June 24, 2026
Goat Urolithiasis — Obstructive
Blocked wether straining to urinate — time-critical and commonly fatal without intervention.
Unblock or lose the patient — your action plan.
3yo wether pygmy goat, straining to urinate x12 hrs, crying, kicking at belly. No urine output. Pulsating urethra. Feed is mostly grain with some hay. Blocked?
🚨OBSTRUCTIVE UROLITHIASIS — EMERGENCY — Classic presentation in a grain-fed wether. Bladder rupture risk is high at 12 hours. Relieve obstruction immediately.
Immediate Assessment
- Sedate: Xylazine 0.05–0.1 mg/kg IV/IM — exam and may relax urethra
- Examine urethral process (vermiform appendage) — stones lodge here frequently. Snip if visible.
- Palpate bladder (distended = intact, absent = possible rupture) + check for ventral SQ urine accumulation
- Stat bloodwork: BUN, creatinine, potassium — hyperkalemia can be fatal
Treatment Options (Escalating)
- Snip vermiform appendage — resolves ~30% of cases if stone is at the tip
- Tube cystostomy — temporary bladder catheter via ventral abdomen. Best field option. 2–4 weeks for stone dissolution.
- Perineal urethrostomy (PU) — permanent surgical opening, higher stricture risk in small ruminants
Medical Support
- IV fluids: Isotonic saline (avoid LRS if hyperkalemic) — 40–60 mL/kg/day
- Pain: Flunixin 1.1 mg/kg IV q12h | Ammonium chloride: 200 mg/kg/day to acidify urine
- Correct diet immediately: Minimum 2:1 hay-to-grain ratio, ideally eliminate grain
⚠️ Prevention (Critical)
- Diet is everything: High-grain diets cause phosphatic uroliths — feed >70% roughage, ensure 2:1 Ca:P ratio
- Ammonium chloride 0.5–1% of total ration as preventative + free-choice water with added salt
- Wethers castrated early have narrower urethras — higher risk lifelong
Your goat has a life-threatening urinary blockage from stones caused by the grain-heavy diet. We need to relieve it immediately or the bladder can rupture. I'll check the urethra tip first — if that fails, surgery is needed. Diet must change to primarily hay going forward.
Sources
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