Urethral obstruction in a male llama

An 8-year-old sexually intact male llama was euthanatized because of obstruction of the penile portion of the urethra and rupture of the urinary bladder. Clinical signs of obstruction included anorexia, lethargy, teeth grinding, straining to defecate, inability to urinate, and tense abdomen. Laboratory findings included anemia, leukocytosis with left shift, high serum urea nitrogen, creatinine, and phosphorus concentrations, and low serum chloride concentration. Necropsy revealed ruptured urinary bladder and acute fibrinous peritonitis. A firm, gray, nonmineralized urethral plug occluded the penile portion of the urethra for a distance of 14 cm in the midpenile region, distal to the sigmoid flexure of the penis. The urinary bladder mucosa and the urethra had microscopic evidence of chronic inflammation. Escherichia coli, Klebsiella sp, and alpha-streptococci were isolated from the urethral plug.