Acute urethral obstruction in a breeding ram associated with throughout intra-luminal blood clots and severe azotemia

Urethral obstruction is a critical problem in small ruminants, as it affects breeding rams and so invaluable genetic reserves of the animals. A three-year-old breeding ram was referred to Teaching and Research Hospital with anuria in the previous two days. The ram was the only one in the flock with permanent access to fat-tailed ewes. Other signs consisted of severe depression, inappetence, weakness, and final lateral recumbency. It detected firmness of the enlarged penis in the palpation. However, clearly, there was no penis-external swelling or even local subcutaneous edema. The right flank made a loud splashing sound, and the abdomen’s percussion revealed that there had been an enormous buildup of blood-tinged peritoneal fluid. Ultrasonographic imaging showed a completely distended urinary bladder. The ram died eventually and the distended urinary bladder opened in necropsy, a large amount of blood-tinged urine flashed out. The urethra incised, but no urinary stones detected in thelumen. Otherwise, widespread intra-luminal blood clotting observed at the entire length in the urethral lumen. Hence, this syndrome may be confused with urolithiasis which should be precisely be differentiated in male ruminants. There are no available data concerning the entity in the literature.