Chunky has a UTI and Cystine stones.

[Chunky White]

I took Chunky to the vet saturday because I suspected he had a UTI and has been having issues lately urinating in the house and going extra outside. The first time I took him they said he was just marking and that was right after he had his yearly shots.

The vet called around 6 and said he has and infection and cystine stones. He was given 500ml amoxicillin saturday so he is to continue that and they are recommending neutering him and claim that will help with the stones.

Whats everyones thoughts on neutering and the cystine stones and is this common with male EB's?

 

[2BullyMama]

Damn... i have no experience but have heard neutering dies lessen the chance of the stones developing.

Do a search there s/b some info from other members going through this. The vet may also want you on Hills or Science Diet but there are other options... raw or honest kitchen


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[Chunky White]

Damn... i have no experience but have heard neutering dies lessen the chance of the stones developing.

Do a search there s/b some info from other members going through this. The vet may also want you on Hills or Science Diet but there are other options... raw or honest kitchen


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I have talked to the vet about foods and she hasn't said anything bad about the Acana Appalachian Ranch he is now on but had something to say about the Orijen Six Fish he was on a few weeks ago so I took him off of it. She says its too rich for most dogs. I will see what they say when we talk again after he has been on antibiotics for a few more days. I have no issue with him being neutered so that will most likely happen soon and I would guess after he is over the infection.

I looked up Cystine Stones right after I spoke to the vet earlier and it does say its most common in intact males but made no mention of neutering them fixing the problem. I live close to the vet so that isn't an issue its just getting the time off work to get all this done. He might have to stay overnight


I just went back and re read the end of your post and I am not sure about raw and would have to read up on that but just looked up honest and it wouldnt be that much more than what I am already paying for his food

 

[Corine Pesantes]

Poor guy! I hope he gets to feeling better soon!


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[RiiSi]

So sorry this is happening to your boy. I have battled and lost a bully to urate stones.

The latest research does suggest that bulldogs suffer type III Cystinuria and it is very much a thing in intact bulldogs and neutering can prevent them from occuring again. Mastiffs suffer from another type which is much worse and the most likely can have stones more than once. If your bully is not blocked yet I would recommend neutering as soon as possible, since cystine stones stones don't dissolve with medication or diet. If your vet doesn't know this I would take him somewhere else.

 

[helsonwheels]

Nyala had issues when she was around 4 months old. Thats when I decided to home cook. Her meals consist of turkey, sweet potatoes, yellow n green beans, peas, lima beans. She was back to normal within a couple weeks. Here's a link for all to read. Great info.

Treatment and Prevention of Kidney and Bladder Stones | Whole Dog Journal

 

[RiiSi]

That is a great link and what is most important is to know what type of stones your dog has. Some stones form in acidic urine and some in alkaline urine. Some foods are acidifying and others alkalising. You need to know what is your dogs situation before properly manage the illness. Bitches are also in a very different place with their anatomy. They can pass even quite a big stones, but dogs can get very easily blocked. This type of Cystinuria alsoo doesn't affect bithes at all.

Nyala had issues when she was around 4 months old. Thats when I decided to home cook. Her meals consist of turkey, sweet potatoes, yellow n green beans, peas, lima beans. She was back to normal within a couple weeks. Here's a link for all to read. Great info.

Treatment and Prevention of Kidney and Bladder Stones | Whole Dog Journal

 

[ddnene]

Ugh... I'm SO sorry that you are going thru this w/Chunky. The gang is giving you the right advice though, I have always hear that neutering does help with stones in the long run... I had planned NOT to have Walter neutered, but then he became aggressive so I didn't have a choice.

 

[TyTysmom]

We feed The Honest Kitchen Tyson loves it. I have no experience with stones, but I know that we went through numerous kibbles before ending up with The Honest Kitchen, and Tyson has done WONDERFUL on it. We do the base mix, and add in our own protein (Lean ground beef)

 

[Chunky White]

I will talk to the vet again soon and figure out when they want to do a follow up and the neuter. Thanks for all the replies and recommendations. I will read up on Honest Kitchen and what they provide and talk to the vet and see which they think will be the best for him.

 

[Chunky White]

I stole this from the article Helene left a link to in case someone elses dog has this issue it will be on here.


Cystine stones
Cystine is a sulfur-containing amino acid essential to the health of skin, hair, bones, and connective tissue. Excess cystine is normally filtered by the kidneys so that it doesn’t enter the urine, but some dogs are born with cystinuria, an inherited metabolic disorder that prevents this filtering action. When cystine passes into the urine, it can form crystals and uroliths.

Cystine stones are rare, representing 1 percent or less of uroliths identified in laboratories. Although any breed can develop cystinuria, certain breeds are most affected. An estimated 10 percent of male Mastiffs have cystinuria. It is also common in Newfoundlands, English Bulldogs, Scottish Deerhounds, Dachshunds, Staffordshire Bull Terriers, and Chihuahuas. Cystine stones are faintly radiopaque, which makes them more difficult to see on X-rays than stones that contain calcium.

There are at least two types of cystinuria. The more severe form affects Newfoundlands and, rarely, Labrador Retrievers, and possibly some other breeds and mixes. In these dogs, males and females are equally affected (though as always, males are more likely to become obstructed). The age at onset can be as young as 6 months to 1 year. Recurrence of stones following surgery is more rapid in these dogs, and they are more likely to form kidney stones. The gene that causes cystinuria in these breeds has been identified and a simple, reliable genetic test can identify both affected dogs and carriers.

In other breeds, dogs with cystinuria are almost always male. No genetic test is available for them, though the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine (PennVet) is collecting blood samples from affected Mastiffs and their genetic relatives to try to produce a DNA test. The average age at onset of clinical signs is about 5 years.

A basic urinalysis can sometimes detect cystine in urine, though this is the least reliable method of detection. A nitroprusside (NP) test performed at the University of Pennsylvania (PennGen) is considered more reliable. A quantitative amino acid analysis performed by PennGen or a human medical laboratory is most reliable but very expensive. If cystine is found in the urine on any of these tests, the diagnosis is considered positive for cystinuria, though that doesn’t necessarily mean the dog will form stones.

Unfortunately, a negative result on any of these tests does not guarantee that the dog is “clear.” Note that sulfa drugs and supplements, including sulfa antibiotics, MSM, and Deramaxx, may cause false positive results.

“Cystinuria is a particularly frustrating condition to manage,” says San Francisco Chronicle pet columnist Christie Keith, who started a Canine Cystinuria e-mail list and website when one of her Scottish Deerhounds developed cystine uroliths. “A dog known to have cystinuria may go his whole life without obstructing, while another dog, never diagnosed, can have a life-threatening obstruction as his first symptom. It’s not known at this time why some dogs with cystinuria form stones and others do not.”

Cystine, like all amino acids, is one of the building blocks of protein. That’s why most veterinarians (including many kidney specialists) prescribe a low-protein diet, speculating that reducing the cystine supply will reduce the formation of cystine stones. Another common recommendation is to alkalize the dog’s urine because cystine stones form in acid urine.

Unfortunately, says Keith, these strategies are ineffective. “Most of us on the Canine Cystinuria list have found that diet and urinary alkalization have failed to prevent our dogs from forming stones,” she says, “and they have sometimes caused other problems, including other types of stones that form in alkaline urine. If the urine goes into acidity even briefly, cystine stones can form and they won’t dissolve just because alkaline urine is achieved soon after. In addition, feeding ultra-low-protein diets can be dangerous, especially to giant breeds and breeds prone to cardiomyopathy.” (See “The Side Effects of Low-Protein Diets,” page 13.)

It’s important to provide your dog with extra fluids and frequent opportunities to urinate in order to keep his urine from becoming supersaturated. Salt should not be added to increase fluid consumption for dogs with cystinuria; according to studies conducted on humans, a low-sodium diet may decrease the amount of cystine in the urine.

If urine alkalization is attempted, the target pH is 7.0 to 7.5; higher can predispose dogs to calcium phosphate uroliths. Potassium citrate is preferred for alkalization when needed rather than sodium bicarbonate because sodium may enhance cystinuria.

Cystine stones cannot be dissolved with diet or supplements, but two prescription drugs can help dissolve and prevent them. Cuprimine (d-penicillamine) has potentially serious side effects but is less expensive and more readily available, and many dogs do well on it. According to Keith, Thiola (tiopronin, also referred to as 2-mercaptopropionylglycine or 2‑MPG), has fewer side effects, but one of them is the depletion of the owner’s bank account. Maintaining a giant-breed dog on Thiola can cost as much as $500 per month. Because the severity of cystinuria tends to decline with age, the dosage of preventative medications can sometimes be decreased or even stopped.

Dissolution requires a combination of medication, low-protein diet, and urinary alkalinization. Even then it may not be successful or practical for a dog with numerous stones. When it does work, dissolution commonly takes one to three months.

For some dogs, the solution has come not from prevention strategies or medication but from surgery. “It sounds extreme,” says Keith, “but many of us who have stone-forming male dogs with cystinuria have opted for a scrotal urethrostomy. This surgery redirects the dog’s urethra away from the penis to a new, surgically created opening in front of the scrotum.”

Cystinuria
About 10 percent of male Mastiffs have cystinuria; itfs also common in Newfoundlands, English Bulldogs, Scottish Deerhounds, Dachshunds, Staffordshire Bull Terriers, and Chihuahuas.

The wider opening that results enables males to more easily pass small stones and help prevent urinary blockages. “While future obstruction is not impossible,” says Keith, “this procedure reduces the risk substantially.” Still, she cautions, this surgery should not be undertaken lightly. It’s expensive, requiring the expertise of a skilled board-certified surgeon, and because the affected area is rich in blood vessels, there can be significant post-surgical bleeding, though the surgery is not particularly painful.

“The good news,” she says, “is that many dogs, including stone-formers and those who had serious complications when their condition was first diagnosed, have lived not just normal but longer-than-normal lives.”

 

[Chunky White]

I sent the his breeder a message to see if he has had any males with Cystine Stones and if so what he had done. I don't really expect an answer back from him but might be surprised.

 

[Chunky White]

The breeder did respond and said he had never heard of bulldogs having stones of any kind.

Chunky is doing better but I can still tell he has trouble peeing. Hopefully we will get it all worked out soon

 

[ddnene]

The breeder did respond and said he had never heard of bulldogs having stones of any kind.

Chunky is doing better but I can still tell he has trouble peeing. Hopefully we will get it all worked out soon

I honestly don't know if this is considered an hereditary issue... I'm so sorry, I hope your boy has some relief soon...

 

[Manydogs]

[h=2]Breeds Serviced[/h]

• Australian Cattle Dog
• Australian Labradoodle
• Bulldog
• English Bulldog
• English Mastiff
• French Bulldog
• Labradoodle
• Labrador Retriever

[h=2]Cystinuria[/h] Cystinuria in dogs is indicated by the presence of cystine stones in the kidney, bladder or ureter. Failure by the kidneys to reabsorb amino acids results in the formation of cystine crystals and sometimes stones in the urine which can lead to blockage of the urethra. While the disease is not genetically sex-linked, it is diagnosed in male dogs more frequently than females due to anatomical differences. We offer a tests based on the research done at the University of Pennsylvania which identified mutations responsible for cystinuria in several breeds.
Type I Cystinuria is an autosomal recessive disease thus an animal affected with the disease has inherited one copy of the mutation from each parent. Inheriting only one copy from either parent yields carrier status. The disease is not present but the animal must be bred carefully to prevent creating affected offspring.

Clear	The disease in not present in your dog. When used for breeding, a Clear dog will not pass on the disease gene.
Carrier	One copy of the disease gene is present in your dog, but it will not exhibit disease symptoms. Carriers will not have related medical problems, but will pass on the disease gene 50% of the time.
Affected	This finding indicates that two copies of the disease gene are present in the dog. Unfortunately, the dog will be medically affected by the disease.

Breeds with recessive (Type I) Cystinuria

• Newfoundland and Landseer
• Labrador Retriever

Type II Cystinuria is an autosomal dominant disease which means there are no carriers. An animal will either test as clear, heterozygous affected (one copy), or homozygous affected (two copies). Homozgous affected animals tend to show symptoms earlier in life than those with a single copy of the mutation.
Breeds with dominant (Type II) Cystinuria

• Australian Cattle Dog
• Miniature Pinscher

Type III Cystinuria was formerly known as non-Type I Cystinuria. It is found in Mastiffs and related breeds. This disease is somewhat more complicated than the other types. It seems to only be expressed in intact, adult males. There is no causative mutation identified, but there is a linked marker available that identifies risk alleles in most lines.
Breeds with Type III Cystinuria

• Bulldog
• English Bulldog
• English Mastiff
• French Bulldog
• Mastiff