http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23547673

J Am Vet Med Assoc. 2013 Apr 15;242(8):1099-103.
doi: 10.2460/javma.242.8.1099.

Epidemiological evaluation of cystine urolithiasis in domestic ferrets
(Mustela putorius furo): 70 cases (1992-2009).

Nwaokorie EE, Osborne CA, Lulich JP, Albasan H.

Source
Minnesota Urolith Center, Veterinary Clinical Sciences Department,
College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul,
MN 55108.

Abstract

Objective-To determine the prevalence of cystine uroliths in domestic
ferrets with urolithiasis and determine whether age, breed, sex,
reproductive status, anatomic location, and season are risk factors
associated with cystine urolith formation.

Design-Retrospective cross-sectional case-control study.

Sample-Records of 435 ferrets (Mustela putorius furo) with uroliths
submitted for analyses between 1992 and 2009, of which 70 were cystine
uroliths.

Procedures-Specific descriptive information was obtained about each
ferret to determine whether specific risk factors were associated with
the development of cystine uroliths.

Results-Cystine uroliths comprised 70 of the 435 (16%) uroliths.
Cystine uroliths were more common in male (n = 54) than in female (16)
ferrets. All cystine uroliths were retrieved from the lower portion of
the urinary tract (bladder and urethra [n = 67]) or were voided (3);
none of the uroliths were retrieved from the upper portion of the
urinary tract (kidney and ureters).

Conclusions and Clinical Relevance-Awareness of the prevalence of
cystine uroliths along with knowledge of etiologic, demographic,
and environmental risk and protective factors for urolithiasis may
facilitate development of surveillance strategies that result in
earlier detection of cystinuria. Genetic factors associated with this
disease have not yet been reported in ferrets, but a familial pattern
of inheritance determined to be a major underlying factor in cystine
urolithiasis in dogs and humans suggests that this may be a factor in
ferrets and that the parent stock offerrets in the present study may
have been inbred.

PMID: 23547673 [PubMed - in process]

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