Prospective Clinical Study on the Occurrence of Ovine Urolithiasis in Kashmir Valley of India

Abstract

Background: The study was conducted on confirmed sheep patients suffering from complete retention of urine. Methods: A complete history regarding the age, breed and sex of the animal, castration, duration of illness, managemental practices, feeding habits of the animals, early signs of the disease, previous treatment, if any, were recorded. Result: An overall incidence of 27.11% of obstructive urolithiasis was recorded in sheep. All these cases were intact rams with different age groups, weights and of different breeds. Highest (78.68%) incidence of ovine obstructive urolithiasis was recorded during winter season. Young lambs of 2-6 months of age were found most affected with obstructive urolithiasis (31.14%). Cross bred Kashmir Merino was most affected followed by cross bred corridale (18.3%) and non descript local breeds of ovine (8.9%). The highest (60.65%) cases were brought to the clinics 48-96 hours after the onset of the disease. The cases from far flung areas and hilly terrain were usually received as late as 120-144 hours of illness. The losses could be averted to a great extent by apprising the farmers about the preventive measures of the disease and imparting them training about the balanced feeding and good managemental practices of sheep rearing.