What could be wrong?

[Vicky the vet]

Ok, I've done quite a few of these surgeries. Saskatchewan they were silicates, different here in Ontario.

#1 It's not a bladder stone. It's in the urethra
#2 Dogs and cattle are NOT the same. The cattle have a cartilagenous penis, dogs have a bone. Surgery on them is not at all similar in this case.
#3 Surgery involves an incision below his anus, the penis being retracted so that the whole thing is pulled out thru the incision, then it is ligated, the urethra opened and sutured to allow urination to occur caudally. In other words, there isn't anything left to breed with. For a bull, that's the same as death. If you try to mess with the urethra, you'll get strictures and death.
#4 There is usually a single stone, maybe 2 stuck part way down the urinary tract between the bladder and the urethral orifice. These are about the size of a pea.

Any further questions?

 

[A&Mfarms]

:shock: There is nothing left to say

 

[Bez?]

Vicky - no questions - one comment.

Ouch!



Bez?

 

[Beefy]

*fainted*

 

[sidney411]

:lol:

Thanks Vicky for the explanation, I understand now and I wasn't realizing the location was not in the bladder. I thought when she said it was the size of a watermelon it had to be in the bladder. If it was found in the bladder could a successful surgery be made?

 

[Vicky the vet]

Can a bladder be operated on? I guess so, I've done it in a few other species. Have I ever done it in older cattle? Nope. For a few reasons....For example, how exactly am I going to diagnose it? By the time you'd notice a problem in cattle, they are likely having problems urinating and thus a big bladder. Unlike in dogs, urinalysis isn't routinely done, x-rays would be hard to obtain, ultrasound would be difficult due to depth from the probe.....also with a big bladder, I'd be unlikely to feel the stone. So....most animals would be given a shot of antibiotics or sent to slaughter, vs having a workup and surgery. But can a bladder be operated on? I honestly would have to say yes, since I've done newborns with ruptured bladders, just not larger ones.....