Water belly is another name for which condition?

• A. Urinary calculi
• B. White muscle disease
• C. Enterotoxemia
• D. Tetanus

Answer: (A)

Water belly refers to a swollen abdomen caused by urine that can’t drain properly because the urinary tract is obstructed. In animals, that obstruction is most often due to urinary calculi—stones that block the flow of urine and cause the bladder to distend. Other choices involve muscle problems or toxins that affect muscles or the gut, which don’t produce the distinctive abdominal swelling from a blocked bladder. So urinary calculi is the best fit for the term water belly. If this is suspected, it’s an emergency to relieve the blockage and protect kidney function.