[InkedMarie]

Nate,
I used to have a dog with struvite crystals. What worked for me was adding canned & water to his food, adding cranberry & one 500 mg Vitamin C. Do NOT do the last one without talking to your vet. Now, I’d feed just a wt food, no dry. It’s so important they get enough liquid.

[pugmomsandy]

I’m fortunate enough to have 3 dogs and no UTI’s the past 7 years. I feed a high moisture diet (raw and canned), never just plain dry kibble. I also give a bladder supplement with cranberry and d-mannose (and other herbs) and I give probiotics. I also used to monitor my dogs’ urine pH using home pH test strips. Hopefully someone who’s actually dealt with UTI’s will give some input.

http://products.mercola.com/healthypets/bladder-health-for-pets/

https://www.b-naturals.com/newsletter/struvites-crystals-urinary-tract-infections-treatment-and-diet/

http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2009/10/22/these-3-things-may-indicate-your-pet-has-a-bladder-problem.aspx

http://www.dogaware.com/articles/wdjanxiety.html

[Corey K]

I was told you do not have to treat struvite crystals with food change. They do respond to cranberry supplement and they have powder for so you don’t have to worry about the capsules.

[ellen k]

Hi Rob,
My name is Ellen. My 5 yr old cocker spaniel suffered with this high ph of 8.6 and struvite crystals x 4 years. He was placed on Kidney prescription diets with absolutley no difference. I found a high density cranberry supplement called CRANIMALS, original formula. [there r 3 formulas]
After just one month, Ozzie’s ph was 5.5, no crystals and no peeing in the house from the crystals blockng the urethra.. Go to their website http://www.cranimals.com. I will guarantee this will do the job without having to change the food.
Ellen

[ellen k]

get “CRANIMALS” powder supplement. It has 2400 mg of cranberry and gets rid of the crystals and gets the urine to a normal ph. my dog had this problem x 4 years and thaen i found this supplement. You then can use any food
Ellen

[ellen k]

I have 5 year old cocker spaniel male named Ozzie. He has been diagnosed with struvite crystale fo 4 years. There is protein in his urine from the sloughing away of bladder tissue from the crystals. i am a critical care RN for 33 yrs and have tried everything to get rid of the crystals. I HAVE FINALLY SUCCEEDED. “CRANIMALS” is a company that make a powder like substance to add to any food. Unlike the capsules of cranberry that have only 250 mg of cranberry this product has 2400 mg of cranberry extract with every teaspoon. # month after I had Ozzie on this supplement, the struvite crystals were gone, the PH of the urine was 5.5 which is normal and the urine was negative for protein. Ozzie always ha an elevated urine ph of 7.6. This is where struvite crystals are made. The urine ph has to be acidic My vet is now selling this product to all the cats/dogs with this struvite problem. Ozzie was always having pee accidents in the house. Since the crystals are gone so is the accidents.
Ellen Kane,

[Barbara M]

Cranberry supplement we are all speaking of is for overall unrinary health. I would never advise against your vet but I happen to trust my vet completely. But you would be on the right track to start a supplement. I use Solid Gold Berry Balance

[Derek L]

Hopefully some of you folks could provide me input.

My dog has a UTI and struvite crystals. He was prescribed Baytril then Simplicef. His urine results just came back and has a high pH and bacteria – cocci and rods.

The culture sensitivity is quite pricey and I wanted to know if that is really what I need to do next. The vet wanted to continue another round of baytril and have him neutered. From reading this thread, it seems like vitamin C and the cranberry supplement are primarily for the decrease of struvites.

I believe the focus is to rid of the UTI. Am I on the right track? I am trying to make sure we are going in the right path and that my vet is not leading me astray.

[Sarah Y]

I haved used the solid gold cranberry powder. I used the SO food with my beagle and I finally got her crystals to go away (this was after 4 UTIs/crystal episdodes. We fed her that for a few years and then changed her to a grain free diet. We figured IF the crystals came back, we would know she needs to be back on the SO food. So far, 6 years later, we are still UTI/crystal free!

I had another beagle who had a UTI and she wanted to prescribe him the urinary SO food. I really didn’t want to do that because it was one UTI. I asked her if she had heard of solid gold and she said she had and that if I wanted to try that, she would support it. So, he’s going on two years now…no problems.

Maybe talk to your vet…there are other powders as well, but I don’t know the name of them. Good luck to you!

[Michelle T]

Hello,

These posts were really informational, but I don’t see anyone who mentioned our particular struvite issue. My 5yr old golden mix has started to leak in her sleep, anywhere from small puddle to lake, not great when you let you pup sleep on the bed! She had this problem about a year ago and the vet checked her urine: the ph was high and it was full of crystals but no UTI. A couple of months of the prescription SO food and the problem was alleviated. The vet made no mention of alternative supplements or options. Do you think the cranberry, vit c, or low protein foods might help her? She already drinks a lot of water every day and has access to the yard fairly often but I’ll make a point to take her out even more now that the leaks are back.

[PugMaster]

I’m actually going through this now with one of our 3 Pugs. She (Waffles) is 4 and I noticed that she was having to go pee allot and asking to go out allot. Took her in and she had Bladder Stones, one the size of a marble!

She had surgery to have the stones removed and everything cleaned out. Still waiting on the report back from the LAB as to what kind of stones these were, but the Vet recommended putting her on Royal Canin SO.

At first I had no issues with this at all as it promised to keep things clear etc… After she started on it I noticed that she was getting sick a couple times and was constipated. Mind you this was after the pain medication which I know can cause constipation etc…

I’ve switched her to Merrick’s canned food and have been adding warm water to this as well.

Other than the reasons I’ve listed above, I’ve done allot of research on the Royal Canin SO and apparently they have changed their ingredients from ‘chicken’ to ‘chicken meal’ as well as adding other things such as ‘soy’.

From what I’ve read so far, this isn’t the best and allot of people are very upset with the change and have noticed a difference of some sort with their pets that have been on the SO food for a long period of time to the new food with the changes in it.

I was going to look at the Science Diet UD food, but it sounds like this isn’t the greatest either.

At this point, I’m looking at a couple of the more holistic approaches such as adding some natural things as mentioned in other posts such as, cranberry etc…

[crazy4cats]

Hi-
Has anyone tried the Nature’s Logic Food Supplement? Here are the ingredients:

INGREDIENTS: Spray Dried Chicken Liver, Porcine Plasma, Whey, Flaxseed, Montmorillonite Clay, Brewer’s Yeast, Dried Egg Product, Egg Shell Meal, Cheese Powder, Kelp, Suncured Alfalfa Meal, Almonds, White Fish Meal, Tomato Powder, Chicory Root, Apples, Blueberry, Apricots, Carrots, Pumpkin, Cranberry, Spinach, Broccoli, Parsley, Artichoke, Rosemary, Dried Lactobacillus Acidophilus Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus Casei Fermentation Product, Dried Bifidobacterium Bifidium Fermentation Product, Dried Enterococcus Faecium Fermentation Product, Dried Bacillus Coagulans Fermentation Product, Dried Pineapple Extract, Dried Aspergillus Niger Fermentation Extract, Dried Aspergillus Oryzae Fermentation Extract, Dried Trichoderma Longibrachtum Fermentation Extract, Mixed Tocopherols.
Direct Fed Microbials*:minimum 100,000,000 CFU per pound (in descending amounts, L. acidophilus, L. casei, B. bifidium, E. faecium, B. coagulans)

I bought some mostly because it has the montmorillonite clay in it that I think helps with my dogs’ digestive issues. But, it also appears to have some other good ingredients along with digestive enzymes and probiotics. It is also high in fiber which seems to help my dogs. But, I’m having second thoughts as I don’t want to over supplement my dogs if I am already feeding a balanced kibble with toppers. Any thoughts?

[Rob S]

Hi,

My 5 year old Australian Shepherd mix has been told that she has high pH urine, currently around 8.5, and has struvite crystals. The vet said that she would probably need to go on the prescription diet food from Hill’s Science or Royal Canine but when looking at those ingredients they look terrible, first ingredient in the dry food is corn and in the wet it is mainly meat by-products. She is currently on Nature’s Recipe Grain Free kibble and since I switched her to grain-free a few months ago her mood dramatically increased and she has so much more energy so I want to keep grain free.

I have tried supplementing with cranberry tablets but she is picky and often eats all her food but leaves the tablets.

Can anyone recommend a good quality grain-free food to help with urinary issues that would do a similar job as the prescription food but much much better quality of ingredients?

Thanks

[pugmomsandy]

Wellness Complete Health Senior canned 32/14
Freshpet Select Homestyle tubs 27/18
Wysong Anergen canned 28/12
Wysong Adult Maintenance canned 28/16
Canidae Life Stages Platinum canned 24/18
Avoderm Weight Control Chicken and Rice canned 23/14
Natural Balance LID Chicken and Sweet Potato canned 25/16
Addiction Summer Brushtail dehydrated 23/11
Addiction Kangaroo Feast dehydrated 24/11
Addiction New Zealand Forest Delicacies dehydrated 25/13
Addiction Beef and Zucchini dehydrated 22/11
Addiction Venison and Cranberry dehydrated 25/15
Addiction Fig’licious Venison dehydrated 22/11
Addiction Country Chicken and Apricot dehyrated 24/17
Back to Basics Grain Free dry 27/16
Fromm Gold Reduces Activity dry 26/12
Fromm Gold Large Breed Adult dry 26/13
Pro Pac Ultimates Lamb Meal and Brown Rice dry 24/13
Pro Pac Ultimates Mature Chicken Meal dry 23/13
Pro Pac Ultimates Grain Free Overland Red and Meadow Prime dry 26/13

This article has the explanation and formula to convert foods into dry matter:

/choosing-dog-food/dry-matter-basis/

[Nelson P]

Hi everyone,
It’s the first time I post on this thread but have been learning a lot from reading it (specially from HDM). So, first of all thanks! Now, hopefully you guys don’t mind if I ask for a little more help. I have a 3 months old Golden Retriever. I have been feeding him Royal Canin Golden Retriever Junior (recommended by the vet.) but as you all know, it’s not the best choice. I want to do better. Unfortunately I don’t have the time or money to feed him a proper raw meal. Not now, maybe in the future (who knows). Good Canned is also very expensive (maybe I can add it as a topper sometimes). So I have to stick with kibble. Would like to choose from HDM list but I live in Europe (Portugal) and we don’t have those brands here (stores or online) and buy it from a international online store would also be too expensive for the shipping. I had to look for other brands and try to stick with the guidelines I learn here. As sad as it may look I couldn’t find too many brands to choose from (there are plenty but not that good). Basically I found 2 options: Orijen/Acana large breed puppy (I know it’s borderline with the calcium levels) or Naturea. Naturea is a portuguese brand but they produce there food in a UK factory tucked into a rural area (as they stated in their website). They have the same Biologically Appropriate concept that Champions have. It’s possible none of you ever heard about this brand (I too didn’t know them until yesterday). I don’t know if I can post the website here for you guys to help me analyse their food so I’ll copy/past their Technical Information:

Composition:
Chicken (includes Fresh Deboned Chicken and Chicken Meal), Sweet Potato, Egg Powder,
Chicken Fat, Potato Protein, Lucerne, Linseed, Chicken Gravy, Salmon Oil, Minerals,
Vitamins, Glucosamine, Methylsulfonylmethane, Chondroitin Sulphate, Apple, Carrot,
Tomato, Spinach, Psyllium, Rosehips, Camomile, Burdock Root, Peppermint, Marigold,
Seaweed, Cranberry, Dandelion, Fructooligosaccharides, Aniseed, Fenugreek, Yucca
Schidigera Extract, Thyme, Marjoram, Oregano, Parsley, Sage.

Animal Ingredients (63%):
Chicken Meal (low ash) 31.17%
Fresh Deboned Chicken 13.85%
Egg Powder 8.22%
Chicken Fat 7.36%
Chicken Gravy 1.73%
Salmon Oil 0.86%

Typical Analysis:
Crude Protein 32%
Crude Fat 21%
Crude Fibre 3%
Moisture 8.5%
Carbohydrates 27.5%
Crude Ash 8%
Metabolisable Energy 387 kCal/100g
Calcium 1.21%
Phosphorus 1.04%

Coat, cardio & Joints:
Linoleic Acid (Omega 6) 3.09%
Linolenic Acid (Omega 3) 1.07%
Glucosamine 889 mg/kg
Chondroitin 625 mg/kg
Methylsulfonylmethane (MSM) 889 mg/kg

Other Vitamins, Amnio Acids & Minerals:
Vitamin A 25730 IU/kg
Vitamin D3 1730 IU/kg
Vitamin E (as alpha-tocopherol acetate) 231 IU/kg
Vitamin B1 10 mg/kg
Vitamin B2 23 mg/kg
Vitamin B6 10 mg/kg
Vitamin B12 127 mcg/kg
Biotin 323 mcg/kg
Folic acid 1.73 mg/kg
Niacin 35 mg/kg
Choline Chloride 240 mg/kg
Pantothenate 20 mg/kg
Potassium 1.04%
Sodium 0.36%
Chloride 0.63%
Magnesium 0.1%
Zinc (as zinc sulphate monohydrate) 285 mg/kg
Zinc (as chelate of amino acids hydrate) 342 mg/kg
Copper (as cupric sulphate monohydrate) 41 mg/kg
Copper (as cupric chelate of amino acids hydrate) 51 mg/kg
Manganese (as manganous sulphate monohydrate) 112 mg/kg
Iron (as ferrous sulphate monohydrate) 309 mg/kg
Iron (as ferrous chelate of amino acids hydrate) 21 mg/kg
Iodine (as calcium iodate anhydrous) 1.58 mg/kg
Selenium (as sodium selenite) 0.51 mg/kg

Sorry for the long text. I need to decide on a food sooner than later to start the transition. In the future I would like to rotate different brands (If I can find good ones), and add toppers as suggested here. But for now I really have to decide. Origin, Naturea or other world available brand? Can you help me? So afraid to make the wrong choice. Any other advice on dog/puppy health would be great 🙂

P.S. As for the toppers, besides eggs, tinned sardines, plain yogurt, kefir, cottage cheese, and veggies what can I add without throwing off the balance?

[Barbara M]

I was giving the prescription wet food AND adding water to it to insure increase water intake. I also now make her bone broth I add to every meal (dry kibble and boiled chicken. She also get her cranberry supplement twice a day in her meals.

[USA]

Hi BC,

You wrote:
“For yeast, my favorite kibble is Brothers Complete. It was formulated specifically to help yeasty dogs.”

The ingredients and nutrient percentages for brothers venison formula are listed below (taken from DFA). Can you please explain how this formula will “help yeasty dogs.”

Any references you could present to back up this claim would be greatly appreciated!

Protein 36%
Fat 18%
Carbs 39%
Ingredients: Venison meal, dried whole eggs, turkey meal, pea starch, cassava/tapioca, pea flour, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols, a source of vitamin E), dried chicken liver, pumpkin, ground flaxseed, alfalfa, carrots, potassium chloride, sea salt, choline chloride, dried whole cell algae (pure source of omega 3 DHA), mixed tocopherols, rosemary extract, green tea extract, encapsulated probiotics (dried Enterococcus faecium fermentation product, dried Lactobacillus acidophilus fermentation product, dried Lactobacillus casei fermentation product), enzymes [amylase (Aspergillus oryzae), protease (Aspergillus oryzae), cellulase (Trichoderma reesei), lactase (Aspergillus oryzae), hemicellulase (Trichoderma reesei), lipase (Aspergillus oryzae), prebiotic (organic, long chain, highly branched inulin), vegetable pomace (celery, beets, parsley, lettuce, watercress, spinach), cranberry pomace, lysine HCL, dl-methionine, lecithin, taurine, vitamin E, vitamin C, vitamin A, vitamin D3, zinc sulfate, ferrous sulfate, niacin, folic acid, biotin, manganese sulfate, copper sulfate, calcium pantothenate, thiamine mononitrate, pyridoxine hydrochloride, riboflavin, l-ascorbyl 2-polyphosphate (source of vitamin C activity), zinc proteinate, manganese proteinate, copper proteinate, calcium iodate, sodium selenite, cobalt carbonate, vitamin B12 supplement, l-carnitine

[Karen J]

Thanks, I’ll try adding glucosamine she’s already getting C and Cranberry. The big BUT is the delivery system. Cream cheese is the only thing really working and she is getting suspicious of that. I’ve mashed the pills and put them in a syringe with water, that goes over real big too. But usually the next day she’ll opt for the cream cheese.

I am taking her to a different vet for a second opinion. This last vet didn’t even ask to see her again.

[DogFoodie]

Just a suggestion for you to check out, Karen… have you ever looked at Diggin’ Your Dog’s Pumpkin with Cranberry: http://www.dydusa.com/firmup_cranberry/. I use the plain without cranberry. It’s very easy to add to the food dry, both of the dogs lick up every grain.

[Karen J]

I do have a picky dog but withholding food just starts her eating her feces again. She did it a little while as a puppy and stopped. I put cayenne pepper on it tonight.

I want to find a grain free budget canned, hopefully with a variety of flavors I think she gets bored. She will have a little bowl of kibble to nosh all day, I’d rather have her free feed than eat her poop. My other dogs had kibble available all day.

The food is put away at night because rats could come in the doggie door, although with her so far so good I think the terrier in her might go after them.

I’ve been giving her her cranberry and vitamin C with cream cheese now she’s getting suspicious. I took a syringe and forced her to take it tonight, maybe she’ll be open to the cream cheese again so we can control the crystals. Cheese and peanut butter don’t work.

That is my new plan.

[Karen J]

Thanks for the info, I’ll be more patient. She did not have an infection or stones of any kind so no antibiotics were give according to this vet. She gave me a cranberry powder and wanted to put her on prescription dog food.

I can’t crate her because sometimes I’m gone for too long. Super long days I take her to doggie day care. During housebreaking I tried to confine her to the kitchen but she could jump climb and squeeze through ever gate. I finally put her in the bedroom.
About the doggie door, I’ve come home and she has been out back – through the doggie door so I don’t believe that’s an issue.

I am going to continue the d-mannose and if in a week or two this continues I’m taking her to a different vet.

Other than that she’s active playful and her poops are good.
I really appreciate your input, it’s been great. Thank you for taking the time.

[Susan]

Hi Karen, have you ever tried making up the cranberry or vit C with about 10-15ml water then putting it into syringe, I think they are called 20ml syringes you buy from chemist, in the past Ive had to use a syringe then just put in the side of her mouth & squirt slowley, its only about 10ml -15ml water so there’s not that much water..then give her her meal & she’ll probably eat to get the taste out of her mouth..
I had to also use a syringe with just water when my dog was dehydrated & was’nt drinking water maybe thats how you can also give her some water thru the day..

[Karen J]

Great information, I’m calming down. I’ll still stay grain free, and filtered water- supplements like cranberry and Vit C and be given hidden in a treat separately.

Last year I lost a dog (a senior) but he was so sick and went through so much I just want to be cautious.

Thank you.

[Karen J]

Boiled chicken it is…what about the cranberry supplement – I’m not going to put it in the next food I try at least not until I see if she eat it. I want her to have it and I’m afraid if I put it in her filtered water she won’t drink that either and that’s of supreme importance.

[Karen J]

While I’m trying to find a new food for Trixie – putting the Cranberry powder in anyghing all bets are off she won’t eat it (she loved the BB canned and now won’t even touch that).

I need to find an alternate delivery system for the the Cranberry and Vit C – or she won’t eat. I finally added boiled chicken to the canned food by Merrick, a primo grain free brand she picked out chicken, smart little thing. She ate some but did she get the Cranberry?

She does not wolf her food she eats it, chews it and tastes it.

And the Orijen kibble, nope…won’t eat it. Even with Stella and Chewy on top. I have 2 more brands to try…I’m thinking don’t add the cranberry powder.

Any tips on how to get her to drink more water?

[Karen J]

I’m hearing vitamin C and Cranberry. What safe delivery device for Vit C – 500mg? Cheese, cottage cheese or? I used boiled chicken today.

I saw these on Amazon: Cranberry Comfort Soft Chews, are they good?

Also I saw on Amazon strips to measure ph balance of her urine…she hasn’t developed an infection or stones as yet and I’d like to prevent it.

I’ve been getting overwhelming advice to stay away from fish but eHow recommends it – I think I’ll stay away from it.

Karen for Trixie

[Karen J]

Wow this is all so helpful. Just got can of Merrick, BB Wilderness and Holistic select wet to try. Got test bag of Orijens kibble, beef and lamb family. Moist treats, grain free Natural Balance and just gave her some Vit C wrapped in boiled chicken breast. Will have to get cheese I think and proper dose. Also put Cranberry relief…also some Stella and Chewy.

When I make her food to wet she won’t eat it.

So that’s where I’ve started and sounds like of what I put one can each of the Merrick appears to be a favorite of the forum.

Always open to more advice, I’m starting to put together a menu for Trixie.

[Karen J]

Good information, any thoughts on canned foods or just freeze dried raw with water added? Looks like there is some Calcium Ascorbate from Ester C in Cranberry Comfort.

I have to get the PH strips and trade in kibble for no grain. She really loves the BB canned, this morning I added too much water and other stuff to some canned and she wouldn’t eat it, so I’m concerned about just freeze dried raw with water, someone told me to just give her that and make it like oatmeal. I don’t think she’ll eat it.

I re-did her food this morning with a small amount of filtered water and less Stella and Chewy on top. She ate some of it, but she usually gobbles the BB canned with a scoop of the cranberry. Not eating isn’t an option either. I usually put the kibble with Stella and Chewy topping in separate bowl and she nibbles at it.

I have to figure out a combo she will eat.

[theBCnut]

Low ash and high protein are almost opposites. I would go with high protein no grain and add your Cranberry Comfort and see how it goes. Does Cranberry Comfort have vit C in it? If the pH strips show a pH above 7, I would think about adding a little vit C, if the CC doesn’t have it. If it does, wait until you have had her on it for a day or 2 then retest. If you’ve already had her on the CC for a couple days and the test strip still shows high, then I would go ahead and start adding the vit C. Adding it won’t hurt, as long as you don’t go crazy, so you really can just add it anyways. For myself, I would just want to know how the different elements of my dogs diet were affecting her.

[Karen J]

I really appreciate the input. I lost Lucky dog last year. I was heart broken, and Trixie is sunshine in a tiny body.

I know vet said pre struvite…I’ve heard stay away from fish too.

What should the PH be?

I’ve heard one person on FaceBook said:” If the crystals are Struvite, then acidifying the food, as well as high protein, low carb, grain-free food helps them from forming. I feed my dogs Taste of the Wild with wet food added as a topper.”

I’m mixing a little kibble and some freeze dried crumbled on top and part of a can of Blue Buffalo which I may return the BB products, then adding Cranberry Comfort and some water to make it all really moist. Either boiled tap or Brita water only. I’ll get the PH strips and trade kibble in for grain free I also heard “low ash” is good for this.

[pugmomsandy]

You’ll probably get several different answers from us as well! And we’re not vets. But, these are some suggestions. (1) increase moisture intake (canned food, freeze dried/dehydrated foods (rehydrated), fresh/frozen raw foods, even kibble flooded with water) to help keep the bladder flushed out. (2) avoid feeding only dry food. (3) more frequent potty breaks. (4) cranberry/d-mannose supplement daily.

If she has alkaline urine, you can also add (1) small vitamin C capsule or a methionine (amino acid) capsule daily. (2) or a commercial pH reducing product (ex: Wysong Biotic pH-) or “grass saver” type product with methionine. Purchase pH test strips so you can monitor the urine pH.

I haven’t heard of fish being a problem regarding struvites.

[Karen J]

Trixie a 1 year old Terrier Mix/Chinese Crested 12.8lbs, has some crystals in her urine, no infection no stones. I’m getting not one straight answer from any one on what to feed her.

I’m now using filtered water not tap.
I crumble Stella & Chewy onto her Blue Buffalo kibble but take out the dark bits. Was told I should get “low ash” kibble.
Was told not to give her kibble and wet food?
Was told to give her only freeze-dried raw.
I’m putting Cranberry Comfort powder on her food.
I give her bully sticks as treats and Natural Balance dental chews.
I was told to stay away from all fish products.
The vet wants to put her on some prescription food, I don’t believe that is best for her.
I’m so confused.

Karen

[Karen J]

Trixie is a rescue, she just turned 1 year I’ve had her for 8 months, a terrier mix/chinese crested. Diagnosed with urinary crystals. No infection or stones. But she peed in house twice, there is a dog door and she walks and goes to daycare.

Since diagnosis 2 days ago I’ve switched her to filtered water and add Cranberry Comfort to her food, was told to get low ash food and also raw dried. I put Stella and Chewy on her kibble and she loves it. I give her Natural Balance dental chews. I also remove the dark kibbles from her Blue Buffalo kibble.

Right now she eats Blue Buffalo canned chicken and lamb and small dog kibble. She weights 12.8lbs. I’ve heard this brand and food are really not the best for her condition.

[Heather S]

4 year old lab mix 70 lbs. in April 2013, she had a bladder/urinary track infection. Found out she had struvites. She had been eating EARTHBORN Whitefish. Some time later, leaking began. After talking to makers of EARTHBORN, we switched to adult vantage. Also began supplementing with Solid Gold cranberry powder. Struvites and leaking continued. In June 2014, had urine tested and everything came back normal, even the pH. Except she still had struvites and was still leaking. Finally gave in to putting her on Royal Canin OS. Vet has been insisting for a year that she has to be on it, and for the rest of her life! Called 2 other vets that said it was the only option for struvites. No one would address the urine leakage as long as she had the crystals. After 2 months, crystals were gone, but but still leaking. Tried INCURIN for 3 weeks, still leaking. Switched to PROPAC GRAIN FREE, and started PROIN ON 7/22/14, and also started the Solid Gold again. On 9/13, she leaked. Did a urine test at the vet and pH was 7. Vet says only option is the ROYAL CANIN, bc pH is going up. I checked pH at home today and it said 8. She leaked even when struvites were gone, but we keep being told leaking is bc of crystals and pH going up. I can’t afford, and don’t want our dog to be on the ROYAL CANIN for life! Isn’t there any affordable, dry dog food, that will lower pH? And prevent crystals? PLEASE, PLEASE, HELP! I don’t understand why this is so hard to treat and don’t believe the only option is ROYAL CANIN.

[lmnordrum]

Wellness Core Puppy is entirely grain free and suitable for all life stages and is on HDMs list as suitable. My dog loves it and does very well on it. I only added in the Fromm later because its good to have them eat more than one thing should your food be recalled. (Although Wellness has never had a recall and is made in the USA in small batches.)

My dog also receives cooked meat as a topper. I buy inexpensive beef (chuck, round or even something on clearance) and cook it, and I also give her chicken. She’s had leftover pork too. The meat I add is just used as a topper–and a way for me to clean out the fridge. I’ll also boil eggs and give them to her if I have some older eggs. So basically my dog gets about 90% kibble and 10% of leftover meat from the fridge. Last week she had chicken parmigiana without stuff on the meat: I just scraped it off and rinsed the meat, and chopped it in the food processor. I’ll grind up my leftover meat, put it in plastic bags, and place in the freezer. Makes it easy to dump on the kibble and she’ll eat her entire meal.

I can’t bear to deal with the thought of raw food in my house or her bowl and am terrified by the thought of salmonella or listeria. When we were trying to find a second kibble I got some Instinct Rabbit which gave her loose stool. So it doesn’t seem like rabbit was a good protein for this particular animal. Plenty of people feed that Instinct Rabbit with no problems. The loose stool was why I settled on the Fromm as a backup food and part of her dinner mix.

We had a brief time around 4 months when the dog has some diarrhea but I traced that back to cranberry supplements I was giving her for a UTI. It wasn’t the food because once I eliminated that cranberry extract she was perfectly fine.

I’ve been very happy with the Wellness Core, and the Fromm. Her stool is a bit more firm when she has more Wellness. I will share that too much coconut oil, like when I decided to tip the jar over her food, gave her loose stool, but I figured that would happen with too much fat.

Hopefully you just have a systemic problem due to grain. I don’t even feed corn to my family (unless it is organic) and I sure as heck am not giving it to my dog.

[pugmomsandy]

For struvites, I used to add Wysong Biotic pH- to my dogs’ meals. Also, I started feeding at least 50% wet food (canned, raw, dehydrated) or at least add water to the kibble. Rarely do they eat something dry. Now I just use methionine rotating with another bladder support product containing cranberry and d-mannose. Mine never developed stones or UTI’s. I also periodically test with urine pH test strips at home. One of the vets actually suggested 500 mg vitamin C daily. I have small dogs.

• This reply was modified 9 years, 7 months ago by pugmomsandy.

[Danielle O]

I have an extremely fussy cavalier, who wouldn’t eat anything I put in front of her and who also has digestive (loose stool) issues. We’ve been using Primal Freeze-Dried for about a year now, specifically the duck and turkey/sardine blend. I crumble two blocks, then add a small handful of Now Fresh Grain Free Small Breed kibble, which is also turkey, duck and salmon based. To help with the digestive issue, I add a sprinkle of Diggin’ Your Dog’s Firm Up! Pumpkin, which is a dehydrated granular form of pumpkin and apple fiber. If I can find Diggin’s Pumpkin Cranberry blend, I rotate that in as an additive. If her stools are super loose I also crumble up a couple Grandma Lucy’s Freeze-Dried Sweet Potatoes. She really seems to like these. I then hydrate the mix by adding a few handfuls of warm to hot water, mix and serve. She seems to love this homemade blend the best, and I don’t use as much Primal product in a day that I would without the mix. Hope this helps! Good luck!

[emma s]

Forgot to say lamb is also out!!

Thanks – I am going to have a look at some of your suggestions. From what I have so far worked out, I was thinking on feeding him some products of a company that also seem to add nutrients

Monday: Turkey mince and vegetables
http://www.naturesmenu.co.uk/product-blended-frozen-nuggets.aspx

Tuesday: Duck and Rice with plums
http://www.naturesmenu.co.uk/product-duck-with-plum-1kg.aspx

Wednesday: White fish ( he is ok with this not salmon) mince and vegetable nuggets
http://www.naturesmenu.co.uk/product-blended-frozen-nuggets.aspx

Thursday: Rabbit with cranberries
http://www.naturesmenu.co.uk/product-rabbit-with-cranberry-1kg.aspx

Friday: Pork and something… oats? Homemade?

Sat: ? Can I repeat any of these meals?
Sun: ? Can I repeat any of these meals?

Every other day turkey neck / duck wings

I am finding it hard to locate organs like heart / liver etc that is not from chicken or beef!

Does anything stand out as missing??

[pugmomsandy]

I give one scoop of Mercola Bladder Support which has 75 mg of d-mannose and 75 mg of cranberry and other supplements. I’ve also given a 250 mg capsule of just d-mannose a couple times a week.

[pugmomsandy]

You can give a supplement with dl-methionine like Wysong Biotic ph (-) or Swanson Pet High Alkaline Lawn Aid or similar product, and cranberry/d-mannose to help with the urine pH and urinary tract health.

• This reply was modified 9 years, 9 months ago by pugmomsandy.

[Corey K]

thank you for the feedback. I actually tried the raw diet, and the highest end foods with him prior to the issues and he will not touch them. He seems very picky and also will not eat canned food. I was just reading about the cranberry supplements and may give them a try. He eats IAMs large breed for ages 1-5 now because it’s the only thing he will consistently eat. I am confused about one thing I’m reading. I keep reading that the struvite crystals do not need treated unless there is an active infection. He does have an active infection and is on an antibiotic. My vet tested his urine a week after the begin of antibiotic and it was back to normal. I plan to keep him on the antibiotic for 4 weeks. Why does it say that the crystals are only dangerous if there is infection – is that simply because the infection needs treated? Or do the crystals behave differently or pose a different threat if accompanied by infection? So confusing!!!

[InkedMarie]

Corey: dry food is the worst thing you can feed a dog with crystals. Best is raw, dehydrated or canned. I had a dog with struvite crystals & he did not go on a script diet. If you must feed dry, please add some canned to it plus warm water to make a stew. It’s very important that you make sure he gets enough liquid & ample opportunity to urinate. Do you give a urinary supplement or cranberry? Ask your vet if vitamin C would help.

[Angela A]

Now I can’t say that my GSD’s uti’s were caused by her food, but I can say that I switched from Blue Buffalo Basics Grain free to Kirkland (costco) grain free and she had 3 uti’s since the switch. Cranberry is in the Blue Buffalo, and not the Kirkland brand. We are back on Blue Buffalo and I am researching the Budget friendly foods now. Two German Shepherds put away some food! 🙂 Love that I joined! Thanks!

[Mom2Cavs]

I agree with theBCnut. I also found a supplement I love, called Firm Up. It’s just dried pumpkin and apple pectin. You can get it with cranberry, too. Love it!! So much easier to use than canned pumpkin, which mine didn’t care for in their food. They eat this up, though. I won’t ever be without it. It has been a life saver for anal glands, too. 🙂

[Akari_32]

He gets very little in the way of actual dog treats. He usually gets a bit of people food for treats. I yell at mom for giving him jelly beans quite often… Other than those, he gets veggies and meat scraps. Right now, his treats are Wellness Toy Breed cranberry something-or-anothers. They were on clearance lol Oh, and he steals the cats food if he leaves it and it’s not up high. Alec gets mostly Wellness Grain Free.

The only commercial raw diets locally available are Bill Jac (not sure how good that is) and Natures Variety, which is not cost effective at all (I’ve already looked into that.). There may be other brands that I’ve over looked, though.

What if we were to feed like, half raw, half Natures Variety Instinct kibble? That has freeze dried raw coating, and all sorts of good stuff in it. Would supplements be needed then? (Don’t get me wrong, I’m not trying to avoid supplements, I just know they can be costly, so if I can find a way to balance his diet as cheaply as possible, I’d like to take that route).

[Tina]

Dori,

I’m sorry to hear about Hannah. 🙁

I hope everything turns out okay. Maybe trying switching her diets. What about giving her cranberries or cranberry juice?

[Suburban Gal]

Royal Canin is a good food. Just because it comes in the form of an Rx doesn’t mean it’s a bad food.

That said, I’ve had to deal with UTI in both dogs and cats. Given my experiences with it as a pet owner, I suggest something like Addiction’s raw dehydrated homestyle venison amd cranberry food, Pronature’s turkey and cranberries formula or Canyon Creek Ranch’s superfood blend of salmon, egg and cranberries.

[PetNutritionist]

Hello,
First off I would like to say that the Food that you are feeding your dog, is contributing to the bladder stones and gaining weight.
Diets high in grain and vegetables produce alkaline urine, which allows certain stones to form.
1. thing to get changed right off the bat, is the food. Vets are very helpful with figuring out and helping to remedy problems that your dogs are facing. But many of them are uneducated with dog food nutrition. I have studied Dog and Cat nutrition very intensely due to my dog almost dying because our vet recommended Pedigree dog food.
Science diet, Hills food from the vet and even in pet stores are CRAP. Any food that you can buy in a grocery store is CRAP. What you feed is what you get out of your dog. and I have helped MANY MANY pet parents learn how to better their dogs lives by just changing what they eat.
Your dog needs to avoid food with Grains. If a dog food ingredients has Rice, Brown Rice, Barley, Corn, Grain, Whole Grain, or such grains in the first 5-10 ingredients, its not food your dog is suppose to be eating.
GRAIN FREE FOOD is what your dog should be eating in order to loose weight and avoid bladder stones.
I suggest Acana because they are Grain Free, First Mate because again they are Grain Free and have always been grain free (My dogs are on this) and other foods that are grain free!
Your dog should also be eating twice a day only. As well needing to give it to her at a reduced amount till He/She looses weight.
Once in the morning and once at night, food should be measured so you know how much your dog is eating.
To help with arthritis, I would look into giving your dog some glucosamine and chondroitin.
You can actually give the ones you get at your drug store and mix it in with wet food and give it to her one a spoon. Make sure to get the pill capsule ones so you can open it and mix in with wet food.
As well, try and start giving Cranberry supplements to help with the unitary tract. You can as well use the ones you get at the drug stores or go with this brand for animals specifically
http://cranimal.com/products.html

You wouldn’t eat Macdonalds every day if you were trying to loose weight and care for your health would you? That is what you are giving your dog if you feed it Science diet, Hills or any food with Grains.

I know this will help a lot because I’ve done it personally myself. But I hope you try it and see for yourself.
Cheers

[pugmomsandy]

Did you find out if the UTI is completely gone? My dogs haven’t had any noticeable side effects. I’ve been using the product a couple times a week as I alternate with a cranberry plus herbs supplement for several weeks to a few months. I dont remember the actual time i started using it. I think the highest pH was 9, and it was down to 8 and they have a follow up in April. Although I do have pH test strips here at home. Tonight they ate a duck neck for dinner so they’ll get the urine supplement with their canned food breakfast. In a six month period, two of my dogs had the high pH, so I’m using the products fairly long term. My third dog who eats the exact same diet has normal urine. Go figure. As they don’t have blood in the urine, frequency or other issue, I’m going to stick with these products for now. They do get vit C occasionally too.

[Darcy W]

Hello! I need some input on my homecooked diet. I have 4 dogs. They are all healthy and very active. They are ages 3 and 4. I had urinallisis done on two of the dogs, and they both had a high ph (one was 8, one was 8.5).
These are the things i hve tried so far-
-tested my water ph and it was high(8). I had been giving them Brita water but I switched to spring water.
-started giving them cranberry (natural factors brand 500 mg 36:1)
-started giving them 500 mg ester-c vitamin
-started giving them water with their food.
Here’s what I normally feed them (2x per day)
-1/2 cup ground beef
-1/2 cup chicken thighs with skin
-1/4 cup brown or white rice cooked til mushy
Ground eggshells for calcium
Cod liver oil (EPA Dha vit. D)
Coconut oil
Ground flax seed
Vitamins e,b
Liquid kelp
Does anyone have any thoughts on what to add or leave out to lower the ph of the urine?
Thanks in advance.