# Bladder Concerns?



## TylersMom (Jan 19, 2011)

Hello everyone!

Tyler and I are new to the forum, but do we have a story to tell! 

So two nights ago Tyler, my 6 year old rescue Sheltie wonderdog who wouldn't DREAM of having an accident in the house had a BIG DILUTE pee in the middle of the living room as I stared at him with my jaw on the floor. Some yelling ensued and we rushed outside to finish his business. Afterwards as I was mopping up the mess I was thinking "hmm... weird dog...". That was followed up the next morning with DH calling me at work to tell me that my wonderdog had peed on his bed and soaked it through (big Costco dog bed soaked through by a sheltie... hmmm.... not good). 

Called the vet on my lunch and got him in for an appointment that evening. He was slightly painful (or fearful... he is sheltie...) when the vet palpated his tummy. Urinalysis showed NOTHING except a pH of 5.5 and one or two red blood cells. Absolutely nothing else. Dear vet who I love seems to be grasping at straws and thinks that its maybe possibly could be kinda calcium oxalate crystals. My gut instinct is not convinced. She even said that the acidic urine could be from the timing of when he was digesting his last meal and the RBCs could be contamination from the cysto itself. She herself really like the RC/MediCal and Hills foods, and the diet conversation hasn't come up until now.

He IS fed a high quality kibble and I doubt he drinks enough (he'll drink when we're near the water bowl but he won't go out of his way for a drink...). We rotate between Nature's Variety, Acana, Wellness (given to us by a friend), and raw when I have time to put some together and remember to thaw it. I'd love to go all raw again but just don't have the freezer space (DH already complains that most of our freezer is dog food...) So there is a lot of protein there that would cause more acidic urine (right?).

My plan of action currently is to monitor him extremely closely, invest in some urinalysis dip sticks, and really sell the water to him like its going out of style. I always mixed a little water in his kibble, but he was wondering tonight why his kibbles were extra floaty and harder to eat! I also calculated out that my 27.4 lbs sheltie should be drinking around 1120 ml of water per day (which he DEFINATELY wasn't getting).

Any other thoughts or experiences that you can share? I REFUSE to feed my dog a Hills/RC/Purina/Eukanuba diet, which hasn't been suggested yet but I know it will be down the line unless the increased water intake does the trick. I'd rather make my own food at home if I can (raw, cooked, whatever...)

Thanks all!

TylersMom


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

Hello and welcome! Thanks for the detailed story....

Well, I will tell you that raw is the best way to go. Its actually lower in protein than high quality kibbles...on average only 18-26% protein by weight. Its lower because of the water content. Not to mention a raw diet provides ~70% more moisture than kibble which is healthier for their total body function but specifically the kidneys and renal system. Raw meaty bones also keeps teeth clean keeping dental disease at bay...which decreases bacteria that pass from the mouth to other vital organs in the body. 

If you can get as much raw meats, bones and organs into his diet the better, thats to say that he can handle both kibble and raw, which I generally don't recommend. 

Why not get a secondary freezer that is dedicated to raw dog food only? Most raw feeders have an extra freezer or three LOL

Hope you find this forum helpful!


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## TylersMom (Jan 19, 2011)

Well good news is that Tyler seems as healthy as ever. No more accidents. I have been paying a lot more attention to how much he is drinking so I think that will help him a lot in the long run. He's also very happy to have his raw food back


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

That's awesome news!


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