Management of canine urolithiasis by cystotomy in a two-year old Lhasa Apso bitch

Canine urolithiasis is a common urinary tract disease requiring a rapid definitive diagnosis for immediate surgical and/or non-surgical therapy. The calculi may be microscopic or macroscopic, and when detected, the condition should be treated, either surgically or conservatively. This paper presents a surgical management of urolithiasis in a two-year old Lhasa apso bitch. The dog was haematuric for two weeks and had been on ceftriaxone and diclofenac for the period. Urolithiasis was confirmed following ultrasonography. The dog was pre-medicated with 0.02 mg/kg atropine sulphate and 2 mg/kg xylazine, while anaesthesia was induced and maintained with 10 mg/kg of 5% ketamine. Following aseptic patient preparation, the peritoneal cavity was accessed via a caudal ventral midline incision. The bladder was incised and the uroliths were evacuated via a cystotomy incision. Retrograde flushing of the urethra was performed to propel uroliths into the bladder for removal. The urinary bladder was closed with polyglycolic acid in Lambert suture pattern. The peritoneum and muscles were sutured using catgut in simple continuous suture. The skin was closed with silk using horizontal mattress suture pattern. The dog recovered uneventfully from the surgery and the wound healed after two weeks, at which time the skin suture was removed Keywords: Bladder, calculi, cystotomy, urolith, urolithiasis.