Owners guide to bladder stones in dogs

Owner’s>Bladder stones in dogs are composed of either struvite or oxalate. Males usually develop oxalate stones, while females have problems with the struvite variety. These stones can pose a serious threat to males as they can obstruct the urinary opening. If this happens, the dog can suffer uremic poisoning and die.

Causes

Your dog’s urine is naturally supposed to prevent oxalate stones from forming. However, this substance is defective in some dogs and allow the stones to form. Urine also normally contains struvite crystals that are also broken done. When these crystals become too numerous for some reason, stones will form.

Symptoms

Sometimes, dog bladder stones will cause no symptoms. In other cases, dogs may have blood in their urine and have a hard time urinating. This condition can also lead to recurrent bladder infections. A lack of appetite and lethargy are also common signs.

Diagnosis

Bladder stones in dogs can easily be diagnosed by taking an x-ray. However, the veterinarian will have to have a sample stone to determine what it is made of. The sample can be obtained by flushing the bladder, normal urination, or surgical removal. Since bladder infections are a common sign of this condition, a urinalysis may also be performed.

Treatment

Treatment depends on the type of stones your dog has. Your dog will have to be placed on a special diet if affected by struvite stones. This usually is enough to dissolve them. However, a special diet won’t be enough to get rid of calcium oxalate bladder stones in dogs. They will need to be surgically removed.