A 9 year old Standardbred gelding was referred to SVEC. The horse was not racing well and the owner found blood in his urine.

What is your diagnosis and next steps/treatments?

The referring veterinarian performed a rectal exam, scoped the bladder, did a urinalysis and ran bloodwork. The scope revealed a bladder stone was present. During the rectal exam the palpation revealed the stone to be about the size of a golf ball. The horse was referred to the SVEC surgical service for a bladder stone removal.

The horse was placed under general anesthesia for the stone removal. Peri-operative intravenous antibiotic and intramuscular antibiotics were administered. Intravenous anti-inflammatory therapy and a Tetanus Toxoid vaccination were also given. The urethra was catheterized and local anesthetic was applied up the urethra. The stone was removed from the bladder in large and small pieces. Thorough lavage with suction was performed. Antibiotic was applied into the surgical site after suturing of the linea alba took place. The muscle layers were closed with absorbable suture and the skin layer was closed with non-absorbable suture.

Upon going home, he was on stall rest with 10 to 15 minutes of hand walking for 4 weeks. At the 4 week mark they had an appointment with their home veterinarian to evaluate and to receive further exercise recommendations.

Currently he is jogging 2 miles per day and hoping to go back to racing in December!