Ureteral Endoscopy to Detect Upper Urinary Tract Diseases in Horses

•Endoscopy of the ureters can be easily performed in standing sedated horses.•This technique was well tolerated by all animals involved in the study.•It can be used to treat diseases of the upper urinary tract (e.g. uroliths) and monitor the progress of the disease. Ureteral endoscopy is a routine procedure in human medicine, whereas the reports of this procedure on horses are few and far between. The aim of this paper is to describe the endoscopic technique to evaluate the ureters in standing, sedated horses. An endoscopy of the ureters and lower urinary tract was performed using flexible endoscopes on 4 horses, 3 mares and one gelding. The animals were sedated with alpha-2-agonists and an epidural anaesthesia was given. An endoscopy of the ureter in the horse is easy to perform, causes the animal no adverse effects and could provide significant information on the diagnosis and prognosis of diseases of the urinary tract.