Five Things You Must Know About Bladder Stones In Dogs

This post was written by admin3 on July 24, 2010
Posted Under: Dogs

If you’re like most dog owners, you’ve probably never even heard of canine bladder stones.  But if it happens to your dog, you need to get answers to these questions.

How Do I Know If Bladder Stones In Dogs Are Causing A Problem?

The following symptoms are clues that your dog could be suffering from this condition:

• Repeated bladder infections in dogs, especially if the same bacteria is causing them


• Bloody or rust-colored urine


• Straining to urinate


• Unable to pass much, if any, urine

These stones do show up on x-rays, so your vet will want to take some if he or she suspects stones are present.

Are There Different Types Of Canine Bladder Stones?

Yes.  The two most common types are struvite and calcium oxalate.It’s necessary to determine what kind of bladder stone your dog has because the different types of stones have different treatments.  The easiest way to do this is to analyze a stone, so if your dog passes one, be sure to save it.

A urinalysis and a dog urine culture can help to identify which kind of stone it is, even if you don’t have one to test.If the dog bladder infection is caused by Staphylococci bacteria, struvite type stones are usually the result.

Also, struvite stones in dogs form in alkaline urine, while calcium oxalate stones form in acid urine.

Are All Dogs Susceptible To This Problem?

Unfortunately, most female dogs are susceptible to struvite stones, as 85% of dogs with this problem are female.  Beagles, miniature schnauzers, and English cocker spaniels are the breeds at highest risk.

How Are Bladder Stones In Dogs Treated?

Most of the time, struvite stones will dissolve on their own once the dog bladder infection is gone, so it’s very important to treat that infection.

A special diet to dissolve the stones may be needed if treating the infection doesn’t work.  Your dog may not like it, but it’s necessary that this is the only thing she eats during the treatment period, which may last up to six months.

Your vet will want to keep your dog on antibiotics while she’s on the special diet.  This is because bacteria are embedded in the stones, and they’re released as the stone dissolves.

If there is a canine urinary tract blockage, surgery may be necessary to remove the stones.

How Does Natural Treatment For Dog Bladder Infection Help?

Since bladder stones in dogs usually form only when a bladder infection is present, it makes sense to prevent infections from occurring.Many dog owners hope to prevent this problem by turning to herbal remedies for pets.

The best thing about a natural treatment for dogs is that you can give it right along with antibiotic therapy.  It doesn’t interfere in any way with the action of the drugs, plus it supports bladder health in dogs naturally.

You’ll want to look for a remedy that contains uva ursi, and barberry, along with the homeopathic remedies Cantharis and Staphysagria.  These remedies have stood the test of time for preventing and treating bladder infections.  It’s also important that the remedy you choose is formulated specifically for pets, not people, and is easy to give.

Do yourself and your dog a favor, and prevent the bladder infections in dogs that lead to canine bladder stones.  Click on any link in this article to learn how.

Tags: bladder infections in dogs, bladder stones in dogs, canine bladder stones, dog bladder infection

Canine Mast Cell Tumors: What You Need to Know

Guest post written by Joanne Palmieri

Mast cell tumors (MCT) also known as mastocytomas are often called the great imposters or pretenders because of their ability to look like many benign lesions such as a lipoma.

An important part of being your pet’s best advocate is learning all you can about their cancer type and making sure that the information you receive from your vet is complete.

I decided to educate other pet parents about MCT when my friend’s Labrador was diagnosed with a grade 2 MCT and was told by the vet “we got it all and don’t worry”. After reading the pathology report, there is an important unanswered question which my friend did not know to ask. You’ll see why when I talk about grading of MCT.

What exactly is a mast cell? Mast cells originate from the bone marrow and are normally found throughout connective tissue of the body as normal components of the immune system. As they release histamine, they are associated with allergic reactions. To put it simply, normal mast cells play an important role in mediating inflammatory responses.

Statistics vary, but roughly 25% of skin tumors in dogs are MCT.

Brachycephalic breeds such as Boxers, Bulldogs and Boston Terriers have a higher incidence of MCT but any breed can develop them. In Bernese Mountain Dogs MCT are inherited as a polygenic trait.

CLINICAL PRESENTATION
Tremendous variation exists in the appearance of MCT. They may be soft and fluctuant, firm, haired or hairless, small or large, solitary or multiple, dermal or subcutaneous. This is why any mass should be evaluated via cytology because MCT can mimic lipomas and other noncancerous lesions.

Aside from finding a mass, there are other profound signs which should raise suspicion of a MCT i.e., swelling that may wax and wane particularly after manipulation of the mass, itching, redness, ulceration or bruising.

MCT may also cause your dog to have a GI tract ulcer. Remember MCT secrete histamine. When humans have a GI tract ulcer they may take Pepcid or Tagamet which are H2 blockers. The H in H2 stands for histamine blocker. Your pup is no different! So keep an eye out for abdominal discomfort, blood in the stools or stools darker than normal i.e. almost black which may indicate a stomach or duodenal ulcer. If you notice these signs, talk with your vet right away to determine the best way to address the issue.

DETERMINING TREATMENT & PROGNOSIS
Once your vet has done cytology of the mass usually with a fine needle biopsy or aspirate and determined that this is indeed a MCT, what’s the next step?

Complete surgical removal of the MCT with wide excision is the treatment of choice. What is meant by wide excision? There is a tendency for MCT cells to spread out around the actual mass into what you think is normal skin; therefore a border of 2-3 cm of skin surrounding the tumor is also removed in an effort to get “clean” margins. (To give you an idea of how much 2-3 cm is, one inch equals 2.5cm.)

Once the tumor is removed, it is usually sent to a veterinary pathologist for a diagnosis which would include the grade of the tumor. Please note that any specimen sent to a pathologist that has a malignant or cancer diagnosis should have a grade listed.

What does the grade tell you?  The tumor grade found on a pathology report is based upon whether or not the cells are well or poorly differentiated, their mitotic activity (how quickly the cells divide), and the depth of tissue invasion of the tumor. Simply stated, it provides information about the prognosis by telling us how aggressive the tumor is.

I have read many veterinary pathology reports that did not list a grade. In fact, it happened to me. When my precious yellow lab Brandon was diagnosed with hemangiosarcoma, the pathology report did not list the grade. I had the vet contact the pathologist to reread the slides and amend the pathology report to include a grade. Why is this so important? I’m sure you have read about dogs surviving hemagiosarcoma for a year or more with the latest survivor being Addie at 3 years who is using non-traditional treatment. Are these dogs surviving longer because the treatment was truly a success or was it that they had a low grade hemangiosarcoma which responded better to therapy and contributed to the longer survival time. We’ll never know because to date, I’ve asked close to 50 pet parents whose dogs had hemangiosarcoma what the grade was and not one could tell me because the pathology report never listed it! Even the pet parents of 3 year hemangiosarcoma survivor Addie couldn’t tell me.

If we are going to make strides in the treatment of canine cancer, we need to know everything about the devil that we are dealing with! We need to compare apples with apples.

MCT are graded most commonly using the Patnaik scale of grades l through 3 with grade 1 having the best prognosis and grade 3 the poorest.

• GRADE 1: Well differentiated tumor that is confined to the dermis.


• GRADE 2: Tumor extends into the lower dermis and sub Q. Cells are not as well differentiated.


• GRADE 3: Tumor replaces Sub Q and deep tissue. Cells are poorly differentiated.

I would like to bring your attention to the grade 2 MCT. There is some disagreement on treatment plans with a grade 2. If the pathology report does not state it, your vet needs to ask the pathologist in the case of a grade 2 MCT to determine if this MCT is a low grade 2 or a high grade 2.

Statistically speaking, and per an article in the Journal of Veterinary Pathology, if this tumor is a low grade 2 it will more than likely behave like a grade 1 which is good news. If this MCT is a high grade 2, it will most likely behave as a grade 3 therefore requiring more aggressive treatment.

Staging is another aspect of determining the prognosis of any malignancy. Staging indicates the extent of spread and is important to know in order to make an educated decision regarding your treatment plan. In the case of MCT the World Health Organization has assigned Stages 0-lV with 0 having the best prognosis and lV the worst.

Please note that the actual treatment protocols for each grade and stage are not discussed in this article because, once armed with the information from a comprehensive pathology report, one can search the internet and find the most current treatments available.

The main objective of this article is to educate you regarding MCT and the important aspects of the pathology report so that you can make sure this info is provided to you by your vet and you can make an intelligent and informed decision regarding treatment.

Grading and staging systems may vary from cancer to cancer but remember that every cancer has a grade and stage and it is important to know this information as well as asking if the margins were clean i.e., free of tumor, for prognosis and treatment planning purposes.

As a final note, pet parents should be sure to keep a medical record of their canine child to include:

1. Vaccine record


2. Blood tests


3. Pathology reports

Having access to this information about your pet can be invaluable and will allow you to be a better partner in your pet’s care. Start being an advocate for your pet TODAY by educating yourself about your pet’s cancer and being willing to push for additional information when you feel that something has been left out. It will help you to make better decisions along the way, and in the end, could help to save their life.

Another article you may find helpful is from Dr. Lena McCullough, DVM from A Path with Paws. “Mast Cell Tumors of the Skin: Holistic Approaches for Prevention”

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How do I know when it is time to put my dog down?

I recently had a VERY long conversation with an old friend.  His aged dog was suffering and he was trying to determine if the time had come to put his buddy down.  Between the two of us, we put a lot of energy into the discussion, so I wanted to document the gist of it in case I ever needed to cover the topic again.

 

Before I begin however, I must stress that I am not a vet and nothing I say should be construed as medical advice.  You simply must have a conversation with your vet prior to reaching any conclusion.  My father has always had dogs, and for that large portion of my life that I’ve shared with him, I of course have had dogs as well.  And I’ve had to face these decisions with him on multiple occasions.

 

Putting a dog (or any pet for that matter) down is one of the hardest things that a person can be called on to do.  It is perhaps the ultimate price that a dog owner has to pay.  But, really, if you put this task in context of the love, enjoyment, and myriad other benefits that you’ve gained from a lifetime with a dog – the weight of this task isn’t much.  It is one of the costs of dog ownership.  You knew it when you decided to adopt the dog.  Dogs have a much shorter life span than humans, so the odds were pretty well set that you would have to face this day eventually.

 

I don’t know if any of that makes the decision easier, but it does point towards your obligation to make the decision – and make it wisely.  This is perhaps my most important point – as the owner of the dog it is your decision to make.  It is your responsibility.  Your dog, your faithful companion, your best friend is counting on you to do the right thing for him.  He trusts you in this as he has trusted you in all things ever since that first day when he licked your face and stole your heart.

 

This means that you must dispose of the myth that your dog will “tell you when it is time.”  Oh how wonderful and comforting it would be if that was true.  But it isn’t true.  In fact the exact opposite is true.  Your dog is hardwired, genetically coded to hide this information from you.  In the wild, a weak dog is a dead dog.  So all dogs will do their very best to hide any weakness.  The very fact that you are thinking about this topic probably tells you that your dog has already failed in this effort – which in his canine mind is a life-and-death matter.

 

Only your vet can tell you if your dog’s condition is a temporary, curable situation.  Even if it is theoretically curable, that doesn’t mean that it is practical to do so.  I heard on NPR the other day the story of a man who has spent over $ 20,000 on radiation treatments for his pet duck’s cancer.  Not very many of us can do that.  And even if we could it doesn’t necessarily mean that we should.  Is curing your dog’s condition worth losing your house over?  Should your kids skip meals so that the dog can have his medication?  Only you can make this decision.  But do keep in mind that a dog is a dog and however much a part of your family he is, you have to consider the rest of your human family in the equation.

 

On a more practical question, is your dog still capable of living and enjoying a dog’s life?  Can the poor creature still sit, stand, and walk on his own?  No dog is happy, or even still really a dog, if he can’t get up and defecate on his own power.  Sure his tail still thumps that happy greeting when he sees you, but if he can’t take care of his own business he isn’t happy.

 

Understand that you will second-guess yourself.  That is a normal part of the grieving process.  And you will grieve when your beloved companion is gone.  Delaying the decision will not change that one single iota.  And your grief, or your concerns about the grief that is guaranteed to be coming your way, cannot be a part of your decision process.  You will grieve.  The loss will hurt.  You cannot change that, and you don’t really want to change that.  But this decision is not about you.  Yes, one more day of chasing rabbits or playing fetch or whatever would be wonderful.  But wanting it, which of course you do, doesn’t make it real.

 

The only factor now is what is best for your dog.  If he cannot live a dog’s life – feeding himself and eliminating for himself, then it is time to go.  Hold him, love him, and let him drift off to sleep one last time in your arms.  Do him that last loving favor and take him to the bridge.

 

If you aren’t familiar with the Rainbow Bridge myth, remember that Google is your friend.  There are many sites that feature this story, here is just one of them

 

http://www.petloss.com/poems/maingrp/rainbowb.htm

 

The basic story is that when a pet dies, they go to a place just this side of heaven.  Nearby is a rainbow bridge that leads to heaven.  Your pet is restored to his full health and vigor.  He romps and plays there with other pets, waiting for the day that you arrive so that the two of you can cross the bridge together and live happily ever after.  I don’t know that it fits into any sort of orthodox religion, but it has been a comfort to me – and that is good enough.

 

My father, wise man that he is, tells a slightly different tale, but one that has also long been a comfort to me.  It is the story of an old man who finds himself walking along a country road.  From out of a nearby field comes his favorite old dog, who had passed away many years ago.  The dog is healthy and very pleased to see him.  The two walk along the road, enjoying each other’s company – as only a man and his dog can.   It is a beautiful day, and although the sun is beating down on them, the joy of walking together is overwhelming.

 

They soon come to a beautiful alabaster wall that surrounds a huge complex along the side of the road.  Eventually, they come upon the gates to the glorious place.  There is a man sitting at a desk outside of the gate.  He tells the man that these are the gates to heaven, and the man is welcome to enter.  Inside there will be cool water and a comfortable place to lie in the shade.  The old man is thrilled.  He pets his dog and says “come on boy, let’s go.”  But the official stops him.  He says that while the old man is welcome in heaven, there is no place for dogs in heaven.

 

The old man is really torn.  Of course he wants to enter the gates of heaven, but to have to leave his dog behind is an enormous price.  He decides that he’s just going to walk a while longer with his old dog.  So they proceed down the road.

 

Eventually they come to a rickety old wooden gate.  Just inside the gate is a very old man lounging along side a well.  He calls to the pair and asks if they would like to come sit in the shade and enjoy some of his cool well water.  The man says “I would love to, but my dog is thirsty as well.”  The well-keeper says “but of course, you’ll find not only a pitcher of cool water, but a clean bowl for your dog there as well.”

 

The pair sit and cool off in the shade.  The well water is the most amazing, refreshing water they have ever tasted.  The man tells the well-keeper of their travels, and the dilemma posed by the gates of heaven.  The well-keeper laughs and says “You have to watch out for that old trickster by the fancy gate.  That’s the devil and those aren’t the gates to heaven, but the gates to hell.  This here is heaven.”  The man appears puzzled, but the well-keeper continues “You don’t think that I would create a creature as magnificent and loving as a dog and then ask you to abandon him in order to enter my kingdom do you?  That’s just a last test for you.  Any man who would abandon his dog isn’t welcome in heaven.”

 

I hope that all of my rambling has been of some help to somebody somewhere along the way.

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Canine Bladder Stones - What You Need To Know

Like humans, it is not exactly unheard of for dogs suffering from bladder stones also known as kidney stones or urolithiasis dogs. This particular condition is going on in the event of excessive amounts of crystals (stones) that has accumulated in the dogs urinary tract. May cause irritation of the urinary tract, and this process will be painful urination of the animal. In most cases, crystals and stones are typically arise in a dog’s bladder, but I know that it may also be in the urethra or kidneys. In any case, the state of bladder stones in animals is important, should not be underestimated, as it may really miserable life for your pet. In order to effectively treat canine bladder stones, it is important to understand about this condition.

What are the symptoms?

It is best to know that your dog inside and outside. From their behavior, appetite and temperament, should be able to tell if something is wrong with your dog. Symptoms of bladder calculi, remember the dog urinating on a much more frequent than normal. If you see that your dog urine is dribbling , it may mean that the urethra is blocked. If you see blood in the urine, your pet, you should immediately take your dog to the vet. Other symptoms include depression, vomiting and weakness.

What treatments are available?

If in some way condition worsened, then the veterinarian can perform surgery to remove what is blocking the urethra and empty your bladder. Catheterization is no other treatment options that you can insert a long pipe to the dogs urinary tract, down to the bladder, which clear stones and urine, causing blockage. Catheterization is performed only in emergency situations. In the case of infection may require administration of anti-politics. For less invasive treatments, you can go to the dogs with a special diet, which contains measures that are capable of dissolving the stones by chemical reactions.

One of the keys to the prevention of bladder stones in dogs through their diet. Avoid feeding food for pets, which have an increased amount of protein and minerals. On the other hand, the dogs should be fed with food that are rich in fiber and carbohydrates. Regardless of his diet, also to exercise your dog regularly. Dogs that do not occur in the movement are more susceptible to the accumulation of stones in the bladder. Daily exercises are not only prevent bladder stones, but the overall health of your pet as well. Also in August in search of food for dogs, which are marked in order to prevent kidney and bladder stones.

Always remember that if you see something wrong with my dog, and he with symptoms of bladder calculi, it is best if you Consult with your veterinarian immediately.