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Originally Posted by tshepardperez  My 4 year old male yorkie was diagnosed with multiple kidney stones yesterday. He had surgery this afternoon to remove them. Unfortunately, the doctor said he had to cut into the bottom of his penis to retrieve a stone that was lodged in his urethra. I visited "Diego" this evening to get a "visual" of how he was really doing and I was pleased to see him as his usual hyper self! I am wondering if anyone has experienced this same diagnosis. I'm curious to know the outcomes, whether I need to expect more health issues. He was also diagnosed in March with epilepsy and placed on phenobarbitrol. I'm happy to say that he has NOT suffered any seizures since! Please, I welcome ANY and ALL advice regarding both issues.  |
Since they were able to actually go in for surgery to remove the stones, they were very likely bladder stones, not kidney stones.
Seizures and urinary/bladder/stone issues can be symptoms of liver problems. As Ellie May mentioned, a bile acid test (b/w $45-$100 depending on your area) could help rule that out. It's much more sensitive to liver function than a regular blood panel which may not show any problems until the liver is quite damaged.
It's important to find out the cause of the seizures (if there is one) and stones so that you can prevent them from happening again.
Were they calcium oxalate stones? If so, then it's important to make sure that the ingredients of whatever food you are feeding are low oxalate.
Also, since your dog is prone to bladder stones, it's important to add equal parts water to each meal to help get more moisture in him. If you feed 1/4 cup at each meal, add at least 1/4 cup of water to the food.
Just drinking water on the side is not enough, not even if it seems like your baby drinks a lot. Adding water to the food should help, BUT it would be better if you could feed a canned food since it's much higher in moisture than dry food.
Making sure that your baby is taking in a lot of moisture is important because it will help dilute the urine and prevent stone formation.
Watermelon (no seeds, of course) is high in moisture and low in oxalate so it's a good treat to give.