Many animals have bladder problems but among the most serious and urgent is having a blocked bladder. This is much more common in male animals than female animals because the pipe to the outside world is very thin and easily clogged.
Some animals will alert their owners by constantly straining to urinate. Others just become progressively more listless and unwell. Male cats will often sit on their bottoms like a human and constantly lick at their genitals.
An immediate veterinary examination is required if you suspect your animal has a blocked bladder. Luckily some animals who are constantly straining are doing this because the bladder is inflamed and empty rather than blocked, but an examination is needed to differentiate these two things.
Male cats are built with very small very thin penises. They can extrude their penises a maximum of 20mm. The urethral pipe is 2-3mm in diameter. If there is any debris such as stones or proteinaceous sludge emptying from the bladder it can plug the urethral pipe. This is very bad news! As urine is produced, it can’t leave the bladder and starts to slow down kidney function. The urine backlog quickly leads to kidney failure.
Male dogs interestingly have a bone in their penis called the ‘ospenis’. Stones (called ‘uroliths’) can move down the male dog urethra but then get caught at the beginning of the ospenis. The pressure and inflammation caused by the blockage can then make it very difficult to dislodge the blockage.
If you have any concerns about your animal and suspect they may have a blocked bladder please call us immediately on 9913 7979
With prompt treatment we can save their lives and relieve this terrible problem.
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