-
Search Results
-
My 4 year old Papillon, Bandit, has had recurrent problems with crystals (struvite) in his urine for the past nearly two years and had to have surgery to remove bladder stones a year ago. The two or three times a culture has been done the crystals that have been found were not bacterial based although I do think he’s had some urinary infections at times as well, he’s been on several rounds of antibiotics over this time frame. Anyway, after the surgery a few months later x rays showed small stones again beginning to form so I started him on Solid Gold’s berry blend twice a day over his Wellness CORE Oceanfish food. After about 6 weeks we did another x ray and the stones appeared to be dissolved so I thought the problem was solved. Recent urinalysis have shown he again has crystals in his urine however… though again not bacterial in nature according to the culture. Because of this my vet said it might be time to try the Science Diet C/D food….she knows I’ve been reluctant to do this and she was reluctant as well. In addition to my loathing of all things Science Diet Bandit also has a long list of food allergies (corn, chicken, eggs, rice, and wheat) of which two are in this food (chicken and corn). There has been a very short list of foods I’ve found that do not have these things in them, and I have worked hard for four years to get his allergies under control. I just didn’t feel like I had any choice but to try this, I can’t put him through surgery for stones repeatedly…my question is does anyone know of any better quality foods that are alternatives to Science Diet’s C/D for this problem? I can’t be the only one who has a dog with allergies that this is an issue for but I haven’t had much luck with my research thus far… There’s got to be some combination of nutrition levels I need to look for that C/D has that helps this specific issue…
Thanks in advance for any help anyone can give me!
Topic: Hills Prescription Diet u/d
I notice that on the list of dog foods all the Hills Prescription and Science diets are included except for u/d, which is what my pug-a-poo has been on for nearly 3 years, since she is has had several bouts with bladder stones and has had 2 surgeries for Calcium Oxalate stones. I just wonder why u/d is not on your list.
Topic: UTI infection in Dogs
My almost 3 year old Shi- Chon has been dealing with a UTI for 1 year. Two Vets later, and numerous Ultrasounds, Antibiotics, she had a Quarter Size Bladder Stone(Struvites) surgically removed, the Dr. still has her on Ciprofloxacin twice a day for the next 7 months, he also told me to put her on Cranberry D Mannose, due to her being prone to UTI’s. I have her on both now.
My Vet suggests that I put her on a Special Prescription food Diet , that only the Vets sell.
Everything that I have read says that Prescription diet dog foods only help to dissolve stones, they don’t prevent them, and if the dog is prone to UTI’s this special food won’t cure the problem.
I’m worried about the long term effect of Ciprofloxacin to my dog, he did say it was safe, but I’m not sold on that, just like the expensive Special Prescription Dog Food they want to sell me. Has anyone dealt with a situation similar to this?My vet is suggesting a food trial for my 5 yr old cocker spaniel. He has unidentified allergies(chews his feet, and “goobery” eyes). We’ve tried several allergy meds, and he is presently eating “GO” salmon. He recently had crystals in his urine, so he’s taking a supplement for stone prevention. He will have to stop taking supplements during the food trial. He also has a sensitive stomach, he takes Pepcid to control acid production. Are there any foods that deal with more than one problem?
She has suggested Hill DD potato venison. She feels the protein level is low enough to avoid bladder stones. This sounds reasonable to me, just interested if anyone else has the same issues, and possible feedback.
I just wanted any recommendations you have.
I have a 15.5 year old cocker spaniel, mostly healthy.
We added a 10 month cocker spaniel puppy after losing our 13 year old earlier in the year.We also have two additional cockers living with my mother in law while we have our house built. a 13 year old tri girl with bladder stones eating a prescription diet WD or CD and a cancer surviving 13 year old buff boy with an enlarged heart but otherwise healthy.
So we fed everyone WD for the past 7+ years due to the one dog who required it. With the puppy in the house, that’s not ideal so our vet suggested a senior formula for the two boys and a puppy formula for the new baby.
We’ve tried Blue Buffalo, it’s our first choice. The puppy really needs grain free.
They don’t like BB and will barely eat it. We tried some samples of Merrick and they love it but the protein is just too high. We’ve also tried Natural Balance Fish and Potato and Ideal Balance Fish/Potato.Ideal Balance is only rated a 3 (bleh) but they ate it best. Merrick replied that we should try Castor and Pollux as a lower protein option to Merrick.
I just feel a bit lost because they don’t seem to like any of the foods we are trying yet. We want them to love the food, want to eat it, and it still be healthy. I’ve never had such picky dogs before and the puppy needs that grain free due to possible allergies and it’s just a mess.
Topic: Treats & Bladder Stones
New member and thanks1 My 7 year old Beagle Honey recently had bladder surgery to remove hundreds of struvite bladder stones. Vet put her on Hill’s prescription WD food to help get her urine Ph to where it does not let the bacteria from her UTI feed and therefore produce the stones. I am trying to find a homemade treat recipe that will not negate the effects of her new food. I contacted Hill’s and they gave me two recipes making their food into a treat which is OK but I want to try dehydrated sweet potatoes, chicken jerky, etc but I am not a chemist and have no idea what I can use. The vet said the same thing. He has no degree in chemistry. Anyone out there in the same situation as Honey is and have a home recipe for this particular problem?
Topic: 2 different health problems
I have a schnauzer who has had panreatitis and is therefore on a very low fat veterinarian dogfood however has just had struvite crystals removed from his bladder. Although there is a food to decrease his chances of getting further stones, it is quite high in fat. Any suggestions with respect to diet?
Topic: Stone & Pancreatitis
I have a Jack Russell that I have had the same issues as the Mini-Pin. Had bladder issues years ago, and vet put her on urninary so. For years was throwing up on the food, not an issue for the vet. Then last year started with the pancreatitis. We have been working with a holistic vet, acupuncture, and herbal/homeopathic remedies. Amazing results. But, still working on it. I am now making her dog food. That really helps. I used Darwins raw food/chicken and duck. The only issue I had with that is the small bones, she was throwing those up and it was too costly.
My dog has a duality of chronic inflammatory pancreatitis that is creating damp phlegm in her kidneys and hence bladder stone issues. This is what the holistic vet is working on. It surprises me, that the regular vets don’t even know this. However, I am looking for a good nutritionist vet, for making the appropriate raw diet myself. There is someone online, that you can pay for this service (but I’m a little leary to give my personal info online)! Here is the information I found online, if you are interested. She had some good things to say, such as me feeding a natural diet that included sweet potato is not good for my dog because—if the stones she is forming are calcium oxalate, you should not be feeding sweet potatoes due to their content of oxalic acid. It is also vitally important for kidney health to have sufficient calcium in the diet to 1. meet the dog’s needs and 2. bind excess phosphorus, and in typical, supplemented diets this is usually severely deficient.
Looking online at dog diets with pancreatitis….is overwhelming!!!
— Sabine Contreras
Canine Care & Nutrition Consultant
Creating Healthy Lifestyles for Canines
BetterDogCare.com – DogFoodProject.comHi!
I’ve been posting in different threads with questions on different dog foods/supplements and then just realized…HELLO…there are forums on this website as well, thanks to Inkedmarie who suggested I check out a sub forum with different dog foods that were grain free with no potatoes. Thanks! I’ve decided to send my question out forum wise instead of post wise so I can keep better track of the advice that I am receiving.
Here is my dilemma:
In 2006 I took Nikki, my 13 year old Miniature Schnzauzer in for allergy testing – she is allergic to pretty much everything environmental is what I found out. She was on a duck and potato formula then. She had a couple of bouts of pancreatitis due to some pain medication she was prescribed for something else and then because someone in my family was naughty an fed her some sausage. My vet put her on a prescription diet of Purina HA. I believe that my vet is being super cautious as schnauzers are prone to bladder stones, pancreatitis/hyperlipidemia, and hypothyroidism. Nikki seems to do ok on this dog food, which I get but every time I ask her for an alternative she says absolutely not this is the only dog food she can tolerate. I don’t like that answer. There has to be alternatives.
I called them back recently and got a different vet in her practice – my regular vet is out for a time due to sick family member, and he couldn’t figure out why Nikki was on this dog food. He thinks it’s because of the food allergies. I ask him what food allergies and he can’t answer me. I thought she was on this food due to a sensitive stomach. So, I’m confused. I was also told to give her rice cakes as treats and tofu to give her any medications so that is all she has been getting. She can’t eat anything other than that is what she tells me and she pushes low protein which I’ve been reading may not be the answer. She’s been on this prescription diet for a few years and everything I’m reading now says that it might not be good to have a dog on that diet for so long. She’s been on and off antibiotics, anti bacterial pills, temaril p for years to help with her allergies and yeast infections. Nothing really seems to help and I’m worried I’ve just completely ruined her system with years of this. Purina HA has a low protein (18%) and fat content (8%) with hydrolyzed protein of soy. I honestly feel I can do better by her with a different dog food.
About a year ago Nikki was diagnosed with Melanoma. A tumor on the pad of her paw that was removed (but not a clean removal). She has been taking the Melanoma Vaccine every 6 months. The cancer does not look to have come back so far. (knock on wood) She also has gallstones that don’t seem to bother her but do show up in x-rays. She has a heart murmur and Also, on her last urinalysis I was told there was protein in her urine. We did a protein/creatinene ratio and it came back ok, so I’m told I don’t need to worry about that right now.
I’ve been researching dog food and supplements now for about 2 weeks and am now more confused than before. I purchased a probiotic from Nusentia (waiting to get it in the mail) that supposedly should help with her yeast issues and possibly allergies.
Do I stay with her current food and just give supplements or do I completely switch foods over (slowly)?
She’s 13 years old with a lot of health issues – I don’t want to rock the boat, but I also want to do my due diligence in finding her something to make her healthy and happy for the remainder of her life.
Thanks in advance for any info you can provide. I may have left some things out and if so, I’d be happy to clarify.
Kate
Hi all. I’m having a hard time with my Bichon Frise. She’s 12 years old, 15 to 18 pounds. We’ve had her on Beneful original food for a while. At one point, her vet put her on a certain food (I forgot what it was) because it was the second time she had gotten surgery for bladder/ kidney stones and this had something in it to help with that. They were really bad stones, especially considering her size, with huge spikes.
So we tried that food for a couple of weeks. She hated it so much and was hungry to the point that she went kind of wild eyed. It was pretty bad. After dealing with that, we talked to the vet again and he agreed that it was better for her to go back to what she liked rather than be hungry and have a horrible quality of life due to that.
Fortunately, she hasn’t had trouble with the stones since then, which has been 2 or 3 years. We also switched her to bottled water only. So hopefully the tap water was the cause.
In the past month, she started having pretty bad upset stomach problems. She also likes to have treats, or else she very finicky. Even with the Beneful– which she would pick out certain pieces that she liked. The treats we have given her are Pupperoni and something that looks like bacon strips.
So a couple of weeks ago, we asked for advice and decided to try Royal Canin – Indoor Adult. We also completely cut out treats. She acted like she loved it at first. But I think she was just that hungry. Since then, she won’t eat it (without something in it) unless she gets really hungry by late in the day and knows that she’s not getting anything else. I have gone back to giving her a little piece of a treat and then she might eat the food with it. Or putting chicken in with it.
So at 12, I know she’s at a point in her life where she might only have a year left– or could still live eight or more years. That depends a lot on her food being healthy AND her liking the food and actually eating. So I’ve got to find something that she will actually eat that tastes good to her.
I appreciate any help you folks can give me. It’s frustrating when I know that she’s miserable and I can’t do anything to help.
Topic: Urine Special Diet
My Husky has balder stones and was put on Royal Canin IO – I previously fed her grain free Wellness Core Fish. I would like to find a better quality grain free food for the bladder stones longer term… any recommendations?
Topic: Struvite Crystals
My mini Aussie has been diagnosed with struvite crystals. She is 9 months old. Vet prescribed Royan Canin Urinary SO dry dog food and my dog only ate it for a few days and then refused to eat it. Vet then gave me the canned dog food and she does like it much better. However, I’m struggling with the fact that she’s on canned dog food and the only alternative dry food I know of is Hills Science Diet urinary food. I’ve heard that just increasing water intake and occasionally feeding canned food is acceptable. My only worry is if she does develop stones, this will require surgery. I’m avoiding this at ALL costs even if it does mean feeding her a lower quality of food. I’m at a loss and don’t know what to believe. The vet says one thing and many internet forums say other things. I want to listen to my vet, but does my dog REALLY need to be on prescription dog food forever to avoid further bladder issues. Help! Thanks in advance.
Topic: bladder stones
hi I have a schnauzer bichon mix, I had to have an operation done on her to get bladder stones taken out. i have her on royal canin food a very expensive perscription diet. The vet said she has three different types of stones. is there any other type of food that will work to help her better than this diet she is still showing crystals in her urine.
Hi there. I’m new to this site. I rescued a beagle/terrier/mix (maybe Jack Russel in her but must also be something bigger because she’s taller than a beagle and has a greyhound build) a few weeks ago named Sydney. Her foster was feeding her Purina Pro Plan Selects dry food and mixing in a tablespoon or so of wet Alpo canned food so I continued with this. I’ve noticed she scoots alot on the carpet and I see her licking her private area and butt and chews her paws sometimes. Her anal glands were expressed right before I adopted her so I don’t believe that is the issue. I also notice that when she does poo, it’s much more runnier than any dog I’ve had prior. I wouldn’t say it’s diarrhea but it’s mushy and you can’t really “pick it up” when she does it while I’m walking her.
I had a beagle prior to this dog and fed her Iams Healthy Weight dry dog food which I now see on this site is not good. She developed bladder stones later in life. I had to put her down a few months ago as she had cancer. :o( I’ve heard that feeding all dry dog food can cause bladder stones but I’m not sure that is true. I’ve also heard that feeding a dog dry dog food helps keep their teeth clean but I find that hard to believe also, since nobody brushes their teeth with a cookie. ha!
Anyway, sorry to go on and on…… My question is, bearing in mind that I’m not rich but I’m not exactly poor either, what would you all recommend I feed Sydney? I’m thinking of trying a grain-free food but there’s so much information on here I’m confused. I was thinking about Earthborn Holistic grain free but it is quite pricey. And then, I’m wondering, should I mix in some wet food also?
Also, what about better quality treats and bones? My hubby keeps telling me to stop buying the Dingo bones because they are made in China and probably horrible but what else is there?
Please educate me!
Thanks,
JanetTopic: Looking for food advice
Our 6 year old pug has a history of struvite bladder stones and following surgery to remove them she spent a year on Canine C/D. She recently developed a UTI and while diagnosing that the vet found that she had stones again. He put her on antibiotics and Canine S/D (to try to dissolve the stones). When the lab tests came back they showed that the stones were actually calcium oxalate and therefore could not be dissolved. By then she was fully on the S/D food (which she loved). The following day she started vomiting, became lethargic and shows signs of severe distress.
The diagnosis was pancreatitis, triggered by the high fat content of the S/D food.
5 days (and many $$$$ later) she is slowly recovering and we need to find a food that is low in fat (< 10%) yet unlikely to add to the calcium oxalate stone problem.Ideas are welcome.
Thanks.
Hello,
Our two and a half year old shih tzu started showing blood in his urine last night. My wife and I noticed this last night because there’s snow on the ground, so we immediately realized it when the snow was a little red. It’s not a lot of blood. Instead, he urinates fine for the most part, and then when he goes to squirt out the last few drops, it’s blood. We looked online and the most common cause of this is a UTI. We brought him to a vet today to be safe and she ran a urine analysis. Initially, the test came back negative for a UTI, but she was sending it out-of-house to get results. Not sure if they analyze the urine differently at a lab. Since our little guy isn’t showing any signs of pain, she said she wouldn’t worry about it. We had the option to wait until Wednesday for the lab results to come back and then go from there, but we were nervous so we had the x-ray done today. The x-ray came back fine, with no stones or anything, but she said the urine analysis could come back with a minor UTI or small bladder crystals which can turn into stones. If either of those happen, we will treat him accordingly. Our biggest concern about this is cancer. As I mentioned earlier, he’s less than three years old, and we’re terrified that something could be wrong. We’re nervous wrecks today, and we’re willing to do anything to make sure he is ok. Has anyone had any experience with this before? We appreciate your help.
Kyle
I am so confused and asking for your help.
To keep it short, my 7-year-old neutered male Pug was hospitalized for 3 days with urinary obstruction caused from a UTI and struvite crystals. He was being treated (x10 days) for a UTI (positive UA, negative culture) by our regular vet when he became obstructed on a weekend and we had to go to the animal ER. He received aggressive irrigation of his bladder and no stones were obtained, but massive amounts of sediment and crystals were irrigated. X-ray and ultrasound do not show stones. Lab analysis only identifies struvite crystals. His UA showed bacteria and WBCs, culture was again negative. He received a 10-day course of Clavamox and is now on a 10-day course of Baytril.
The vet is insistent on feeding him Royal Canin Urinary SO. I would like your thoughts on this.
Thank you.
Our Min Pin Bandi, 8 years old. He was on Prescription Diet W/D his whole life. Never had health issues until he was diagnosed with bladder stones about 3 years ago. He had the surgery to remove them and turns out they were the kind that can be treated with the right kind of food, so they put him on Urinary SO by Royal Canine. He did fine with the food. A few months later we did another X-ray to see if he had anymore stones and he did not. However, they did find a herniated disc in his back. They put him on oral Prednisone to help with this issue. On Day 20 he developed an acute attack of Pancreatitis and almost died. After 2 weeks in the hospital, he pulled through. The doc suggested we put him on a low-fat food to get his diet right to keep the pancreatitis from returning because he couldn’t say 100% if the pancreatitis was from the new food, Urinary SO, or the Prednisone. So, he was put on Royal Canine Gastrointestinal Low-Fat. A few months later, peeing blood, took him in…more bladder stones. Had bladder stone removal surgery #2 and switched him back to the Urinary SO to prevent more stones. Several months later, he had another attack of pancreatitis. The only weird he did right before this was eat an apple he stole from my toddler. This time not as severe as the first because I brought him straight in. He recovered. Food was swapped AGAIN because the vet didn’t know if the apple or the SO food caused the pancreatitis so back to the Low-Fat Gastrointestinal, because the doc said Pancreatitis was more life threathening than the stones and we needed to focus on that. Well, he we are a few months later and last night he couldn’t urinate…took him to the emergency vet, said he had 20 stones in his bladder, 1 blocking his urine flow, and 2 in his penis. So, back to the vet this morning for his 3rd bladder stone removal surgery. Needless to say we are at our wits in with our baby Bandit. The thousands of dollars we have spent are insane, but he is our baby and not helping him is not an option. So…my question is…is there an answer for a dog who is suseptible to both Pancreatitis AND bladder stones??? No one seems to have an answer for us. Multiple vets have called the food manufacturers who don’t even have answers. If anyonr has any advice, it would be greatly appreciated. Thank you soo much!!!
We have been feeding our dog Science Diet C/D since her stones were removed. I really think this food has a lot of junk in it. Does anyone have any advice for me. My vet seems to steer all his patients to prescription brands of food that he sells. My dog has gained so much weight on this. His answer was to feed less 1/4 cup twice a day. She was a 9lb. when she started on this now she is pushing 14. Oh when we started her on c/d we were told to give 1 1/2 to 2 cups per day. Any ideas would be a great help. Thank you