Ridgway and Schroeder published findings on the analysis of renal stones in Tursiops truncatus in a previous IAAAM Proceedings (1990). Their results showed that all renal stones from 10+ animals consisted of pure uric acid. The sample population consisted of wild and captive specimens and most specimens were incidental findings at necropsy. Townsend (personal communication) has diagnosed and treated renal uric acid stones in Tursiops.

We have diagnosed renal stone disease in 2 dolphins (1 male and 1 female) by the use of ultrasonography and/or radiology and clinical pathology. One additional animal has shown hyperechoic renal pathology, but no clinical signs of disease as shown by abnormal blood and urine values. Therefore, one can divide renal stone disease into two basic categories of clinical and non-clinical renal stone disease.

Our clinical cases have been intriguing in that both have presented with glomerulonephritis in addition to clinical stone disease. In humans and other land mammals clinical stone disease is rarely seen in association with glomerulonephritis.

This presentation will discuss clinical signs of uric acid stone disease including glomerulonephritis along with ultrasound images of affected kidneys. In addition, the treatment of the acute and recovery phases of renal stone syndrome will be discussed.