Cholelithiasis in the Dog: Prevalence, Clinical Presentation, and Outcome

Canine cholelithiasis is considered to be an uncommon condition and is frequently cited as being an incidental finding. However, there is a paucity of contemporary literature to support these assertions. The aim of this retrospective cross-sectional study was to report the prevalence, clinical presentation, and long-term follow-up of cholelithiasis in dogs. The electronic database at the Small Animal Hospital, University of Glasgow was searched to identify dogs that were diagnosed with cholelithiasis on ultrasound between 2010 and 2018. Sixty-eight dogs were identified, giving an overall prevalence of cholelithiasis in our hospital of 0.97% (confidence interval 0.76-1.22%). Medical records of 61 dogs were available for review. Cholelithiasis was classified as an incidental finding in 53 (86.9%) dogs, with 8 (13.1%) dogs being classified as symptomatic, having complications of cholelithiasis that included biliary duct obstruction, biliary peritonitis, emphysematous cholecystitis, and acute cholecystitis. Follow-up was available for 39 dogs, with only 3 dogs (7.7%) developing complications attributed to cholelithiasis, including biliary duct obstruction and acute cholecystitis, within the subsequent 2 yr. Cholelithiasis is an uncommon but frequently incidental finding in dogs. Within the follow-up period, few of the dogs with incidental cholelithiasis went on to be become symptomatic.