Kidney stones?

[Georgie'sMom]

Gracie wasn't herself for a few days so we took her to vet. Had xray to make sure no obstruction, etc. and found stones in her bladder. She has since passed some of them, and they are big. She is also overweight so she is on clavamox and Prescription Diet s/d canine dissolution. Could all of this be why she has discoloration down where she pees?
I have to use CLR to get lime off my sink; could that water be bad for her? Does she need bottled water?
What causes these stones, and what do you recommend to prevent them in future and to make sure George doesn't develop the condition? (He's not overweight.)
Worried about my girl and hate for her to feel bad.

 

[Shelby's mom]

I don't know much about the stones but Shelby has crystals in her urine putting her at risk for stones. The vet told us to increase her water intake which has helped. We jus add water to her food so she has to drink it. I know in humans with stones they must drink a lot of water to help prevent them.

 

[mellie]

I would use bottled water for all living things at our house-we have really hard water. I think it would be worth the extra effort/expense. Stones have different compositions. ?And yes, the discoloration could be from her licking a lot or blood from irritation from passing stones. Hoping she is feeling better very soon and doesn't have anymore stone issues.

 

[take4roll10]

I read some articles online that said bottled water is better for dogs who have a history of stones, because some tap water has minerals in it that can build up in the bladder.

My dog had a few UTI's as a puppy with stones, so I switched to bottled water. I also give my dog a tiny pinch of d'mannose powder with her meals to prevent future infections. D'mannose is a compound in cranberries that prevents bacteria from sticking to the bladder and helps flush it out.

Lastly, I give my dog a low dose of vitamin C because she had low acidic urine, which was causing stones. I had to do trial and error to find the right dosage because too much vitamin c can cause the urine to become too acidic and then your dog will develop the opposite type of bladder stone.

Always discuss giving your dog a vitamin or any natural supplement with your veterinarian first. Especially to go find out dosage or interactions.

My dogs private fur is reddish too. I think it is just stains from the urine and licking.

 

[Mally's Mom]

I would change over to bottled water, if I were you. I would have both Gracie and George drink it.

ps Prayers going out for Gracie's total recovery.

 

[ClantyreSheltie]

There are two kinds of bladder stones, each caused by completely different things. It sounds like they are guessing which kind she has.

Struvites are caused by infections. A course of antibiotics and possibly a diet change to change the pH of the urine is necessary.

Oxalate stones are caused by diet.

So when Miss Liesl ended up with stones, we chose to surgically remove them. I was certain that they were struvites, the infection coming from being bred 10 weeks prior and then lingering undetected. My vet was postulating that they were oxalate. Let the betting begin

I chose to have the stones surgically removed, rather than putz around with changing to a crap food (sorry, I just can't do it) and dragging her back and forth to the vet. So three days later, out they came, along with a sandy sludge also residing in her bladder, and off to the lab they went. She did a round of antibiotics, and guess what, they came back Struvites. She hasn't had an issue since.