Tufts University Research Center on Again

July 26, 2017

in Pets with Health Conditions

Bladder stones (uroliths) are common issues in both dogs and cats. The most common types of stones are struvite, calcium oxalate, and urate stones. While struvite stones are unremarkably caused by infection in dogs, the rest of the stones are caused by metabolic abnormalities (such equally liver affliction or high claret calcium), nutrient imbalances from diet or supplements, or genetic conditions that the dog or cat inherited from their parents.  Sometimes in that location are crystals in the urine but no stones. These crystals may or may not exist a warning sign of stone risk – this depends on the type of crystals and the pet (dog vs cat, brood, presence of a urinary tract infection).

Your veterinarian will need to exercise tests to figure out what blazon of stone or crystal is present considering that will impact how information technology is treated (and how you can reduce the risk for having them happen again). In some cases, stones must be surgically removed both to treat them and to determine the verbal type of stone.

Once the rock is removed and you lot know exactly what blazon they are, it'south of import to accost any underlying health issues that may take contributed to the stone (come across below for give-and-take of specific stone types). Providing your veterinarian with a consummate diet history, which includes the exact nutrition, treats, tabular array food, supplements, and any other food and treats can help to make up one's mind whether at that place are any dietary factors that could have contributed to the stone/crystal. Based on this information and the stone type, your veterinary tin can help you choose an appropriate diet to reduce the take chances of time to come stones.

The well-nigh important considerations for stone prevention:

1. Diluting the urine past increasing the amount of h2o the pet drinks (feeding canned nutrient only and/or adding h2o to both dry and canned food)
2. Reducing the amount of the compounds that make upwards the stones in the diet

Struvite

Struvite stones tin often be completely dissolved in both dogs and cats using special diets. These diets encourage greater water consumption, contain controlled amounts of protein and sure minerals, and too alter the acerbity of the urine. While the protocols for dissolving stones are similar between dogs and cats, prevention of futurity stones is quite different.

Struvite stones in dogs are unremarkably caused by urinary tract infections and a special diet is *non* needed for dogs with struvite stones in one case the stones are either dissolved or surgically removed. If your canis familiaris has recurrent bladder infections that led to struvite stones, ambitious treatment is critical to resolve and prevent further infections to ensure more stones do not grade. Struvite crystals can sometimes be seen in the urine of dogs with no urinary tract infection, especially in samples that have been refrigerated or have sat around for a few hours. These crystals are unlikely to propose whatever increased adventure of stone development and can usually exist ignored.

In cats, struvite can form without an infection and a special nutrition is recommended to reduce the take chances of future episodes. Nearly diets designed to deliquesce struvite can also exist used for stone prevention. Struvite crystals in true cat urine, especially in fresh samples, suggests that the cat may be at college gamble for stone development, fifty-fifty if there is no infection present.

Calcium oxalate

Calcium oxalate stones ofttimes occur in certain breeds of dog (e.1000. Yorkies, miniature schnauzers, shih tzus) and too in cats. They cannot be dissolved and take to be removed, usually with surgery. Calcium oxalate crystals can advise an increased run a risk of stone germination in both dogs and cats. Crystal and stone formation can be acquired by other health bug such every bit loftier blood calcium, and past diets or supplements that are too loftier or depression in calcium or high in oxalate or in compounds that the trunk makes into oxalate. When a potential cause, such equally high blood calcium, can be found and corrected, the stone adventure decreases. For pets with no obvious crusade for stone formation, nutrition tin play an important part in reducing the risk of future stones.

Urate (Ammonium biurate)

Urate stones are acquired by a genetic condition in some dog breeds (e.g. Dalmatians, Jack Russel Terriers, Bulldogs) merely are also normally seen with liver disease, particularly in dogs or cats with liver shunts. Urate stones are fabricated from compounds chosen purines which are present in DNA. Purines are loftier in meat, organs (like liver and heart), fish and seafood. Urate stones can be dissolved in some pets with a combination of a low purine nutrition and medication.

Prevention for dogs with liver disease involves both diet changes and treating the liver disease (such every bit fixing the shunt) while prevention for dogs with the genetic condition is typically nutrition change sometimes combined with medication.

What goes into a therapeutic "rock diet"?

For dogs and cats with bladder stones, nosotros strongly recommend therapeutic diets that you can purchase only from your veterinary that are tested to reduce the risk of rock development. Many diets are designed to reduce the risk of both calcium oxalate and struvite stones while different diets are used for urate stone prevention. These diets are much more than effective at preventing future stones than anything at the pet store.  If your pet has other medical weather (for instance kidney, liver, or heart illness) it becomes even more of import to talk to your veterinarian or a veterinary nutritionist to ensure the diet meets all the nutritional needs of your pet.

A lot of research and science goes into therapeutic diets designed to dissolve existing stones or reduce the gamble for germination of new stones. Loftier quality ingredients are carefully chosen to reduce the stone edifice blocks while still providing practiced nutrition and taste. The diets are then fed to dogs and cats and their urine is tested to ensure that it is low in the compounds that contribute to stone formation and that other properties that assistance to reduce stone run a risk are optimized. The measurement of how likely a stone is to course in urine is referred to as the "action product" or "relative supersaturation (RSS)". Companies can use these values to make the all-time diet possible for stone prevention.

Over-the-counter urinary diets do non undergo like testing

Diets at grocery or pet stores marketed for urinary tract health in cats focus only on some factors that reduce the take a chance of struvite stones in cats, simply these diets do not undergo testing for activity production or RSS. They may be a compromise for cats with a history of struvite crystals or stones that won't eat a therapeutic diet or if therapeutic diets are too expensive. Nonetheless, the down side is that they are likely not as constructive. These diets will not exist helpful for other rock types and may increment the run a risk of other stone types in predisposed cats.

Treats and supplements

Therapeutic diets designed for stone prevention are tested in pets that ate just the examination nutrition, without added treats, tabular array scraps, rawhides, dental chews, and supplements. Adding in extra foods can decrease the effectiveness of these diets. If going without treats is not an option, ask your veterinarian for care for options that are less probable to interfere with the diet.

Many dietary supplements can potentially increase stone risk, especially those that modify the urine acidity or include calcium, vitamin D, or vitamin C. Please discuss any supplements you are using or would like to use with your pet's veterinary to ensure that they will not interfere with the stone nutrition.

Monitoring is very important

Owners of all pets with a history of stones – even those on rock-prevention diets – should piece of work with their veterinarians to develop a regular monitoring plan for urine testing and either x-rays or ultrasound exam to look for new stones while they are small enough that they may be able to exist treated without surgery. Besides, while most therapeutic stone diets are safety for long-term feeding, a few are low in sure nutrients and may require more careful monitoring with regular bloodwork.

Clinical Nutrition Squad

Posts authored by the Clinical Nutrition Service squad are by Dr. Lisa One thousand. Freeman, DVM, PhD, DACVN, Dr. Deborah E. Linder, DVM, MS, DACVN, and Dr. Cailin R. Heinze, VMD, MS, DACVN

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Source: https://vetnutrition.tufts.edu/2017/07/dietary-treatment-of-bladder-stones/

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