Signs and Prognosis of Male Cattle with Urethral Occlusion

Abstract

The causes for disturbances of emptying of the urinary bladder can be either neurogenic or mechanical. Among the latter, large empyemata ("abscesses") of the urachus (which inhibit emptying of the bladder), and reductions of urethral lumen (occlusions) are more common than obstruction of the bladder, at least among patients of our clinic. Urethral occlusions can have luminal (obstruction or stricture) or extra-luminal (compression stenosis, e.g. by a hematoma of the penis, or malformations) causes. Urethral obstruction (i.e. partial or complete blockage of the urethral lumen from within) is usually caused by urinary calculi. As there are other causes for urethral obstruction which differ from obstructive urolithiasis both in signs and prognosis, a prospective study was undertaken with the objective to create a detailed description of the clinical signs in cattle with urethral occlusion and to define prognostic indicators.