Bulldog Organ Conditions

Urolithiasis

Urolithiasis is a condition in which crystals in the urine combine to form stones, also called calculi or uroliths. These can be found anywhere in the urinary tract, where they cause irritation and secondary infection. Most end up in the bladder or urethra.

Several different types have been identified, with struvite stones (magnesium ammonium phosphate) being by far the most common, except in the Dalmatian. Any breed can develop uroliths, but a genetic predispostion to producing crystals makes the development of stones more likely.

Dalmatians have a defect in the pathway that normally leads to the breakdown of urates, which are a by-product of protein digestion. This results in increased urate excretion in the urine (4 to 8 times that of other breeds), and this predisposes them to the formation of urate crystals and eventually, stones.

In some other breeds, an inherited defect in a different pathway causes excessive urinary excretion of the amino acid cystine, resulting in cystine crystals and potentially stones in the urine.

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