Clinical Characteristics of Cats with Urolithiasis Treated at Veterinary Hospital of Londrina State University (VH-LSU) Parana-Brazil from 2007 to 2015
Urolithiasis affects approximately 20% of cats with lower urinary tract symptoms. The most frequent uroliths are calcium oxalate and struvite. Its prevalence has undergone considerable changes over the last 20 years and is associated with the use of commercial dry diets. The objective is to describe the clinical characteristics of cats with urolithiasis treated at VH-LSU from 2007 to 2015. Forty-seven records of patients with urolithiasis and its uroliths or urethral plugs were quantitatively evaluated by the Minnesota Urolith Center (USA) in partnership with Hill's Pet Nutrition. Struvite was the most common mineral type (27) among the 32 uroliths, followed by calcium oxalate (4) and urate (1). All struvite stones were obtained from urinary bladder and prevailed in mixed-breed animals (21), female (17), with an average age of 35.1 months. Half (2) of oxalate stones were obtained from urinary bladder and the other half were ureteral, with three Persian and one Siamese, with a mean age of 56.5 months. The only cat with vesical lithiasis by urate was a 96-month-old Siamese. The 15 samples of urethral plugs were struvite, the majority obtained from mixed breeds (11), all males, with a mean age of 24.6 months. Contrary to the global trend, the predominant mineral in feline uroliths was struvite. The fact can be explained by dietary profile of our patients (non-therapeutic diets). The plugs' analysis was similar to the literature, and there is no explanation why its prevalence has not undergone significant changes over the years.