Urate nephrolithiasis in ranch mink.

Urate nephrolithiasis with epistaxis and bleeding around foot pads was diagnosed in ranch mink. Investigation of affected, unaffected-related, and unaffected-unrelated mink did not disclose the cause of these problems but did eliminate inherited bleeding disorders as a cause of the bleeding. All affected mink were males, had been sired by related sires, and were affected in the 1st year of life. Elimination of affected mink and their parents from the breeding stock eliminated the condition from the herd. The findings were consistent with an inherited defect in uric acid metabolism or excretion.