Quote:
Originally Posted by 107barney  Thanks Ladymom, I'll ask my vet about these items. I'm not sure if she just wanted him to have more fluids or if she was trying to see a benefit from the cranberry so I should ask about that. She did put him on metacam for bladder inflammation. We are still working on figuring all the pieces of the puzzle. This has been going on since I got him as a young pup and we've ruled out UTI. He seems to be straining less since the metacam and the juice and he's not in discomfort but it's not normal.  |
Was a Culture and Sensitivity done to rule out UTI?
FYI:
From:
Best Way - Raw Meat Diet to Prevent Crystals in Dogs Urine | eHow.com Why Struvite Crystals Form Struvite crystals are made of magnesium ammonium phosphate. They most frequently form due to a bladder infection, which is often influenced by poor nutrition. Bacteria increase the pH level of the
dog's urine, causing magnesium, ammonium or phosphate present in the urine to react with it and form struvite crystals.
There also is a likely genetic component to crystal formation. Certain breeds, including Dalmatians, have a much higher risk of forming crystals.
In all cases, a poor diet may contribute to struvite crystals in the urine. Poor-quality proteins that are hard to digest strain the urinary system by forcing the kidneys and bladder to flush excessive waste. Alkaline foods that promote alkaline urine can also help to cause struvite crystals. In addition, excess dietary magnesium added to processed foods can increase the likelihood of crystal formation.
Warnings If your
dog shows symptoms of urinary crystals, do not try to treat the condition with diet changes only. A veterinarian will need to culture the urine for bacteria and prescribe an antibiotic to kill the bacteria present. Only when the active bladder infection has been resolved can a raw meat diet start actively preventing further crystal formation.
Other question you asked about sugar in Cranberry juice:
Cranberry juice can also be included in a diet designed to prevent struvite crystals. Avoid brands that add large amounts of sugar, which would be more detrimental to a
dog's health than simply not drinking any cranberry juice. Dogs should not eat processed sugars.
Also, the Metacam make make him feel better bc it relieves the inflammation, but the cause of the crystal formation needs to be found, before he ends up with permanent Kidney damage or if the crystals/stones block his urethra, he could die.