General Question Cystine Stones. special diets

[hero4u]

Hi Everyone. My 15 month old male ebd has had multiple uti's and 3 weeks ago became obstructed with cystine stones in his uretha. He had a surgurey called perineal urethrostomy where they cut and made a whole in which my bulldog can pass stones rather than become obstructed in the uretha area which can be very narrow. It was hell on him and and me and he was in the hospital 9 days and then sick here for another week afterword He has fully recovered now and back to his ole playful self.. When this first happened my vet told me he would have to be on a special diet called Royal canine So. ( which I purchased). Then she told me she did some research and he needed to be on Royal canine urinary UC low purine. ( purchased again) I called today to get the results of the stones that were sent out to be anilized and now she says they are NOT sturivte or some other kind but crystine stones and it is genetic and now he needs to be on something called Hills UD in the can. I have so many bags of kibble around here it is crazy as well as pricey. I do not like the thought of Buddy having to be on a special diet and ofcourse he is spoiled rotten when it comes to me giving him table scraps.. I try to give him healthy things like I will cook him a few eggs to put in his kibble or share some honeydew melon with him. He loves cheese and well as a small amount of vanilla ice cream on a hot day It is going to be hard for me to not give him little extra treats. I love him to death. he is my baby but for his health reasons my vet says he needs to eat this Hills UD canned diet. I would think that now that he has an opening to pass stones he might not get any more stones and if so they would pass but my vet says NO he can. Any experience any bully owners have had with this type of thing will be appreciated... Thank you.. Buddy and Gary

 

[2BullyMama]

I have no experience, but tagged a couple of members that will hoepfully be able to help.

HUGS and Prayers to you and Buddy!

 

[RiiSi]

Cystine stones are tricky, unfortunately. Google cystine stones dogaware and you find very good information about cystine stones. First thing you should do is buy an electrical pH meter and monitor his urine pH frequently. Cystine stones form very fast, so you need to know where you are to make the necessary corrections on his diet. And bullys do well without table scraps and ice cream...

 

[hero4u]

Thanks 2Bullymama and a special Thanks to you as well RIISI. I didn't respond to this post I made because I have been researching cystine stones and special diets. The Lab my vet sent the stone they found in Buddy's uretha is in Minnesota and called The Minnesota University Urioith center. It is funded and/ or has contributed large grants by Hills special diets for cats and dogs so that kind of made me raise an eyebrow because my vet recommends now he is on one of their products called Hills UD diet and I have found 4 seperate articles that go on to say that low protein diets can actually be harmful to larger breed dogs.. Also are not really recommended for english bulldogs because of the risk of them contracting a heart condition. I cannot copy and paste each article but did on the site you mentioned DOGAWARE ( Thanks RIISI) and I will copy and past the side effects of it here. Also I have been in touch with a vet who is on a team here in Florida at the University of Florida in Gainsville ( teaching school for vets) and am still awaiting more feed back from other sources.. I have Buddy currently on Royal canine S/O and have been supplementing the low protein with eggs and yogurt. Here is what has been written regarding Side effects of low protein dets according to the dogaware site.. Thank you.
[h=3]The Side Effects of Low Protein Diets[/h]Without sufficient protein in the diet, protein is pulled from muscles to meet the body’s requirements. Because they are nutritionally inadequate, low-protein diets should never be fed to puppies or dogs who are pregnant or nursing, and they can cause health problems if given to adult dogs for prolonged periods. Hill's u/d is drastically low in protein (dry food has less than 10% protein as fed); Royal Canine SO is also low in protein (14%), though not as bad as u/d. In both cases, the canned varieties have a little more protein than the dry.

According to the Merck Veterinary Manual (9th Edition, 2008), “The signs produced by protein deficiency or an improper protein-to-calorie ratio may include any or all of the following: weight loss, skeletal muscle atrophy, dull unkempt coat, anorexia, reproductive problems, persistent unresponsive parasitism or low-grade microbial infection, impaired protection via vaccination, rapid weight loss after injury or during disease, and failure to respond properly to treatment of injury or disease.”

Ultra-low-protein diets have been linked to dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) in English Bulldogs, Dalmatians, and other breeds. Dogs with cystinuria, which predisposes dogs to carnitine deficiency even when a normal-protein diet is fed, are particularly at risk. Some Newfoundland dogs are prone to taurine deficiency leading to DCM even when fed regular commercial diets, especially lamb and rice diets, though many manufacturers now add taurine to their lamb and rice diets to help prevent this side effect.

 

[waltwrinkle]

Did you stick with my Royal Canine SO diet?