Bladder Stones In Dogs - Canine Urolithiasis

Bladder Stones in Dogs

Our four-legged pets require all the care they can get from their masters. This is because they are very prone to some diseases that can be otherwise ignored by their owners. Bladder stones are one of the main diseases that dogs suffer in their lifetime. Bladder infections should be addressed right on their onset. This is to prevent future damages to the other vital organs like the kidneys.

Almost all breeds of dog are susceptible to forming bladder stones. These stones are produced if some excess minerals and other waste products solidify or crystallize in the dog’s bladder area. Symptoms may vary from one dog to another. But one fact remains your dog would definitely suffer a good amount of pain because of it.

Bladder stones are also referred to as uroliths. And they usually occur on dogs aged four to six years, although older dogs may possibly acquire it still. Bladder stones are caused by a lot of factors. It may be due to some chronic infections and metabolic problems. Bladder stones in dogs may be anywhere from mild to serious, manageable to painful.

Female dogs are more prone to bladder stones than male dogs. And smaller dogs acquire it more often than the larger breeds. More often than not, bladder stones only become a problem once it blocks the flow of urine in the urethra. At such point, your dog won’t be able to urinate properly. If not attended to right away, your dog might even die out of the complications of the disease especially if the crystallized stone is too big for its body to bear.

Bladder stones may recur at anytime. This fact indicates that you need to provide lifetime care to your pet if and when it was diagnosed with bladder stones. This also means that your pet has to retain its prescription diet, even if the vet has declared that the stone was already dissolved.

Bladder stones are rarely life threatening. In fact, it can be treated with the right diet and the necessary hygienic practices. But even so, it is not advisable that you follow self-medication techniques for your dogs. A veterinarian would definitely help your pet a lot when it comes to the diagnosis and treatment of this disease.

The occurrence of bladder stones greatly differs from one dog to another. A friend’s medications for bladder stones on her dog might not necessarily work for your pet. Regular checkup is still your best defense against this rather common disease that affects man’s loyal and trusted best friend.

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