Urinary Prescription Dog Food

[Canelospeeps]

Saturday Chug, my pug started urinating blood. The timing, impeccable. I was able to get him in today and he has a UTI, as well as crystals so he now has to be on a special diet. The vet proscribed a bag of Purina PrPlan Veterinary Diets UR Urinary Ox/St food. It's expensive and I'm looking for a place to get a great price for this food, any suggestions?


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[Cbrugs]

Not trying be rude but I wouldn't feed that at all. What kind of crystals? You can usually control crystals/stones with diet but it will depend on what kind of crystals.



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[Dollys Owner]

Sorry your pug has gotten the crystals. It would be helpful if you find out what kind of crystals. Most of the times the crystals that are associated with UTI's are struvite, and the best diet will acidify the urine, which is usually achieved by increasing protein and decreasing carbohydrates. I would feed the recommended Purina dog food for a couple of months, then switch to a high protein dehydrated raw or frozen raw dog food. The Purina is not too nutritious, and not really necessary since your dog has crystals, not stones. It's also very important you feed your dog a good doggie probiotic such as herbsmith microflora plus, Proviable DC etc. Also very important you get your dog to drink a lot of fluid.

Here's the ingredients from the Proplan, you can see they are not great:
Whole grain corn, brewers rice, chicken by-product meal, corn gluten meal, animal fat preserved with mixed-tocopherols, powdered cellulose, egg and chicken flavor, animal digest, salt, calcium carbonate, phosphoric acid, potassium chloride, L-Lysine monohydrochloride, magnesium sulfate, zinc proteinate, choline chloride, Vitamin E supplement, potassium citrate, manganese proteinate, ferrous sulfate, niacin, copper proteinate, Vitamin A supplement, calcium pantothenate, thiamine mononitrate, Vitamin B-12 supplement, riboflavin supplement, pyridoxine hydrochloride, folic acid, calcium iodate, menadione sodium bisulfite complex (source of Vitamin K activity), Vitamin D-3 supplement, biotin, sodium selenite. B-2632

 

[Dollys Owner]

On a side note I never knew pugs could be feisty, but I took my dogs to a leash free park last week and the Frenchie had a fight with this massive pug that was bigger than her.

 

[Canelospeeps]

Not trying be rude but I wouldn't feed that at all. What kind of crystals? You can usually control crystals/stones with diet but it will depend on what kind of crystals.



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They are struvite and you are not rude at all. I was frustrated at the vet because I'm not a fan of prescription dog foods. Ten years ago I had a schnauzer that developed diabetes so being a diabetic myself I refused to feed her script dog food and put her on a high protein diet that I got at Whole Foods. She did so good on it so I'm thinking I may go that route and at the same time read up and learn about going 100% raw for all my babies, making sure I do it right.


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[Canelospeeps]

On a side note I never knew pugs could be feisty, but I took my dogs to a leash free park last week and the Frenchie had a fight with this massive pug that was bigger than her.

LOLLLLLLL!!!! Mine aren't feisty and don't bark a lot but love to roam. Chug breaths so loud all the time you can follow him just listening to him. Our neighbors have huge oleander bushes and Chug darted out the door on me when a repairman was there. He felt guilty and was helping me track Chug. He was cracking up when he saw me running one way along the oleanders and I did an about face suddenly. I explained that Chug was on the other side and I heard him turn around and head back.

Now we did take Canelo to a dog park and a Boston Terrier named Charley decided he HATED Canelo. He kept barking at Canelo then attached himself to Canelo's face growling and meaning business. Picture the owner holding his dog's body in the air, Charley still attached to Canelo's jowl, Canelo looking like get him off me not flinching, Husband and I cracking up while Charley's owner is trying to detach Charley from Canelo and apologizing profusely. Canelo was fine, no blood or broken skin, Charley was taken from the park by a very embarrassed parent, lol. Then Canelo went and played finding the only mud hole at the park and rolling in it, (sigh). Good times!


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[RiiSi]

Since the crystals are struvite and there is no stones I would not feed that food for a day. You could buy an electrical pH-meter, one that is used for fish tanks or swimming pools. Monitor his urine pH once a day and keep it below 6,5. Those crystals will flush out and no new ones will form, since Struvites form in alkaline urine and infection causes that. You can lower the urine pH with vitamin C, cranberry, ammonium chloride just to name few. Probiotics are essential for so many things. Also like Dollys owner said higher protein food, preferably raw, since that in it self contains lot of hydration.

 

[Dollys Owner]

Forgot to mention that d-mannose powder is good to feed dog to prevent future infections. It's the active ingredient in cranberries.

 

[Cbrugs]

They are struvite and you are not rude at all. I was frustrated at the vet because I'm not a fan of prescription dog foods. Ten years ago I had a schnauzer that developed diabetes so being a diabetic myself I refused to feed her script dog food and put her on a high protein diet that I got at Whole Foods. She did so good on it so I'm thinking I may go that route and at the same time read up and learn about going 100% raw for all my babies, making sure I do it right.


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I would definitely go raw if you can especially if you are dealing with struvite crystals. It is high protein, low carb and already contains tons of moisture.

A year or so ago my parents cat developed struvite crystals and kept getting UTI's. I told them to try raw but they went with the prescription food instead and that poor cat was constantly sick. They thought he was going to die. I said look, you're feeding him crap and it's making him sick, just try raw. So they finally did and the cat hasn't had any issues since.

Good luck!!


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[2BullyMama]

Poor Chug.... gang is giving you great advice... stay away from the prescription foods and follow with these good people have told you