Bladder problems or struggling to urinate

We are often presented with horses that have a problem urinating or straining to urinate often during riding. These symptoms can suggest a number of problems but it can also be a primary bladder or kidney problem.

One way to make an assessment is to have a look inside the bladder. This is relatively easily done with the equipment we have and can make an assessment relatively easily.

We want to see no signs of stones, any abnormal urine coming from either ureter. Also no thickening of the bladder wall. It should have a normal appearance as seen here.

When we ultrasound we are also looking for bladder stones or thickening of the bladder wall.

The final thing to do is get a sample of the urine to assess for any infections.