Obstructive urolithiasis in male buffalo calves - A report of three cases

Abstract

Urolithiasis is a common disease of ruminants caused by formation of calculi in the urinary tract with subsequent blockage to urine outflow consequently leading to uremia and death. It has been attributed to be the fifth most prevalent cause of death in feedlots (Singh et al., 1981). In India, urolithiasis has mostly been reported in bullocks, goat, sheep and buffaloes from different corners of the country (Tyagi and Singh, 1993). It appears to affect equally both sexes; however, urinary blockage is an important problem only in males because of the anatomical conformation of their urinary tract (Larson, 1996; Radostits et al., 2000). The condition is predisposed by feeding dry paddy straw diet without urea treatment and mineral mixture supplementation. This paper reports three cases of obstractive urolithasis in male buffalo calves.