What is water belly in calves?

Answer 1

Water belly is another term for urinary stones that have formed in the bladder or kidneys or both. These calculi are comprised of clumped up mineral salts and tissue cells that block the urinary passage, disabling the animal to urinate properly, if at all. This condition is far more common in steers and bulls than cows or heifers. Water belly occurs most frequently in steers when they are between 5 and 18 months of age. It is more common in feedlot animals than those out on pasture.

Water belly is often caused by consuming an unbalanced quantity of certain minerals. Any minerals that are in excess in an animal's diet are filtered out by the kidneys and excreted as urine. Any minerals that are in high saturation in an animal's diet can lead to urine crystallization. Any animals that are short on water can develop very concentrated urine.

The term water belly stems from what happens when the bladder ruptures if a stone is blocking the urethral passage. The urine flows into the abdominal cavity, and though it causes temporary relief for the animal, the toxins from the urine cause swelling under the belly skin toward the chest. Toxins that had been filtered out of the body by the kidneys are not being reabsorbed back into the bloodstream and slowly poisoning the animal to death. He usually becomes dull, stops eating, and may go into shock or become weak. Death usually occurs 48 hours after the bladder has ruptured.