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What species, other than cats, form urethral plugs?
Urethral plugs have been submitted to the Minnesota Urolith Center from many species including cats, dogs, ferrets, raccoons, goats, sheep, and others.
Between 2010 and 2020, 143 urethral plugs from dogs were submitted to the Minnesota Urolith Center. The mineral component of 114 (80%) were struvite. 12 (8%) were composed of miscellaneous material without minerals. Calcium oxalate, calcium phosphate, urate, compound and mixed made up a small number of samples. While plugs were present in a variety of different breeds, 58% were from Pugs.
Clinical evaluation of 9 dogs with plugs (all struvite) at the University of Minnesota, Veterinary Teaching Hospital did not reveal an underlying cause; urinary tract infections were not diagnosed. Like cats, nutritional prevention of struvite was successful in preventing recurrence.
See our detailed Canine Struvite Risk Management Recommendations
