Caused by a calcium to phosphorus imbalance that promotes alkaline urine high in phosphorus. Cattle occasionally develop urinary calculi — kidney stones or bladder stones that are mineralized clumps in the urinary tract. In cattle, bladder stones are more common than kidney stones.
Smaller stones usually pass out with the urine but sometimes become caught and create a blockage. This happens more frequently in males, and rarely in females due to their larger and shorter urethra. Clinical signs in early stages of blockage are going off feed, a hunched back, obvious discomfort, straining to urinate, and a stretched-out stance with the tail waving or switching due to irritation, and sometimes urine dribbling. Surgery is the surest cure if used soon after the problem is first discovered. Animals that have been surgically corrected are marketable after a period of time to eliminate tissue residues of urine and medications.
Smaller stones usually pass out with the urine but sometimes become caught and create a blockage. This happens more frequently in males, and rarely in females due to their larger and shorter urethra. Clinical signs in early stages of blockage are going off feed, a hunched back, obvious discomfort, straining to urinate, and a stretched-out stance with the tail waving or switching due to irritation, and sometimes urine dribbling. Surgery is the surest cure if used soon after the problem is first discovered. Animals that have been surgically corrected are marketable after a period of time to eliminate tissue residues of urine and medications.