# Bladder stones



## Nora O (Sep 27, 2013)

My 9 & 1/2 year old female spoo, Roz has bladder stones for the second time. She will be having surgery this Thursday. Has anyone else had experience with bladder stones, especially for a second time? Do you have any advice on how to prevent future episodes? I will have a talk with the vet but they were surprised the poor girl was back with the same complaint.

She & my 8 month old puppy both eat Health Extension and get table food occasionally. She is in great health otherwise, is on the slim size and gets plenty of exercise.


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

You may find this series of articles helpful: DogAware.com Articles: Urate, Cystine and Less Common Urinary Stones


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## Dechi (Aug 22, 2015)

My female Boston terrier had recurrent bladder stones, even passing blood sometimes. We would put her on meds and the vet special food for a few weeks / months and she would be cured and free of stones. After a few times the stones reappeared, I realized that every time I took her off the vet special kibbles, a few months would pass and the stones came back.

My advice is this : she needs to be on special food for the rest of her life. Our vet had Hills prescription diet, can't remember which letters but all vets have this food or something similar.

If she's already on special food, then I don't know what to say other than maybe stop the treats you are giving her.

My dog never had to have surgery either. It always passed with medication. Is your vet convinced she needs it ? He's not confident in melting the stones with meds ?


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## Nora O (Sep 27, 2013)

This is Roz's second episode. The stones are palpable, which means they are pretty big (the last time, it was only one and not palpable). She came from a breeder who I know now was byb and now only does doodle (awful) varieties. I have to trust the vet on this. If she thought they could have been dissolved by meds, I think she would have suggested that.

Thanks, FJM for the link, None of the foods that come up as flags are given to her. She loves cheese, especially cheese raviolis (with or without sauce). But I don't see anything on the danger list that we give to her. And, she is a female, and generally, it seems to be males who are more prone. And she isn't one of the breeds that is more prone.

This is such a conundrum! I am heartsick that my poor (little) spoo is going through this for a second time. And, I am also worried how I am going to keep her and my rambunctious puppy, who loves her to death, apart while she recovers.


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## Caddy (Nov 23, 2014)

Good thought for you and Roz on Thursday.


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## Mfmst (Jun 18, 2014)

I would ask the vet if there is a special diet. Poor girl!


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## scooterscout99 (Dec 3, 2015)

My now 7 yo rat terrier-X had a 1 cm bladder stone surgically removed 2 years ago. I researched at our local vet med library to the point that I knew more about this topic than my dog's vet. The composition of the stone will point to a potential solution. My dog's was mixed minerals, not good. In the end I went with full-time prescription diet, as I felt that this was closest to a guarantee of no new stones. I don't particularly like the food from a nutritional standpoint (don't get me started!), but the thought of another surgery was motivation to do this. Now I'm considering obtaining a 'prescription' for a home-made diet that would accomplish the same thing, as my dog doesn't really like the kibble--it wouldn't do as a training treat, for which I use real meat and cross my fingers. A friend with a mini rat terrier has used this method successfully. It is expensive, several hundred dollars, and is based on the type of stone.

Note on the food that I use: the dry kibble has nothing in it that 'treats' for stones, other than sodium that encourages the dog to drink more thereby diluting the urine. The canned food contains a substance that keeps any minerals from adhering to the side of the bladder so that crystals will be flushed before they can consolidate into stones. I remain underwhelmed with this dog food manufacturer. My vet didn't realize that the dry food alone wouldn't necessarily help until I phoned the 800 number help line.

I'm supposed to be following a semi-annual urine test. The first two samples were clear of crystals and I've let it slip two years post-surgery. 

Sorry that this is long. I know way more than I wanted to know . . bottom line, we are our dogs' advocates and need to exercise due diligence with medical issues. The vets try but they can't be expected to know everything.


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## AngelAviary (Aug 12, 2014)

So sorry your girl is having to go through this again. My recommendation is to have the stone analyzed and that will tell you what food to put her on to keep them from forming again. At the cat only Vet I worked at for 16 yrs (I know Cats but they get the same problesms) we would do S/D to dissolve crystals and some small stones (for Struvite Crystals) And S/O for Calcium Oxalate crystals. If the stones were big we would do surgery and send the stone in. That way we could prescribe the correct diet to prevent them from forming again. The PH of the urine was what we were concerned with, keep the PH correct and the crystals and stones could not reform. 
Has Roz had a urinalysis done?


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## MollyMuiMa (Oct 13, 2012)

So sorry your girl has to have surgery. 
From past teachings I can say that the best way to avoid stones is to make sure your dog drinks TONS of water and NEVER has to hold her bladder ( like being crated for long periods of time) To help insure that your dog drinks more water,(& pees more LOL!) you can make it more enticing by adding chicken broth to her water and also wetting her kibble. 
You are right about the special diets being inadequate......they shouldn't be fed for more than a couple of months at a time is my understanding. 
Also they believe that some dogs are genetically predisposed to stones..........
When I learned this I laughed because my Son inherited recurring kidney stones from his Dad! He had his first bout at 7yrs old and now in his 40's had to have bladder stone surgery!


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

Sorry to see surgery in the works. Once they analyze the composition of the stones the vet will be able to make diet recommendations. I hope everything goes smoothly.


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## Nora O (Sep 27, 2013)

Thanks everyone for the advice and the sympathy. Actually, Roz's surgery is tomorrow.


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## Nora O (Sep 27, 2013)

Roz's surgery went well and she recovered quick enough to come home last night. The vet put her on the prescription food and said to encourage her to drink more. He also will have her on an antibiotic course, 2 week on, 2 weeks off, for 3 months. He says he's had a lot of luck with that in dogs with recurrent stones. He says that there still bacteria lurking for quite a while. Also, since Puck insists on eating out of the same bowl, he said to mix our regular food, Health Extension, 1/2 & 1/2 with the prescription food. That way, Puck, as a fast growing puppy will get enough nutrition and Roz will be protected.

Thanks again for all your help & sympathy!


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

I am very happy to see such a good news update. I am sure your are very relieved to have a good plan.

My persian cat had bladder stones many years ago. It took almost 4 months of baytril to get rid of everything.


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