[penny m]

Hi everyone- I am considering adopting a dog which has a history of struvite crystals and stones in her urine. Her former owner was going to have her euthanized because of it. I am researching homemade dog food recipes good for dogs prone to struvite stones and urinary issues. I need to have an idea of what care will be entailed before I decide whether to take in this animal. Please share homemade dog food recipes I could make for her
Thank You so much!!

[anonymous]

You need to take this dog to a vet, any diet restrictions would depend on the type of stones the dog has. This can only be determined after the stones are removed and sent to a lab for analysis.
If this dog has a chronic condition, no diet alone is going to fix this. You may need the expertise of a specialist.
Hope this helps
/forums/topic/frequent-utis/#post-109553

PS: what breed is the dog? Age?

[anonymous]

Find out if an x-ray/ultrasound was done to rule out bladder stones. Very important in my opinion.
Dogs can have more than one type of stones.
My dog had struvite and calcium oxalate.
Calcium oxalate stones do not dissolve. There are other types of stones too.
A lot of these conditions are genetic, that is why I asked about the breed.
These conditions are manageable, but not by diet only.

[penny m]

The dog already had the struvite stones removed—I am trying to find recipes for homemade food that would minimize the chances of them reoccurring. The dog is a female miniature dachshund weighing about 10lbs

I have been researching brands of dry dog food but they are incredibly expensive and I prefer to make homemade if I can get some good recipes.

[Tyrionthebiscuit]

If you’re on Facebook join the group K9 nutrition. They’re all very helpful.

[anonymous]

http://skeptvet.com/Blog/?s=homemade+diet excerpt below, click on link for full article and comments

Evidence Update–Homemade Diet Recipes for Your Pet are Unreliable
Posted on May 20, 2013 by skeptvet
I have previously discussed studies of recipes for homemade diets, from books and the internet, which show that these diets are rarely nutritionally adequate or reliable in terms of consistently providing predictable levels of critical nutrients. Recipes for kidney disease, cancer diets, and raw diets have all been evaluated and found wanting. Now the largest study yet looking at the nutritional adequacy of homemade diet recipes has been published and—surprise, surprise—it has found that almost none of the recipes evaluated provide recommended levels of important nutrients.

[Tyrionthebiscuit]

Would you stop trying to invoke nothing but fear into every single poster on here? If someone has the time and the means to do a well prepared homemade diet, then they should! Skeptvet is not the end all be all and there are plenty of resources to help formulate a proper diet for a dog. Clearly this poster does not want to feed a 100% processed diet and is trying to do the best for her dog. In another article skeptvet goes on to say he does NOT disapprove of homemade diets and thinks they could be better than kibbled diets IF prepared correctly. Which can be done if a nutritionist is consulted.

[anonymous]

Zignature or Nutrisca or Pro Plan Focus for sensitive skin and stomach are good kibbles (for a base)
What works for my dogs is to add some cooked chopped chicken or boiled egg, use the kibble as a base 1/2 to 2/3rds of the meal and always add water or plain chicken broth.
/forums/topic/help-food-change-disaster/#post-111832
PS: I would start with the prescription kibble recommended by the vet, at least as a base, presoaked in water.

[aimee]

Hi Penny,

Unless your dog had the rather uncommon condition of struvite stones not related to an infection, diet isn’t the way to prevent recurrence. To prevent recurrence you need to seek out and address any medical problems that can make her prone to infection and then monitor urine for infection and treat appropriately.

[anonymous]

I agree with Aimee, stones that don’t dissolve after antibiotic treatment are most likely not struvite.

I would insist on taking the dog to a vet of your choice for an exam and professional opinion before adopting (at your own expense)

Know what you are getting into, diet is only a very small part of t,he treatment that may be needed.

[anonymous]

In response to the above post by Tyrionthebiscuit

Would you prefer that the OP adopt a dog with a potentially serious chronic medical condition thinking that some miracle diet of “home cooked food” will solve all the issues.
What happens when she realizes the dogs issues require frequent vet visits and follow-up, maybe to the tune of a few hundred a year.
Then what? Heartbreak for the poster, more trauma for the dog that gets returned to the shelter.
Do you know how many times I have heard “I can’t afford to go to the vet”
More times than I care to remember.
A pet is a family member that lives in your household, if you cannot afford routine vet visits and other medical conditions that may require treatment. Don’t get a pet.

[Tyrionthebiscuit]

Would you show me where I said “don’t take your dog to the vet”? What? You can’t? That’s because I didn’t. I was responding directly to her question. Never once did she say she was not going to go to the vet.

[anonymous]

She implied it by asking for “home cooked dog food recipes” for a dog with a serious medical condition. The dog’s diet is the least of her problems. Anyone with even a hint of medical knowledge knows that.
It sounds like the shelter people (not veterinary healthcare professionals) told her that all the dog needed was the right diet. LOL

[anonymous]

@ penny m
I repeat.
Only a veterinarian that has examined your dog and reviewed it’s history (that you know of) can advise you accordingly. Don’t look for veterinary medical advice on the internet.
All you will get is opinions.
I hope this dog is a good match for you, please give us an update if possible 🙂

“I would insist on taking the dog to a vet of your choice for an exam and professional opinion before adopting (at your own expense)”
“Know what you are getting into, diet is only a very small part of the treatment that may be needed”.

[Mike Sagman]

Adopting a homeless dog is always an admirable goal. We should all be working together to help this poster find a way to help this sweet dog.

Please put your personal differences and vanities aside and post only comments that are courteous and respectful to others.

[anonymous]

Exactly, that’s what I have been doing.

The condition (bladder stones) there are many types, are manageable. However, not all pet owners are willing to do the work, vet visits, meds, special diet.

I believe if there are any health concerns, people should take the pet to a vet of their choosing for an examination at their own expense prior to committing to adopt.
If the shelter cannot find a way to accommodate this request (send a staff member with you for the vet visit) that would be a red flag for me.

[crazy4cats]

Penny-
Check out balanceit.com and/or petdiets.com. You can either request or formulate balanced recipes on these sites. They are run by vets who have specialized in nutrition.

As Aimee stated, struvite crystals in dogs frequently are caused by urinary tract infections. Has this dog been on antibiotics to rid her of infection? Typically, they are not food related. Making sure she gets plenty of water in her diet and opportunities to go potty are both important.

I have a cat that had a complete blockage due to Struvite crystals. I feed him Royal Canin Calm Rx kibble with a variety of regular canned food. He spent a couple of days in emergency clinic, but has been clear for a few years now! Apparently, male cats are very suseptible, but isn’t usually due to an infection.

Good luck, I really hope you can find a way to take this pup in! What kind of dog is she?

[Bobby dog]

Hello Penny:
I recently went through a similar experience and spent a year researching horse rescue and adoption. Facebook and forums proved invaluable for me. I learned many things from the experiences posters shared on-line. I was also fortunate because my Vet has experience with rescue horses and gave me expert guidance throughout the process. IMO you’re on the right track looking into this health condition prior to making any decisions about adoption!

I personally would never feed or recommend a homemade recipe that was not formulated by a credentialed veterinary nutritionist (ACVN or PhD in small animal nutrition) for my cat or dog. Many recipes I have seen posted are lacking essential vitamins and minerals. Feeding a diet, homemade or commercial, that is not balanced or feeding a commercial food far below recommended amounts over a long period might exacerbate any health issue(s) known or unknown. Ensuring they get all there required vitamins and minerals especially when they have a known health condition is important. There are many recipes on the Internet that bloggers and Vets have posted. Ask the formulators if they are credentialed in small animal nutrition, my guess would be no for most of them.

If a Vet has recommended a special diet or even if you’re just interested in feeding a balanced homemade diet I second C4C’s suggestion to check out BalanceIT.com or petdiets.com. I use a product from BalanceIT for my pup, he loves his homemade meals. The recipes are simple to make and there are many options for budget friendly ingredients.

It sounds like a good start since you have her medical history and she already had the stones removed. I hope an adoption works out for you both!! 

Here’s a few sites you may find helpful:
https://www.vetmed.umn.edu/centers-programs/minnesota-urolith-center/recommendations
http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=460

Struvite info:
https://www.vetmed.umn.edu/sites/vetmed.umn.edu/files/canine_struvite_uroliths.pdf

petdiets.com provides a free “ask the Veterinary Nutritionist” service:
https://petdiets.com/Ask-the-Nutritionist

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