Ascending urinary tract infection in ponies.

The main point of this research article is that two young ponies, who had part of their penises accidentally amputated during castration, subsequently developed ascending urinary tract infections.

Background

• The authors of the study present a rare case of urinary tract infections in two young ponies.
• The ponies had part of their penises amputated accidentally during a castration operation, an event that apparently led to the urinary tract infections.

Consequences of the Procedures

• Following the accidental amputation, the ponies developed ascending urinary tract infections within the next four weeks.
• ‘Ascending’ implies that the infection started in the lower urinary tract (urethra) and moved up to affect the higher urinary system, which consists of the bladder (causing cystitis), and possibly the kidneys (causing pyelonephritis).

Clinical Outcomes

• One of the ponies developed necrotising cystitis and pyelonephritis. Necrotising cystitis refers to an extremely severe bladder infection, wherein the bladder tissue begins to die due to the infection. Pyelonephritis is a type of kidney infection that can be serious if not treated promptly.
• The other pony showed significant improvement post a urethrostomy procedure. Urethrostomy is a surgical procedure usually carried out to alleviate obstructions in the urethra, the tube that carries urine out from the body. However, this pony had to be euthanized several months later for undisclosed reasons.