented. Of the submissions, 618 were urethral plugs and 4866 were bladder uroliths. The majority of the urethral plugs were from male domestic shorthair and longhair cats. Approximately 50% of the urolith submissions were oxalate, 44% were struvite. Oxalate uroliths were the most common mineral type in males and in Himalayan, Persian, and Siamese cats. Struvite uroliths were the most common mineral type in domestic shorthair and longhair cats. Females outnumbered males by 1.4:1 in struvite urolith submissions. A review of risk factors for urethral plugs and bladder uroliths is presented.