The Minnesota Urolith Center (MUC) at the University of Minnesota has received its two millionth urinary stone sample, also known as a urolith, an achievement made possible by decades of support from longtime partner Hill’s Pet Nutrition and submissions from more than 50,000 veterinary clinics in 103 countries.
The two millionth sample is an ammonium urate stone from Gizmo, a four-year-old Shih tzu living in New Jersey. These types of stones are typically caused by blood vessel abnormalities in the liver or by genetic mutations that interfere with the normal clearance of uric acid.
“This milestone speaks to the vast number of pets who suffer from urinary stones and to the dedication of veterinarians, owners, the MUC team, and our partner, Hill’s Pet Nutrition, to doing our best to understand and stop stones,” MUC co-director Dr Eva Furrow said.
Founded in 1981 at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine, the MUC has pioneered the investigation and development of minimally invasive ways to diagnose, remove, and prevent urinary stones. It maintains the largest database of animal uroliths and provides complimentary analysis of nearly 100,000 submissions each year. This is made possible largely by a philanthropic educational grant from Hill’s Pet Nutrition.
In its 45-year history, the MUC’s impactful work has improved the lives of countless pets, including major breakthroughs in using therapeutic foods to dissolve stones and help reduce the risk of their recurrence. This progress relies on data and insights gathered from analysing two million urolith samples, which feed directly into ongoing joint research between the MUC and Hill’s Pet Nutrition.
By analysing global trends in stone composition, dietary factors, and underlying metabolic drivers, researchers continuously translate these real-world diagnostic findings into increasingly advanced, science-backed nutrition.
In addition to advancing therapeutic nutrition, research from the MUC has produced other accomplishments, such as pioneering several techniques for non-invasive stone removal, including being the first to develop two forms of urohydropropulsion; uncovering genetic mutations that result in early-onset stone development in certain dog breeds; and, more recently, exploring how the urinary microbiome can influence the formation of stones.
