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  Discussion on Pink urine
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Member:
Heidim

Posted on Saturday, Aug 12, 2006 - 5:23 pm:

Dr. O, I am interested in buying a laidback teenage part-draft gelding. During my inspection, he urinated and the urine was noticeably pink/red. He also grunted some, so it appeared painful to urinate. The owners believe it is a bladder infection or possible stones and are having the horse checked out by their vet. My question has to do with recurrence. Is there any way to tell if this is a one-time or chronic condition?
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Sunday, Aug 13, 2006 - 6:23 pm:

Actually all of that is within the range of normal for horses, for more on this and for information on urinalysis see, Diseases of Horses » Urinary System » Normal Urination in Horses.
DrO
Member:
Heidim

Posted on Friday, Aug 18, 2006 - 6:40 pm:

The results are in, and the gelding has a bladder stone. I really like this horse, and the owner really wants to make a sale. He says he will lower the price if I'm willing to take the risk and have the surgery done. His vet says this is a typical stone case and expects the gelding will do well with the surgery. I will be contacting my vet next week, but I'd like to know your view, too. I read elsewhere on this site that too much calcium may have caused the problem. Does this mean the horse is possibly being fed too much calcium, or does this mean he doesn't process it well and his next owner will have to feed him special? I'm willing to take the risk on a relatively low-risk procedure if that's the end of it. However, I sure don't want to walk into a chronic situation nor do I want to mess with special dietary needs up the road. What can you tell me, Dr. O?
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Saturday, Aug 19, 2006 - 7:52 am:

When they remove the stone Heidi, they should have its composition analyzed and then you can make judgements as to the cause. If it does come back a calcium containing stone, as many do, certainly the diet should be adjusted to lower it as much as nutritionally sound but bladder stones in horses is not usually a recurring event.
DrO
Member:
Heidim

Posted on Saturday, Aug 19, 2006 - 10:08 am:

Dr. O, we feed only grass hay in winter and a higher content first-cutting alfalfa (70%) hay in winter. My guess is that is too much alfalfa to feed the horse if the it is a calcium-containing stone, correct? Also, what else do stones contain if not calcium and what is the cause of such stones?
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Monday, Aug 21, 2006 - 8:30 am:

Hmmm we assume these horses would be better off with lower calcium diets, so yes you would discontinue alfalfa, but it is not certain at this time that high calcium diets are the cause. Also recommended is urinary acidification as outlined in our article on kidney stones.

I should have been clearer Heidi, it is usually not the composition that may be of help so much as the form of the stone. If what is found is a sandy mucousy condition of the bladder, referred to as "sabulous urolithiasis" it may indicate a chronic bladder paresis as opposed to a one or several large stones.

In horses it is almost always assumed the stones are calcium carbonate, but we know other species have stones composed of other substances like calcium phosphate, urate, magnesium ammonium phosphate and even some genetic metabolic disorders resulting in crystal formation. Each of these represents a different potential cause so I have always practiced and recommended evaluation of the stones though most come back calcium carbonate but it surprises me how often this is not recommended even in texts, I wonder how many conditions we are missing.

Urolithiasis is rare in horses and in the few cases I have seen personally they have not recurred following surgical removal or lithotripsy. Also in the case studies I have reviewed representing maybe 50 cases recurrence has not been reported. However when reviewing several text books for this reply I found this statement in the most recent of Current Therapy Equine: Stones reoccur in as many as 40% of the cases. I cannot find the basis for this statement but it is different than what I personally have found through experience and research.
DrO
Member:
Heidim

Posted on Saturday, Aug 26, 2006 - 10:48 pm:

Thanks for the feedback, Dr. O. We've decided against the sale. If we knew the horse better, it might be different. As is, it just doesn't seem worth the risk.
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