Urinary tract stones In Pets

Urinary tract stone disease is known in other names such as urolithiasis, urinary stones, ureteral stones, urinary calculi and urinary calculus disease. This disease has two forms- cystic calculi and urethral calculi. Cystic calculi often occurs in female dogs wherein the urinary tract bacterial infection within a bladder causes a shift in the urine pH, causing stones to form. On the other hand, urethral calculi occurs in male dogs caused by infection in rare cases. There are several types of bladder stones and these stones vary depending on their chemical make-up. The two most common are struvite and calcium oxalate. Struvite stones are mainly composed of magnesium ammonium phosphate.

There are many reasons why dogs develop bladder stones. It could be your dog’s lifestyle or diet. Your dog’s diet should help to maintain a low pH since struvite stones are formed with a high pH. That is why it is important to include animal-based protein diets to help maintain low pH. Genes also play an important role in the development of urinary stones. A dog with stones within a tract should not be included in breeding to prevent the spread of the disease. Another cause of this disease is bacterial infection. Bacterial infection helps in producing magnesium phosphate that eventually becomes stones.

Some dogs with bladder stones may not show any sign of the disease. But to some, the most common sign of bladder stones in Labrador Retrievers is blood in the urine. Frequent urination as well as painful urination is also common.

Stones in the bladder may not threaten your dog’s health but may lead to renal failure and pyelonephritis if not treated immediately. X-rays and ultrasound is important to determine the disease and the proper treatment. Some bladder stones can be treated through oral medication. In some cases, surgery may be needed to remove the stones within the bladder. This process is referred to as cystotomy. Medical therapy may be needed in conjunction with the surgery. It can also be used by itself alone. Urinary tract stone disease could be treated easily if it is caused by diet problems. But could be hard to treat if caused by genes.

Bladder Stones in Dogs « Dogs Are the Best Pets!

October 7, 2006
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Dog Health

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Urinary tract infections are an extremely painful problem for humans and canines. In dogs urinary tract infections can lead to bladder stones, which can both start and help illness in the bladder.

Dogs can get urinary tract infections; cats have a much higher chance of the illness afflicting them

Dogs are more often than not housebroken and for this reason they go outside, the owner is more likely to become aware of a urinary problem. The dog owner might become aware of straining or blood in the urine of there dog.

Urinary tract infections can be caused by a huge number of issues; it is frequently tricky to find out the reason. The source of an infection might be as easy as a growth of bacteria or as complex and difficult as bladder stones.

The development of a bladder stone is incredibly similar to the formation of a pearl in an oyster. In dogs it is frequently caused from a single irritating particle called the nidus. This is a tiny particle that could for example, be a bacteria. Minerals begin to be deposited on its exterior, and over a given amount of time it begins to grow bigger and can become very exasperating to the inside layer of the bladder.

The single action for some stones is surgical elimination. This removed stones can and should be studied so that a régime can be completed to steer clear of the reappearance of stones in the future. Prevention can include medication or an altered diet.