Prevalence and types of urinary calculi in male sheep in Fars province, southern Iran.

Considering that most urinary calculi in ruminants are formed in sigmoid flexure, urethral process and urinary bladder, these organs were collected from slaughtered male sheep from Fars Meat Complex. The first step was to take a radiograph. All parts of the penile urethra and urinary bladder were then palpated for possible presence of calculi. Finally, the urethra and urinary bladder were opened using a surgical blade. Out of 600 specimens, only two (0.3%) had urolithiasis: one of them was in the urethral process and the other one was in the sigmoid flexure. The two cases were from flocks grazing ranges located in the north of the province where the climate is cold and animals are mainly fed on concentrates. They were both rams: one was 2.5 and the other 4-year-old. The composition of one calculus was struvite (MgNH4PO4.6H20) and the other was made of apatite [calcium phosphate, Ca3 (PO4)2].