CURRENT COMPOSITION AND BREED DISTRIBUTIO N OF CANINE URINARY STONES

5706 canine urinary stones were analyzed by means of infrared spectros copy from 1984-1996. The stones were sent in together with epidemiolog ic data (breed, age, sex, localisation of the stones, type of stone re moval, stone frequency etc.) by more than 800 veterinarians from Germa ny, the Netherlands, Austria, and Switzerland. Irrespective of stone t ype, urinary stones were observed in almost all breeds, but small bree ds like dachshound, poodle, terrier, schnauzer, and pekingese have a h igher tendency to form stones. With 59.5% struvite is the most frequen t stone type, followed by cystine with 15.5%. Cystine stones are becom ing less frequent during the observation time, whereas the share of ca lcium oxalate (14.2%) and ammonium urate (6.0%) stones remains unchang ed. The latter stone types are found predominantly in specific breeds. The stone formation appears predominantly at the age of 7. Male dogs form stones twice as often as female dogs. 98% of the stones were loca ted in the lower urinary tract. About 90% of the urinary stones requir ed surgical treatment.