UNILATERAL NEPHROLITHIASIS AND HYDRONEPHROSIS TREATED WITH NEPHRECTOMY IN A CAPTIVE MOUNTAIN TAPIR ().
Case Report
Mountain tapirs () are endangered land mammals and there are few descriptions of urinary diseases that affect them. This report describes a 17-year-old mountain tapir presenting with hyporexia and chronic weight loss caused by unilateral nephrolithiasis and hydronephrosis. Unilateral nephrectomy returned this mountain tapir to normal weight with resolution of clinical signs. Characteristics of the smooth circular uroliths found in this mountain tapir were consistent with the rarer type II variant found in horses and was composed of 100% calcium carbonate. Type II uroliths in horses typically have amorphous shapes and include phosphate. This case showed that mountain tapirs are susceptible to nephrolithiasis, which may progress to hydronephrosis, and that unilateral nephrectomy is a feasible treatment. Despite the success of nephrectomy in this case, further investigation is required in captive mountain tapirs to more clearly understand management of nephrolithiasis and how it equates with what is known in horses.
