# Kibble for UTI/Bladder stones?



## Dog Walker (Dec 23, 2010)

Hello,

So my dog does not eat kibble but my friends dog does. She has bladder problems, she had a UTI AND a bladder full of stones a few months back (My friends primary vet sucks, I saw all the signs and the vet disagreed), and long story short, a trip to the emergency vet and lots of money later the dog is now on Rx kibble. I believe she's eating Hill's Urinary S/O. I'm looking for some food that will not cause her to have bladder problems anymore. I have no idea what is in Hill's that makes it "help" with bladders because to me all the ingredients look like crap. So I don't know what to look for that will help.

Personally I would put her on a raw diet... She steals raw meat out of their freezer. But the aftermath has scared them off. Any ideas on a good kibble? She also has a sensitive stomach so the less ingredients the better.


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## NutroGeoff (May 15, 2013)

Baxter eats Natural Choice. It's very simple and easy to digest. Baxter is very healthy and has never had any issues on it whatsoever.


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## Dog Walker (Dec 23, 2010)

She has been on Natural Choice before I believe (can't remember if it was her or the cats) and this was during the bladder problems. She has also been on Purina ProPlan (Salmon),Simply Nourish (sweet potato &salmon), and Nature's Recipe (grain-free). All of these she has been on and off of while having bladder problems. They aren't great but they are not the worst.


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## Shamrockmommy (Sep 10, 2009)

You need something that is low ash/phosphorus between 0.6-0.8% as-fed and low magnesium. 

She should have water added to the kibble so that she makes more urine and flushes out her bladder. (She will need more potty breaks as a result.). 

Yes, S/O ingredients look awful, but they do get the job done and keep dogs comfortable in the long run.


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## MollyWoppy (Mar 19, 2010)

The dog needs moisture in it's diet. Whether you achieve that through canned, cooked, PMR or encouraging it to drink by using unsalted broth or other additives to her water. Correct me if I'm wrong, but don't the RX kibbles have a lot of sodium in various forms in it? To encourage the dog/cat to drink more?
For a kibble, I'd definitely try Farmina ND. It's done wonders for my cat with bladder crystals/kidney problems.


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## A&W (Apr 26, 2014)

Crystals and stones are treated differently depending on the type they are. If there was a UTI, then it sounds like Struvite, which are created during the infection as the urine turns alkaline. Foods high in animal protein seem to help.

Its hard to comment on this without knowing the type, but some types of stones are not effected by diet like Cystine stones.

If there was a bad UTI and it is cleared, then the urine should get back to normal PH. If not, the problem will continue. 

The infection is caused by bacteria entering the body. Females are more prone because they squat and the distance to the bladder is much shorter.


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## InkedMarie (Sep 9, 2011)

I can't answer on a brand of kibble but I agree with Molly Woppy to get moisture in the dogs diet. If they must feed kibble, add canned & water. Also, it's extremely important that the dog have ample opportunity to urinate.


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## Dog Walker (Dec 23, 2010)

Thanks for your responses. I'm 95% sure that they are struvite stones, she actually passed 3 when I was babysitting her one day. And when they xrayed her , her bladder was almost completely stones and the tissue had been badly damaged so she basically has a reconstructed bladder now. 

She drinks a lot of water. I know when I watch her she goes through 2 huge bowls. The problem is her owners are really busy and she doesn't get out as much as I think she should (every 4 hours). If they lived somewhere safer I'd suggest a doggy door. I'll suggest adding water to her good or doing one meal kibble and one meal canned. And I'll look for kibble with the low ash.


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## NutroGeoff (May 15, 2013)

Dog Walker said:


> She has been on Natural Choice before I believe (can't remember if it was her or the cats) and this was during the bladder problems. She has also been on Purina ProPlan (Salmon),Simply Nourish (sweet potato &salmon), and Nature's Recipe (grain-free). All of these she has been on and off of while having bladder problems. They aren't great but they are not the worst.


OK well if you ever do decide to try them again, we do have some new formulas that are great. I hope you are able to find something that works great!


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## MollyWoppy (Mar 19, 2010)

Poor thing, it must be so painful for her. You are a good person trying to help the pup. It's so hard when it's someone elses dog and they don't get how bad it is. I'll look up some natural remedies and post back here later on, maybe that's something the owners might be prepared to try. Who knows, can only give them the information and hope they will do something.


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## Dog Walker (Dec 23, 2010)

MollyWoppy said:


> Poor thing, it must be so painful for her. You are a good person trying to help the pup. It's so hard when it's someone elses dog and they don't get how bad it is. I'll look up some natural remedies and post back here later on, maybe that's something the owners might be prepared to try. Who knows, can only give them the information and hope they will do something.


Thank you! I love her like my own dog and I want her and my dog to get along so when I do pretty door I can have get at my house where she'd get out more. I think if we can find a good food that costs less than that prescription food they'd be happy. They have 2 pets on prescription foods right now. To be honest I jokingly say " it's okay I have a key to the house!" So I can literally go try any natural remedies if they're not keen on doing it themselves .


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## Dr Dolittle (Aug 2, 2013)

Struvite crystals and uroliths are common in dogs and cats that are eating diets high in minerals. think about the excess minerals being the components of these stones. most animals aren't effected by these excesses, but some are. By reducing these minerals we can prevent the stones from ever forming again. we can actually dissolve struvite but calcium oxalate stones must be removed surgically. You can see why preventing them again is so important. Shamrockmommy is right that ash is the total mineral content but a vet diet will reduce the critical minerals to safe levels. hills canine c/d is for struvite, their u/d is for calcium oxalate a. these diets also will regulate urine pH to help reduce the risk of stones by inhibiting their growth. Riyal canin makes SO which someone correctly mentioned uses very high levels of sodium to get the dog to drink more, dilute the urine, and pee more. Some nutritionists don't like the idea of that high sodium long term. It has been proven to not be a good idea for cats but I don't know about dogs.
Bottom line, you really have to feed a urinary diet now to help your dog....and recurrence! Any regular dog food not designed for stones may very well harm them! Remember, it's not so much that other foods are terrible but for a stone prone dog....they are! God Bless!


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## stbernardlover (Jun 24, 2013)

Dr Dolittle said:


> Struvite crystals and uroliths are common in dogs and cats that are eating diets high in minerals. think about the excess minerals being the components of these stones. most animals aren't effected by these excesses, but some are. By reducing these minerals we can prevent the stones from ever forming again. we can actually dissolve struvite but calcium oxalate stones must be removed surgically. You can see why preventing them again is so important. Shamrockmommy is right that ash is the total mineral content but a vet diet will reduce the critical minerals to safe levels. hills canine c/d is for struvite, their u/d is for calcium oxalate a. these diets also will regulate urine pH to help reduce the risk of stones by inhibiting their growth. Riyal canin makes SO which someone correctly mentioned uses very high levels of sodium to get the dog to drink more, dilute the urine, and pee more. Some nutritionists don't like the idea of that high sodium long term. It has been proven to not be a good idea for cats but I don't know about dogs.
> Bottom line, you really have to feed a urinary diet now to help your dog....and recurrence! Any regular dog food not designed for stones may very well harm them! Remember, it's not so much that other foods are terrible but for a stone prone dog....they are! God Bless!


Yes, yes, YES. Interning with three DVM's this summer, I got to a sadly growing number of urolith cases in dogs and cats and it is amazing how the prescription diets can help the animal so quick. Like I've said before.. it is unfair to judge the ingredients on the Rx foods when they have saved so many lives (including my Golden's). However.. just my opinion.


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## Celt (Dec 27, 2010)

Imo, some beings need to eat a specific food, whether "appropriate" or not,to sustains "good" health. We had a lizard, Chinese Water Dragon, who has an infant was diagnosed with calcification of the digestive tract. This meant that as he "aged", he would have more dificulty digesting. For the last few years, he was fed a high calorie nutrient supplement paste. You can not get much farther away from an "appropriate" diet than that and the ingredients were definitely not what could be considered "good" for a lizard but he lived a healthy, active life because of it. Sometimes, what is "natural" or "appropriate" foods just don't work and you'll just have to accept it.


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## Dr Dolittle (Aug 2, 2013)

stbernardlover said:


> Yes, yes, YES. Interning with three DVM's this summer, I got to a sadly growing number of urolith cases in dogs and cats and it is amazing how the prescription diets can help the animal so quick. Like I've said before.. it is unfair to judge the ingredients on the Rx foods when they have saved so many lives (including my Golden's). However.. just my opinion.


Your opinion is the correct one!


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## Dr Dolittle (Aug 2, 2013)

Celt said:


> Imo, some beings need to eat a specific food, whether "appropriate" or not,to sustains "good" health. We had a lizard, Chinese Water Dragon, who has an infant was diagnosed with calcification of the digestive tract. This meant that as he "aged", he would have more dificulty digesting. For the last few years, he was fed a high calorie nutrient supplement paste. You can not get much farther away from an "appropriate" diet than that and the ingredients were definitely not what could be considered "good" for a lizard but he lived a healthy, active life because of it. Sometimes, what is "natural" or "appropriate" foods just don't work and you'll just have to accept it.


That is a great way to explain diets, based on their specific purpose and specific ingredients. great point!


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## Dog Walker (Dec 23, 2010)

Instead of starting a new thread and typing details again, I thought I would update here again.

My friends dog has been eating the Royal Canin prescription urinary food for a while now... today we had to take her to the vet again because she was peeing blood again (although thankfully not as bad as a few months ago). She has a UTI, they gave her some antibiotics and pain meds, enough for 10 days. She had these symptoms pop up around the same time last year, so now I'm wondering if there is something with the switch into fall/winter adding to her issues. I'm *trying* very hard to convince my friends to switch her to raw, but they're afraid because when she steals raw foods she gets canon butt. He said however they would give it a try over the summer when they'll be home more. He would be willing to do homecooked foods in the meantime, so I'll be looking for recipes for that and I'm still trying to find a kibble. 

This dog is lucky she's so cute and lovable. She's such a handful!


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## Georgiapeach (Jan 24, 2011)

Annamaet Lean has low ash. It's not just a diet food, but recommended by the company for dogs with digestive issues, such as pancreatitis. I agree with others to increase the liquid intake. Of course, the dog would need to go out more often. Can your friend hire a dog walker to let the dog out more often during the day? Poor baby.


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