{"id":20942,"date":"2024-02-06T07:55:05","date_gmt":"2024-02-06T13:55:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vetmed.tamu.edu\/news\/?p=20942"},"modified":"2024-02-06T07:55:06","modified_gmt":"2024-02-06T13:55:06","slug":"madstone-francis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vetmed.tamu.edu\/news\/press-releases\/madstone-francis\/","title":{"rendered":"Texas A&M Veterinarians Remove Oddly Shaped Kidney Stone From Dog\u2019s Urethra"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\"Crook
Crook and Francis<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

When acclaimed Texas author Elizabeth Crook began writing her recent novel, \u201cThe Madstone,\u201d she never anticipated that veterinarians would find a \u201cmadly\u201d shaped stone inside her own beloved dog, Francis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Crook\u2019s novel takes its name from a type of stone in American folklore made up of minerals and other materials that would accumulate into rock-like structures in the digestive systems of ruminant animals, most specifically deer. Madstones, as they were called, were believed to draw the virus out of a rabid animal\u2019s bite and prevent rabies from developing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unfortunately, unlike madstones, Francis\u2019 stone was not helpful, though it did have its own fascinating properties. Made of small bladder crystals that had formed into one piece that was several centimeters long, the strange sea cucumber-shaped urinary stone made urination difficult and painful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thankfully, veterinarians at the Texas A&M Small Animal Teaching Hospital<\/a> (SATH) were able to remove the stone from inside the 12-year-old miniature schnauzer\u2019s urethra using a special flexible scope, putting Francis on the road to recovery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Diagnosing The Problem<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Francis entered Crook\u2019s life on her son\u2019s 16th birthday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy son, Joseph, had a friend whose dog had given birth to a litter of puppies. He really bonded with one of the puppies, so the friend gave the pup to him as a birthday present and Joseph named the little guy Francis,\u201d Crook said. \u201cWe already had a dog, but my husband and I talked it over and agreed to let my son keep him.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But it was Francis and Crook who soon developed a special bond.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHe was just 6 weeks when Joseph brought him home and put him in my arms,\u201d she said. \u201cHe\u2019s been by my side, on my lap, or in my arms ever since.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Francis is particular about who his favorite person is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHe relates to the whole family, but he\u2019s very much my dog,\u201d Crook said. \u201cHe follows me from room to room all day, and he\u2019s also protective. He\u2019s small, but he\u2019ll take on any stranger he deems suspicious.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"X-ray
X-ray of Francis’ abdomen, showing the stone in his urethra<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

However, it was Crook\u2019s turn to be concerned last spring when Francis appeared to be having problems urinating.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHe\u2019d had two previous surgeries for bladder stones, so we\u2019re very careful to keep him on a prescription diet for urinary health and watch out for signs,\u201d Crook said. \u201cOnce a week, my husband goes out with a ladle and collects a urine sample that we test for pH level and white blood cells.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, when Francis suddenly began urinating slowly and painfully, Crook knew he needed to see a veterinarian immediately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur regular veterinarian, as well as local specialists, were able to see the stone in X-rays but didn\u2019t have the equipment to extract it,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

No Stone Unturned<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

On a friend\u2019s recommendation, Crook turned to the veterinarians at the SATH for help removing Francis\u2019 strange bladder stone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019d never before seen a urinary stone with such an unusual, elongated shape,\u201d said Dr. Audrey Cook<\/a>, an internal medicine specialist and professor in the School of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences\u2019 Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences<\/a>. \u201cWe first ran diagnostics to make sure there weren\u2019t any other undetected stones, and then we took him to surgery the next day.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The normal approach for treating this issue is to try to push the stone back into the bladder for removal, but the stone\u2019s odd shape prevented this method from working.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSince pushing didn\u2019t work, we decided to pull it out using a small, flexible scope to grab the end,\u201d she said. \u201cIt worked perfectly, and we were able to send Francis home the next day.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Scope
A flexible scope grabs onto the bladder stone inside Francis\u2019 urethra.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

When it comes to removing stones in the bladder and urethra, the veterinarians at the SATH have many techniques at their disposal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf it had come down to it, we also have a laser that we can use to break up stones,\u201d Cook said. \u201cThankfully, Francis\u2019 stone wasn\u2019t so stubborn that we needed to use it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cook said urinary crystals are a common problem among miniature schnauzers due to the way their bodies process calcium.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSchnauzers are very vulnerable to getting these stones in their urine,\u201d she said. \u201cIf you own a schnauzer, one thing you can do to prevent stones is make sure they drink lots of water and eat wet food instead of dry.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Fitting Epilogue<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Since the procedure, Francis has been doing well and is enjoying traveling with Crook on her book tour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt was so strange to have this happen while I was working on \u2018The Madstone\u2019,\u201d Crook said. \u201cFrancis\u2019 stone had a different composition than the stones I had read about for my research, but it was essentially still a strange rock formed inside an animal.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a token of her appreciation, Crook sent a copy of her now-published book<\/a> to several of the clinicians who worked on Francis\u2019 case.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI felt so grateful,\u201d she said. \u201cBecause of the title, the book made a fun way to say thanks.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI was very touched,\u201d Cook said. \u201cI\u2019ve been enjoying reading it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Francis\u2019 care at the SATH has also made a new Texas A&M fan out of Crook.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI graduated from Rice University, and my husband teaches at the University of Texas at Austin, but I\u2019ll be rooting for A&M from now on,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

###<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For more information about the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, please visit our website at\u00a0<\/em>vetmed.tamu.edu<\/em><\/a>\u00a0or join us on\u00a0<\/em>Facebook<\/em><\/a>,\u00a0<\/em>Instagram<\/em><\/a>, and\u00a0<\/em>X<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Contact Information:<\/em><\/strong> Jennifer Gauntt, Director of VMBS Communications, Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, <\/em>jgauntt@cvm.tamu.edu,<\/em><\/a> 979-862-4216<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When acclaimed Texas author Elizabeth Crook began writing her recent novel, \u201cThe Madstone,\u201d she never anticipated that veterinarians would find a \u201cmadly\u201d shaped stone inside her own beloved dog, Francis. Crook\u2019s novel takes its name from a type of stone in American folklore made up of minerals and other materials that would accumulate into rock-like […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":269,"featured_media":20944,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"2069,2070,2071,2073,2074,2075","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[188,2],"tags":[247,218,286],"class_list":["post-20942","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-homepage","category-press-releases","tag-audrey-cook","tag-dogs","tag-patient-story"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nVeterinarians Remove 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