Abstract
Silica urolithiasis is infrequent in dogs, but in Mexico represents 12.9%. Our hypothesis is the consumption of high amounts of silicates in the diet, especially that dissolved in tap water. The objective of this study was to determine the concentrations of silica in the tap water in different geographical areas and their relationship with cases of silicate urolithiasis in dogs. From 179 cases of silicate urolithiasis, 98.9% were from dogs within a geographic area called the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt, which represents a cross shaft to the center of the country. Silica concentrations in tap water ranged between 3 and 76 mg/L, with a range of 27 to 76 mg/L, a mean of 49.9 ± 12 mg/L within the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt, and a concentration from 3 to 30 mg/L, with a mean of 16.4 ± 7 mg/L outside this area; these were significantly different (p < 0.001). These findings demonstrate that there is a geographic risk factor for silicate urolithiasis in urolith-forming dogs, related to the consumption of tap water with a high concentration of silica. Further studies are necessary to identify this same pathophysiological association in other species.
Highlights
Silica urolithiasis (SiU) is infrequent in dogs
We count the registry data of the states where the SiU cases occurred; once located, the origin of the SiU cases and the water samples were grouped into two geographical areas: the central region, within the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt (TMVB) (ITMVB), and the region outside the TMVB (OTMVB), which, in turn, was divided into two areas
E highest concentrations of Si in the water occurred in the ITMVB region (Figure 2), with a range of 27 to 76 mg/L and a mean of 49.9 ± 12 mg/L
Summary
Silica urolithiasis (SiU) is infrequent in dogs. In a global epidemiological study, SiU represented 0.69 to 0.74% of the samples analyzed in the reference laboratory [1]. It has been suggested that SiU is related to the urinary supersaturation of silicates (SiO4)4− (SiO), derived from the consumption and intestinal absorption of different silicates present in the diet It is common in cattle and sheep from the Great Plains of North America and in some areas of Australia, where it is related to the feeding of these species, namely, the consumption of forage grasses with a high SiO content [14]. In dogs, it has been associated with the consumption of low-quality pet food in which vegetable ingredients, e.g., corn gluten, rice husks, wheat husk, beet pulp, and barley, are added as a source of protein or soluble fiber that may have high SiO content [15]. In a report of native dogs in Kenya, this pathology was hypothesized in association with the consumption of corn and water with a concentration of silica (Si) of 20–30 mg/dl [16]
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