Urinary Crystals

[TimDoyle]

Hi folks,

I’ve not been on here for a while as Monty and Elliot have been happy mini boys and finally Monty has got used to Elliot joining our little team.
We’ve had a few issues with urinary crystals upsetting Elliot and a trip to the vet today (I should have left my credit card at home!) has confirmed another bout of this issue. The vet has advised that we need to set Elliot’s diet to be based on urinary/so food. That’s fine but which one do we pick?
Does anybody have any experience of this with a 5 year old mini and any recommendations on base food and treats that might help manage this condition?
Many thanks in advance!
Tim

[Dinkum]

Hi Tim

Sorry to hear that Eliot is poorly. I had this issue with Watson many years ago. The crystals would form stones and these would get stuck in his penis bone and he would have to have an operation to remove them. He ended up with a urostomy to allow the crystals / stones to pass before they got stuck in his penis bone. He was eventually diagnosed with a liver shunt, which was the cause of the struvite crystals that Watson had. Not sure which Elliot has.

Foods that are lower in protein and much lower in phosphorus and magnesium are normally recommended. There are the usual varieties that you see on the vet's display stand. I don't particularly like them as the ingredients are rather suspect. I initially went with a low purine raw food from Nutriment. Crystals are a particular problem in dalmatians, so look out for food specifically for them.

After Watson's liver shunt repair, we haven't had any further crystal issues, although he does get bladder infections at least once a year.

Good luck and I hope you find something that works.

[zeta1454]

As said above, I would be wary of dependence on a ‘prescription’ diet and look to a high moisture content food with natural ingredients. Dry food will always make the likelihood of crystals higher as they concentrate the urine and highly processed dog foods have minerals and vitamins added rather than naturally occurring as the process of production destroys the natural nutrients.

I would be looking at a well balanced raw food such as recommended above or home-made with ingredients that can be readily absorbed. Probiotics may help if there is any chance of a bacterial infection contributing to the formation of the crystals. There are several reputable companies who produce probiotics for dogs such as YuDigest and Dorwest who also sell a ‘Green Releaf’ supplement to help with urinary health in dogs. Cranberries are a well known natural addition to the diet to prevent or treat bladder issues. You need to make sure Elliot is drinking plenty of water especially if he is not on a raw diet which already contains good quantities of moisture.

There is a link here to some more natural approaches to selecting food for different types of urinary crystal / stone in dogs:

https://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/n ... ones-dogs/

[TimDoyle]

Many thanks folks, very helpful!