Bladder Stones

[TyTysmom]

About three weeks ago my five year old Bully, Brutus, started throwing up one night every two hours. I thought he may have eaten something in the yard. The next day I could tell he wasn't feeling well and he wouldn't really get up to urinate so he was lying in it. He would get up to move around but he wasn't eating. The next day I took him to the vet and an xray revealed he had an enlarged prostate (he isn't neutered) which was blocking his ability to pee and poop. His bladder was REALLY enlarged. After talking to the vet and determining that surgery was the only thing that was going to save him, he had the surgery the next morning. I should note that the vet I use is considered a bull dog specialist so I have complete confidence in him. After the surgery, the vet told me that he had very large stones (determined to be struvite after lab analysis) and also some kind of grainy sludge that he had to scoop out. He said he had never seen anything like it. Luckily Brutus is feeling better now. I just received the lab results today so the vet is recommending a prescription dog food called Hills Science Diet CD. I had been feeding him Purina One Instincts (salmon version) and also putting coconut oil in his food. Since his surgery, I have been feeding him the same food but not using the coconut oil. Overall, he has been a very healthy dog with none of the "traditional" bull dog issues. My concern is the ingredients of the dog food and I am reading that dogs tend to gain weight quickly on that food and in all fairness, most of the reviews I have read about the food have been positive. Brutus currently weighs 65 lbs and has a gorgeous coat. Does anyone know or recommend a food that may have better ingredients than the Hills Science Diet CD?

Sorry to hear about your Brutus, Tyson had the same exact issue with the enlarged prostate... we also had to neuter as it was our only choice to save him. Please don't be upset but both Purina and Hills are total crap of foods. Full of fillers. Please look into some 5 or 6 star foods, like Fromms, Orijen, Acana, etc. I will post a link here for ratings, you can see how they each rate star wise. Like I said, stick with one that is preferably 5 stars or higher if possible. It will make a world of difference.

English Bulldog News Forums - Dog Food Ratings at English Bulldog News

Unfortunately I have no experience with stones, but many member do and I will tag a few to chime in on that subject! [MENTION=3354]RiiSi[/MENTION]
@MFrey2012

 

[Cbrugs]

About three weeks ago my five year old Bully, Brutus, started throwing up one night every two hours. I thought he may have eaten something in the yard. The next day I could tell he wasn't feeling well and he wouldn't really get up to urinate so he was lying in it. He would get up to move around but he wasn't eating. The next day I took him to the vet and an xray revealed he had an enlarged prostate (he isn't neutered) which was blocking his ability to pee and poop. His bladder was REALLY enlarged. After talking to the vet and determining that surgery was the only thing that was going to save him, he had the surgery the next morning. I should note that the vet I use is considered a bull dog specialist so I have complete confidence in him. After the surgery, the vet told me that he had very large stones (determined to be struvite after lab analysis) and also some kind of grainy sludge that he had to scoop out. He said he had never seen anything like it. Luckily Brutus is feeling better now. I just received the lab results today so the vet is recommending a prescription dog food called Hills Science Diet CD. I had been feeding him Purina One Instincts (salmon version) and also putting coconut oil in his food. Since his surgery, I have been feeding him the same food but not using the coconut oil. Overall, he has been a very healthy dog with none of the "traditional" bull dog issues. My concern is the ingredients of the dog food and I am reading that dogs tend to gain weight quickly on that food and in all fairness, most of the reviews I have read about the food have been positive. Brutus currently weighs 65 lbs and has a gorgeous coat. Does anyone know or recommend a food that may have better ingredients than the Hills Science Diet CD?

I wouldn't feed any kind of prescription diet or Purina. Usually with stones, one of the big things is moisture and making sure they are getting enough water. Raw is a good option for this as it contains a lot of moisture already. But if you don't want to go that route, then I would at least definitely change food to something of higher quality and maybe add in a good quality canned food for the moisture. You can also soak the kibble in water. I know there are other people on here with more knowledge so hopefully they will chime in soon.

 

[MFrey2012]

Sorry to hear about your Brutus, Tyson had the same exact issue with the enlarged prostate... we also had to neuter as it was our only choice to save him. Please don't be upset but both Purina and Hills are total crap of foods. Full of fillers. Please look into some 5 or 6 star foods, like Fromms, Orijen, Acana, etc. I will post a link here for ratings, you can see how they each rate star wise. Like I said, stick with one that is preferably 5 stars or higher if possible. It will make a world of difference.

English Bulldog News Forums - Dog Food Ratings at English Bulldog News

Unfortunately I have no experience with stones, but many member do and I will tag a few to chime in on that subject! [MENTION=3354]RiiSi[/MENTION]
@MFrey2012

OMG!! So sorry your baby had this happen, so glad to hear he is on the mend. Some great advice given already...

I am new a bulldog mom, I don't have ALOT, but do have some experience with Stuvite Crystals, they are what form the stones

We had HARD well water that was keeping Ellies Urine PH high, that would cause her form the Crystals, Do happen to have a Well, maybe test the water for the Alkalinity, as it should be around a 6-6.5?? You can get a test at Lowes or Home Depot, Changing to bottled Spring water, can help quite a bit, Princess Ellie needed to have this.

Her Bulldog Vet also put her on a gentle supplement called Petameth also known a L-Methione, which is a Urine Acidifier, helps to keep Urine at the right PH to prevent the crystals from forming, this was prescribed to Ellie, from her bully vet, who treated a Bully with your same situation, and it worked well for him.

Ellie does eat Orijen, as we are fortunate to give her that, but definitely going grain free, potato free, will also help balance the PH a little better.

Much Love to Brutus, From me and Ellie Keep us posted!!

 

[Dollys Owner]

For struvite stones:
You want a diet that has low amounts of carbohydrates since the carbohydrates tend to make the body alkaline and you want a more acidic urine. I would give a high protein raw food or high protein dehydrated raw food. Honest Kitchen has a lot of carbohydrate so I wouldn't use that. Some of the 5 star raw commercial foods have very low carbohydrates. eg. Vital Essentials Freeze Dried has only 15% carbohydrates. https://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/dog-f...ws/raw/5-star/
I would also give mannose powder and a probiotic as well since struvite stones are associated with urinary tract infections,

 

[RiiSi]

Struvites are actually the easiest bladder crystals/stones to handle. In most cases it is not anything hereditary like with Cystine or Urate stones. They're usually causes by poor diet, so I would chance it right away. Dollys owner gave good advise on what to look for. You can also buy an electrical pH monitor and check his urine pH at times. You don't want it to go too low eather. I find the strips too vague. It is also important that he drinks enough to keep the urine diluted. Raw food has a lot of water in it, so it is good in that way also.

 

[MacAttack]

Wish I had taken the time to check in on this earlier. Our one year old Bear had surgery 3 weeks ago for a bladder full of stones. We haven't received the results back yet as to what type they are. From previous comments, I will make sure to check back to get him on the right food. Bear is not neutered so I'm wondering if that may help the stones from recurring. Thanks, as always, for posting great advice. Now, to tackle occasional yeast... ACV or yogurt?

 

[Cbrugs]

Wish I had taken the time to check in on this earlier. Our one year old Bear had surgery 3 weeks ago for a bladder full of stones. We haven't received the results back yet as to what type they are. From previous comments, I will make sure to check back to get him on the right food. Bear is not neutered so I'm wondering if that may help the stones from recurring. Thanks, as always, for posting great advice. Now, to tackle occasional yeast... ACV or yogurt?

It will all depend on what type of stones he had. Cystine stones could mean he has cystinuria and neutering that will take care of it. Struvite stones can usually be controlled with diet.

You'll want to try to figure out what is causing the yeast and if you can elimate that or not. It can be coming from his food. What are you feeding him?