Really worried about Libby

[Connie]

I had to leave Libby there for a couple of hours while they X-ray and do blood work, etc. I left there at 9:20 and will go back at 11. She will call me if they get done sooner. I felt so awful when she walked away with Libby and Libby looking at me that way, as if to say, "Save me!" Poor baby is sitting there so scared I just can't stand it. The urine sample I took up yesterday shows sturvite crystals. She was feeling for a bladder stone which she said can often be felt in small dogs. Libby had a stone once before. Libby showed signs of distress when she was feeling on her swollen tummy. So, I am praying here and thank you all for your prayers. I will let you know. Now I guess I'll google sturvite stones. Forgot to mention that I took up a stool sample too, so getting all the bases covered. There was also blood that showed up in her urine.

[rubymoon2072]

sending prayers for results that can be treated. i can only imagine poor libby!! hugs to you and libby.

[rubynrosie]

Connie...I just remember a couple people dealing with those crystals here on YT the past month. Do a search as I can't remember I think it might have been 107barney. Prayers for sweet Libby and yourself...you have so much on your plate! How is your BIL?

[lisaly]

I don't have any experience with struvite crystals, but I recently read an article in whole dog journal about them. I provided the link below and part of the article. I didn't realize how common they are, particularly in female dogs and when an infection is present. You and Libby are in my thoughts and prayers.

Canine Kidney Stone and Bladder Stone Prevention - Whole Dog Journal Article
Struvite stones
Struvite uroliths belong to the magnesium ammonium phosphate (MAP) category. Struvites are also known as triple phosphate uroliths, a term dating from an old, incorrect assumption that the struvite crystal’s phosphate ion was bound to three positive ions instead of just magnesium and ammonium. Although struvites can develop in the kidneys, where they are called nephroliths, the vast majority are bladder stones. About 85 percent of all struvite stones are found in female dogs and only 15 percent are found in males.

Struvite stones usually form when large amounts of crystals are present in combination with a urinary tract infection from urease-producing bacteria such as Staphylococcus or Proteus. Urease is an enzyme that catalyzes the hydrolysis of urea, forming ammonia and carbon dioxide. It contributes to struvite stone formation as well as alkaline (high-pH) urine.

Caregivers and veterinarians obviously want to prevent and treat struvites as effectively as possible. But what works and what doesn’t is a topic of confusion.

Fact or fiction?
All of the following statements are believed by many veterinarians and their clients. Yet none of them are true. Which have you heard before?

1. Urinary struvite crystals represent disease and require treatment.

2. Struvite crystals require a change in diet, usually to a prescription diet like c/d, u/d, or s/d.

3. Dogs prone to forming struvite stones should be kept on a special diet for life.

4. The most important treatment for dogs with a history of struvite stones is a low-protein diet.

Here’s why these common beliefs are misconceptions.

1. The presence of urinary struvite crystals alone does not represent disease and does not require treatment. These crystals can be found in the urine of an estimated 40 to 44 percent of all healthy dogs and are not a cause for concern unless accompanied by signs of a urinary tract infection. According to the Merck Veterinary Manual (2005), “Struvite crystals are commonly observed in canine and feline urine. Struvite crystalluria in dogs is not a problem unless there is a concurrent bacterial urinary tract infection with a urease-producing microbe. Without an infection, struvite crystals in dogs will not be associated with struvite urolith formation.”(Our emphasis.)

Whether your struvite-crystal dog has a urinary tract infection is the key question. Researchers estimate that more than 98 percent of all struvite stones are associated with infection. Failing to eradicate the original infection and prevent new bacterial infections is the main reason struvite uroliths recur. A recurrence rate of 21 percent was recorded in one study, but the risk can be significantly reduced through increased surveillance and appropriate antimicrobial treatment. In one study, dogs were infected with an experimental Staphylococcal urinary tract infection, and their infection-induced struvites grew large enough to be seen on X-rays within two to eight weeks.

2. Struvite crystals do not require a change in diet. Because struvite crystals do not pose a problem unless the dog has a urinary tract infection, there is no required treatment for crystals, including dietary changes. If the dog does have a urinary tract infection, a prescription dog food will not cure it.

If your veterinarian finds struvite crystals in the urine and suggests a diet change, you’d be well advised to find a new vet. You have to wonder how many other things he or she is misinformed about. It isn’t just a case of not keeping up with newer research; this recommendation is just plain wrong.

3. Dogs prone to forming struvite stones should not be kept on a special diet for life. Struvites almost always form because of infections, for which dogs with a history of stones should be closely monitored and properly treated. No long-term dietary change is required, nor will a special diet prevent the formation of infection-induced struvites. However, short-term changes may help speed the dissolution of stones.

4. Low-protein diets do not prevent stone formation. A low-protein diet can speed the dissolution of struvite stones -when accompanied by appropriate antibiotic treatment -but it is not necessary for the prevention of struvite formation in dogs who are prone to this problem. For almost all dogs, controlling infections will prevent more stones from forming.

The lowdown on low-protein
Several prescription dog foods are marketed as a treatment for struvite crystals and struvite stones. These are called calculolytic foods or diets, and nearly all of them are severely protein-restricted, phosphate-restricted, magnesium-restricted, highly acidifying, and supplemented with salt to increase the patient’s thirst and fluid consumption.

While a low-protein diet is not required to dissolve struvite stones, it can speed their dissolution (when accompanied by appropriate antibiotic treatment). Protein provides urea, which bacteria convert or “hydrolyze”into ammonia, one of the struvite building blocks. However, this approach is not a long-term solution and will not prevent the formation of infection-induced stones. Feeding a low-protein diet to an adult dog to help dissolve stones is acceptable for short periods. Because they are not nutritionally complete, however, low-protein foods are harmful to adult dogs if used for more than a few months, and they should never be fed to puppies.

If stones are not present, there is no reason to feed a low-protein diet. According to Dr. Chew, “No studies exist to show that a specific diet is helpful for the prevention of infection-related stone development.”

In general, the benefits of a meat-based diet far outweigh the risks posed by protein’s ammonia generation. Plus, by feeding your dog a home-prepared diet of fresh ingredients, you can provide food that is higher in quality and much more to your dog’s liking than diets that come out of cans or packages.

Other prescription pet food strategies -such as keeping the diet low in fiber so that fluids are not lost through the intestines, using highly digestible ingredients for the same reason, and increasing the dog’s fluid intake by adding salt to the diet -can be better accomplished with a home-prepared diet and management techniques that encourage the dog to drink more water. The more concentrated the urine, the more saturated it becomes with minerals that can precipitate out, so extra fluids, which dilute the urine, reduce the risk.

Urinary acidifiers are not used to dissolve or prevent stones caused by urinary tract infections, since acidification does not help while an infection is present.

The importance of testing
It’s important to know that urinalysis can’t always detect a bladder infection; urinalysis may appear normal as frequently as 20 percent of the time when a urinary tract infection is present.

For this reason, if your dog shows possible signs of infection, you need to request a “urinary culture and sensitivity test.”This will verify the diagnosis (in some cases the problem is something other than an infection) and, if it is an infection, it will reveal which antibiotic will be most effective for treatment. Using an ineffective antibiotic not only harms the patient by delaying proper treatment, but also contributes to the spread of drug-resistant bacteria. Antibiotic therapy must be continued as long as struvite stones are present, since the stones harbor bacteria that are released as the stones dissolve.

[lisaly]

Originally Posted by rubynrosie

Connie...I just remember a couple people dealing with those crystals here on YT the past month. Do a search as I can't remember I think it might have been 107barney. Prayers for sweet Libby and yourself...you have so much on your plate! How is your BIL?

Jenny's Momo was having problems with struvite crystals. Thankfully, Momo's better now.

http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/yor...-crystals.html

[Patti]

Praying for little Libby and Mom. I'm here for you anytime.

[rubynrosie]

Originally Posted by lisaly

Jenny's Momo was having problems with struvite crystals. Thankfully, Momo's better now.

http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/yor...-crystals.html

Thanks Lisa for finding that...that's who I was thinking of!!!

[horsnaround]

Sending more prayers

[mperran1974]

Sending prayers for Libby and BIL and waiting for an update.

[TxVicki]

Prayers most certainly going out for Sweet Libby. I will keep checking back for any updates.

[kjc]

Originally Posted by TxVicki

Prayers most certainly going out for Sweet Libby. I will keep checking back for any updates.

Ditto!

[Connie]

We are home and all the tests look good. Fecal was fine, blood test had a couple of things that were a point or two above or below the norm, but nothing that concerned her. She had an xray with dye and it showed no stones. Heart, liver, bladder and kidneys all looked normal! No masses or fluid. Swelling which she figures is from the infection, which is causing her big tummy. She said there was a little thickening of the wall of the intestines, but that she could probably use a little fiber which would help that. Patti suggested pumpkin and that's what I'll use. She wanted her on prescription c/d for a month so I got some of that. I am to take another urine sample up in about a month. I am SO relieved, but can't help but still worry a bit. I'll be so thankful when she gets back to normal. Today's visit was just a few dollars short of $400! Yikes! The antibiotic she got is Zeniquin and I only have to giver her one a day for 10 days. Libby is sleeping like a baby right now...she had quite a morning, poor baby. Thanks again to everyone for prayers, info and concern! I appreciate you all so much!

[Connie]

Forgot to update you on my BIL! He may get out of the hospital today and they will fly home tomorrow. Today is my sister's birthday and they aren't here so we can celebrate. Anyway, the MRI showed 3 TIA's and a stroke, but every test they have done has come out normal, so what in the world caused this we may never know, and I pray it doesn't happen again. Thanks for prayers!

[Buster Brown]

Glad to hear everyone is doing better.

[kjc]

Glad to hear this news! Yay!