[Someone here asked about this a while ago due to academic interest, but the vet I needed to ask was away, we had some family emergencies, and with one thing or another the topic just got forgotten. Today am putting together some posts a vet needs and found this so I am sending it in. I can't recall what else the person was curious about with dysuria but the questions could be asked at the FHL. --Sukie] http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Ferret-Health-list/message/9630 [old URL - no longer accessible] The most common cause of dysuria in male ferrets is prostatic disease as a result of adrenal disease. Our belief for many years that crystals in the urine was causing these animals not to be able to urinate was simply incorrect. Crystalluria (sandy crystals and plugs in the urine) do occasionally happen, but nowhere as commonly as adrenal disease will cause this problem. With adrenal disease, the estrogens result in the prostate swelling and occluding the urethra as it passes through. These animals cannot voluntarily urinate, but the bladder is easily expressed. Differentiation of the two syndromes can be accomplished by one or more of the following tests: 1) Evacuating the bladder. If the ferret is having trouble urinating, but you express the bladder by hand and urine comes out easily, then it is likely the prostate. If the urine does not come out, or only dribbles out, urinary stones are a more likely cause. 2) Look for other symptoms of adrenal disease - hair loss, behavioral changes such as marking or aggression. If it is still in doubt, the blood tests available at the University of Tenn. for adrenal disease will help. 3) Do a urinalysis, to include a sediment exam. While both causes will result in WBC's in the urine, there are usually far more in prostatic disease, as there is often suppurative inflammation coming out of the bladder. The sediment in prostatic disease will have numerous white blood cells, and flakes of keratin. In urinary stones, you will see many urine. The pH of urine in crystalluria is usually more alkaline. It is usually best to look at several of these parameters before a decision to do surgery is made. While a perineal urethrostomy will not hurt a ferret with prostatic disease, it is not helpful. However, a PU is always a good idea in ferrets with recurrent urinary crystals. With kindest regards, Bruce Williams, DVM [Posted in FML issue 4084]