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Vetdle Archive

Archive Case #197: Ovine Urolithiasis

Sheep veterinary case - Easy - September 16, 2026

Clinical Clues

  1. A ram lamb is presented for repeated straining and tail flicking with very little urine produced.
  2. The owner notices crystals around the preputial opening and increasing discomfort.
  3. The lamb becomes depressed and stands with a tucked-up painful abdomen.
  4. The urinary bladder is distended on examination.
  5. Dietary history reveals a high-concentrate ration with poor mineral balance.
  6. Urinary calculi causing obstruction are an important cause of dysuria in male sheep on grain-rich diets.

Diagnosis

Ovine Urolithiasis

This case is most consistent with Ovine Urolithiasis because the lamb has dysuria, a distended bladder, and a high-risk dietary history for urinary stones. The most important clues are the male small-ruminant signalment and obstructive urinary pattern, which make simple cystitis less likely.

Learning review

Review the case evidence

Use the paired clues to explain how the evidence in this sheep case supports the provided diagnosis, Ovine Urolithiasis, then compare your reasoning with the case explanation.

Evidence checkpoints

Clues 1-2

  1. Clue 1: A ram lamb is presented for repeated straining and tail flicking with very little urine produced.
  2. Clue 2: The owner notices crystals around the preputial opening and increasing discomfort.

Clues 3-4

  1. Clue 3: The lamb becomes depressed and stands with a tucked-up painful abdomen.
  2. Clue 4: The urinary bladder is distended on examination.

Clues 5-6

  1. Clue 5: Dietary history reveals a high-concentrate ration with poor mineral balance.
  2. Clue 6: Urinary calculi causing obstruction are an important cause of dysuria in male sheep on grain-rich diets.

Self-review prompts

  1. After clues 1-2, what evidence from this sheep case shaped your initial interpretation?
  2. When you compare clues 3-4 with clues 1-2, what changed in your reasoning about Ovine Urolithiasis?
  3. How do clues 5-6 align with the case explanation for Ovine Urolithiasis?

Educational Use

Vetdle archive cases are educational veterinary games for diagnostic reasoning practice. They do not provide veterinary advice, diagnosis, treatment, or professional medical guidance.