How to spot, treat and prevent bladder stones in dogs and cats.
Posted: Wed Jan 31, 2018 3:33 pm
Hello pet lovers,
This week we're taking a look at struvite crystals and stones - bladder stones that can cause uncomfortable inflammation and urinary blockages. They form when magnesium, ammonia, and phosphate become concentrated in urine and begin to group together. Bladder stones are more common in dogs and cats than humans and struvite stones are the most common type so they're important to look out for and prevent.
Generally speaking, struvite stones / crystals will form when the animal’s urine PH becomes neutral or alkaline (PH 7 or greater) and urine is concentrated. Carnivores (dogs and cats) that eat a fresh red meat based diet naturally produce acidic urine which prevents this crystal formation. So, as with so many conditions we see in dogs and cats, the first stage of prevention and treatment is a raw or air-dried raw, balanced diet.
There a number of symptoms that may indicate your pets are suffering from struvite crystals (below) and they're more common around the age of 6-7 years old:
Frequent urination.
Straining to urinate.
Abnormal urinary flow.
Urination in unusual places, for example in the house.
Cloudy or bloody urine.
Increased thirst.
Find out how else to treat and prevent struvite crystals here V
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Generally speaking, struvite stones / crystals will form when the animal’s urine PH becomes neutral or alkaline (PH 7 or greater) and urine is
concentrated. Carnivores (dogs and cats) that eat a fresh red meat based diet naturally produce acidic urine which prevents this crystal formation. The food itself has a natural water content of 60-70%, which assists in preventing dehydration and excessive concentration of urine (especially in cats).
Diets that are too high in cereal and vegetable levels will result in a more alkaline urine, which is typical of many dry foods and tinned foods. Commercial pet foods commonly contain significantly higher levels of non-meat ingredients, as red meat proteins are the most expensive ingredient used, and are generally kept to a minimum level for economic reasons – meat by-products, and white meats such as chicken, do not have the same acidifying effect as red meat.
The prescription diet your vet may suggest will primarily include artificial acidifiers, but you can achieve this naturally using RAW76, Healthrolls or Complete Mix. I advise using additional vitamin C (make sure it is ascorbic acid, and not a buffered version like sodium ascorbate) and I also suggest using cranberry tablets. Cranberry does contain high levels of vitamin C, but the primary effect of cranberry is to create a mucilaginous lining on the mucosal surface of the bladder wall, which inhibits the attachment of bacteria and assists voiding of any contaminants with normal urination.
I suggest you make sure you feed primarily red meat if you are using Complete Mix (eg Kangaroo meat) but increase the meat to 70% of the diet, and make the soaked Complete Mix only 30% (by weight/volume). You can add about 1-2 g of vitamin C powder per day (1/2 teaspoon) and 2-3 cranberry tablets for a 15kg dog. I would suggest you have your pet’s urine tested for PH every month for the next 3-4 months (or ideally do this weekly at home using a PH test strip), to make sure it is acidic. Ideal PH is about 5-6 for a dog, and 4-6 for a cat. Once the PH is stable, you can cease the cranberry supplement, then check a month later to make sure it has not changed.
This article was written and authorised by:
Dr Bruce Syme BVSc (Hons)
Founder of Vets All Natural
This week we're taking a look at struvite crystals and stones - bladder stones that can cause uncomfortable inflammation and urinary blockages. They form when magnesium, ammonia, and phosphate become concentrated in urine and begin to group together. Bladder stones are more common in dogs and cats than humans and struvite stones are the most common type so they're important to look out for and prevent.
Generally speaking, struvite stones / crystals will form when the animal’s urine PH becomes neutral or alkaline (PH 7 or greater) and urine is concentrated. Carnivores (dogs and cats) that eat a fresh red meat based diet naturally produce acidic urine which prevents this crystal formation. So, as with so many conditions we see in dogs and cats, the first stage of prevention and treatment is a raw or air-dried raw, balanced diet.
There a number of symptoms that may indicate your pets are suffering from struvite crystals (below) and they're more common around the age of 6-7 years old:
Frequent urination.
Straining to urinate.
Abnormal urinary flow.
Urination in unusual places, for example in the house.
Cloudy or bloody urine.
Increased thirst.
Find out how else to treat and prevent struvite crystals here V
V
V
V
V
V
V
V
Generally speaking, struvite stones / crystals will form when the animal’s urine PH becomes neutral or alkaline (PH 7 or greater) and urine is
concentrated. Carnivores (dogs and cats) that eat a fresh red meat based diet naturally produce acidic urine which prevents this crystal formation. The food itself has a natural water content of 60-70%, which assists in preventing dehydration and excessive concentration of urine (especially in cats).
Diets that are too high in cereal and vegetable levels will result in a more alkaline urine, which is typical of many dry foods and tinned foods. Commercial pet foods commonly contain significantly higher levels of non-meat ingredients, as red meat proteins are the most expensive ingredient used, and are generally kept to a minimum level for economic reasons – meat by-products, and white meats such as chicken, do not have the same acidifying effect as red meat.
The prescription diet your vet may suggest will primarily include artificial acidifiers, but you can achieve this naturally using RAW76, Healthrolls or Complete Mix. I advise using additional vitamin C (make sure it is ascorbic acid, and not a buffered version like sodium ascorbate) and I also suggest using cranberry tablets. Cranberry does contain high levels of vitamin C, but the primary effect of cranberry is to create a mucilaginous lining on the mucosal surface of the bladder wall, which inhibits the attachment of bacteria and assists voiding of any contaminants with normal urination.
I suggest you make sure you feed primarily red meat if you are using Complete Mix (eg Kangaroo meat) but increase the meat to 70% of the diet, and make the soaked Complete Mix only 30% (by weight/volume). You can add about 1-2 g of vitamin C powder per day (1/2 teaspoon) and 2-3 cranberry tablets for a 15kg dog. I would suggest you have your pet’s urine tested for PH every month for the next 3-4 months (or ideally do this weekly at home using a PH test strip), to make sure it is acidic. Ideal PH is about 5-6 for a dog, and 4-6 for a cat. Once the PH is stable, you can cease the cranberry supplement, then check a month later to make sure it has not changed.
This article was written and authorised by:
Dr Bruce Syme BVSc (Hons)
Founder of Vets All Natural