[Yorkieluv]

Sometimes, a stone would not be seen on a regular x-ray because some of them show up clear...They may have to do an ultrasound....Miko gets bladder stones all the time...His are a symptom of his liver shunt, but that doesn't mean your baby's are. We noticed because he was urinating blood sometimes.
I'll try to give you a short version of our experience...Because his stones and crystals are a symptom of his liver shunt, the vet went in for the liver shunt surgery...Unfortunately his kind of liver problem is inoperable and cannot be repaired, so this means that his body will continue making these stones and crystals...Prior to his surgery, Miko was hospitalized for a month with a urinary catheter because he could not urinate on his own. He could not pass the stones..
The urethra in these little guys is very very small and cannot pass even small stones or crystals. During the surgery, they went ahead and removed the stones that they could find. The doc said that Miko would continue producing these stones and that he couldn't keep Miko on a urinary catheter forever because it would cause problems with his kidneys and bruise his insides if kept in him for a long period of time. Also, Miko cannot take medications that other dogs can take for this because his liver doesn't process them very well and can make him very sick.
Miko would never be able to pass the stones either and he would have poor quality of life, so the doc did a procedure that I had never heard of before, but this vet is Amazing and I completely trust him. He said that this is a common procedure in cats. He called it PU surgery...I forget what it stands for, but basically he re-routed where his urine goes through and made a new hole for Miko to pee out of...It's at the base of his penis...Now, no urine comes out of his penis, only out of this other hole bigger hole, and it's stretchable which makes it easier for him to pass stones...Now, he rarely has any problems...He passes his stones naturally and without pain unlike before...
He is very healthy and has a wonderful quality of life...
Because of my wonderful vet, Miko is alive and full of energy and will be with us for many, many years!!!
I pray that your furbaby's condition is treatable...
Sorry to make such a long post (and this was my shortened version! LOL)
If you have any more questions, please pm me...
P.S. He still urinates a little bloody sometimes, that's when we know he's trying to pass a larger stone or crystal...