Dealing with Bladder Stones in Dogs
Golden Retriever
Bladder problems are common in dogs as much as it is in humans. This disease occurs on other domesticated animals like cats. Bladders stones are medically referred to as uroliths. They may vary in size and number as they form in your pet's urinary bladder.
Technically speaking, these stones don't really pose an immediate threat to the overall health of the dog. But if it is left ignored for a long period of time, it may lead to renal failure and pyelonephritis. Pyelonephritis is a type of urinary tract infection that has reached the pelvis and the kidneys. The position of the stones may vary too, as they can be located in the kidneys, urethra, or ureters. But in dogs, the stones are usually found in the bladder.
There are different types of bladder stones. And they all differ in composition. Struvite stones are primarily composed of magnesium ammonium phosphate. There are also stones made of calcium oxalate or calcium phosphate. Urate, cystine, and silicate stones are also other types.
Bladder stones start with nothing other than harmless specks of mineral precipitation in the urinary tract. But after some time, the precipitation gets bigger as new layers combine with it. The problem starts when the stones had reached a big enough size causing an obstruction in the bladder.
The Causes
There are a number of causes why dogs develop bladder stones. It could be because of the dog's lifestyle, its genes, or its diet. It may also happen that a certain bacteria had somehow found its way inside the dog's body causing the infection. Certain dogs are discovered carriers of the bladder stone disease. While it is still beyond today's veterinary medicine to determine right on which dogs are carrying the disease and which doesn't, it is still impossible to tell dog breeders which ones to breed.
Bacterial infections affecting the bladder, such as in the case of cystitis, is a big factor why dogs eventually develop stones in the bladder area. Bacterial infections tend to make dog's urine more alkaline. Also, dogs suffering from bacterial infections are more prone to produce magnesium ammonium phosphate in crystal form. These crystals eventually become stones in the bladder.
The Signs
The most common sign of the presence of bladder stones in dogs is blood in their urine. Dogs that urine frequently than necessary are likely to have this problem too. If your dog is obviously in pain while urinating, and if they urinate in small quantities, you have to take it to the veterinarian right away to determine the root cause of the problem.
But the more disturbing fact about bladder stones is the truth that some dogs don't show even the slightest hint that they are suffering from the disease. This only goes to show that regular checkups with the veterinarian are important so that all possible health risks are addressed early on.
The Treatment
To treat bladder stone problems, the first step is always the proper diagnosis of the disease. Veterinarians would take an X-ray of the dog's bladder area. In some cases, an ultrasound is more helpful. Vets would then proceed to determine what type of bladder stone had formed. Only then they can prescribe the right treatment.
Some bladder stones can be treated with oral medications. However, if your dog has calcium oxalate stones, drugs will prove to be useless. Calcium oxalate stones cannot be dissolved with any type of medicine. In order to remove them, surgery is necessary.
The Prevention
Certain types of bladder stones can be prevented, unless genes caused the problem. Genetically transferred bladders stones are a lot harder to prevent, as breeder would have to find a way to check right on if their dogs are possible carriers of the disease.
However, if the problem is diet-related, it becomes a lot easier. To ensure that your dog's bladder problem is caused by the food it eats, don't give your pet a meal containing too much protein. An all-meat diet is not really healthy for dogs. More often than not, the dog food available in the market is better, as the best ones are prepared meticulously with adequate canine diet research.
Be more observant of your dog. If you see hints that your pet is experiencing bladder problems, check whether there are precipitations passing in its urine. Whenever possible, take those to the vet for further analysis. Subjecting your pet for periodic urinalysis or urine cultures is going to help it a lot in the long run.
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Golden Retriever