Bladder stones?

[Lucy & Ellie]

I hope this is ok to post here, and I am going to post it on the health issue board too because maybe there are some ideas there too. 

I used to come here when we had our sweet Lucy (labradoodle) but she passed away after eating a sock.  She was only a year old.

Anyway, a little 2 year old Maltese fell into our laps and my question is about her.  I know this is a doodle board but everyone here is SO knowledgeable!  So I would like to run this by you guys.  

Bailey never had accidents when we got her in January.  Then she started going potty in the house and it turned out she had a bladder infection.  She got an antibiotic and was ok for a while, then started again.  Another infection.  More meds.  Now more accidents.  I called to see if we could get meds without taking her in but the vet suggested at this point that we have her x-rayed to see if there are stones.  So we will.

They said that if there's a stone, we may be able to change her diet.  From some really limited research I've done online, she may need a prescription food? Something with not a lot of protein?  What kind?  And a diet won't always help, right?  Maybe she'll need surgery?  Right now we feed her Petcurean puppy formula.  Puppy because the vet said she needed to put on weight.  Before that it was just regular Petcurean adult for small breeds. 

I'd appreciate any advice.... and I know my breed is very different, but I just thought I'd try asking here.  Thanks :)

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Well, there are a lot of questions here, lol, so let's try taking them one by one. 

First, the breed makes absolutely no difference at all. A disease or health condition is the same whether it's suffered by a Labradoodle, a Maltese or a Rottweiler. 

Next, there are different kinds of bladder stones, and treatment for each is very different. An X-ray won't necessarily tell you what kind you're dealing with, and not all of them can be helped by diet. Calcium Oxalate stones almost always require surgery. Struvite stones can sometimes be dissolved with Rx diets and lots of water. Here is some info: 

Struvite stones

Calcium Oxalate stones

IF she has struvite stones, and the vet recommends an Rx diet, there's not much you can do other than buy the crappy Rx food or consult a veterinary nutritionist for a homemade diet. Rayne nutrition will custom formulate Rx diets, too. I imagine it's very expensive, but maybe doable for a Maltese, lol.  http://www.raynenutrition.com/SearchResults.asp?Cat=1823

If you do buy food from the vet, try to opt for Royal Canin rather than Hill's or Purina; the ingredients in the RC are usually (but not alway) better.

For any kind of urinary issue, a diet high in moisture is important. You'll eventually want to switch her to canned food or homemade food and encourage water drinking any way you can. 

So at this point, I really think you need to find out exactly what you are dealing with before you can make any decisions. 

I hope this helps. 

[Lucy & Ellie]

Thank you so much.  That really does help. 

I was finding the same info online about Rx food like Royal Canin and I was not happy because I like to use great quality food.

We'll see what kind of stone it is and go from there.  I'm glad I asked here though.... great info.

Thanks again!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Please let us know what you find out. 

[Michele Dixon]

Hello

As Karen and Jackdoodle mentioned, you do need to find out what kind of stones they are, but I would venture a guess that they are struvite based on the re-occuring infection. For dogs with the other typical stones (calcium oxalate) it can be difficult to manage without do prescription or home cooking, however with struvite, provided you can get the infection under control, it is often possible to return to a regular diet. Here is the kicker though, some dogs are prone to struvite based on breed, anatomy etc. and in these cases there are options to keep infection at bay such as D Mannose and increasing hydration. When the infection occurs it changes the normally acidic urine alkaline, and this allows the normally present struvite to proliferate. So it's not the stuvite that is the issue, in this case, rather the infection, that allows it to proliferate and possible turn into stones.
It is often recommended to do a culture to determine what type of infection is present, often it is e-coli, but not always. It is also imperative to do a follow up UA. Even with the follow up UA however, it can show the infection is gone, but it can still be marginally present.
So many variables here, but the Whole Dog Journal has a good article here too http://www.whole-dog-journal.com/issues/13_4/features/Detecting-Uri... 

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[Stella]

I have had success in giving cranberry capsules, after the infection has gone, to prevent a reoccurrence.