Check ups are important

[Ellie May]

Originally Posted by Schooby

Thank you, I hope the new diet will solve it too! I take them in every 6 months for a regular exam, and once a year they get bloodwork done. I am really glad this visit called for the urinalysis, because I didn't notice any change in their potty habits!



Oh for sure! Even if I think something isn't quite right, we are at the vets He loves me because I catch everything before it gets bad, like ear infections. They are my babies, and it's MY job to make sure they are taken care of I wish they could talk (well, sometimes lol) but they can't so I'd much rather be safe than sorry!



Me too! If it wasn't for Chase's 3 year health screen, I don't know how I would have known. I have been rotating between Acana and Taste of the Wild for a long time, and they get Grandma Lucy's freeze dried Artisan in the morning and a spoon of wet in the evening with their kibble. I feel so guilty because my food choices were not the best choice for them, like I thought

Aww, don't be guilty. You were doing what you thought was best. Rex diets can help correct the problem, but that doesn't mean diet caused the problem (could have..depending, but maybe it didn't). I don't think you said what type of crystals were present, but if they are story items, there I almost certainly a uti that went undetected.

I would just have he vet pick food for the up with bladder issues from now on.

[Schooby]

Originally Posted by RileyDC

Cool! Riley's bloodwork also came back perfect on Acana, in September, but I don't think they can tell if there are crystals in their urine through blood.... I could totally be wrong though.... Can they? If so then he's good to go.... I don't think he has ever had a urinalysis done..... ?? I know I have never collected it. LOL!!!

You could call and ask? Some might only recommend them if you think there might be a problem. I think it was only $42 at my vet, and they knew the results in just a couple minutes.

Originally Posted by Britster

Oh, right... lol. Yeah never did a urinalysis either then.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but do crystals come from lack of drinking water sometimes? I wonder if an all-canned food diet would help add moisture to their diet.

I don't know, honestly I have not had the time to research all this yet. I totally wasn't expecting it, and have never read anything about this before because I figured my boys wouldn't get them. They drink quite a bit of water, and they always have something wet with their kibble (whether it's grandma lucy's or weruva) which I thought was suppost to be better for their little bodies.

Originally Posted by Ellie May

Aww, don't be guilty. You were doing what you thought was best. Rex diets can help correct the problem, but that doesn't mean diet caused the problem (could have..depending, but maybe it didn't). I don't think you said what type of crystals were present, but if they are story items, there I almost certainly a uti that went undetected.

I would just have he vet pick food for the up with bladder issues from now on.

Thank you! I believe they are Struvite crystals.....although I still don't know what that really means. We did test Calvin too, and he has them as well, so do you think it would be diet since they both have them? They drink filtered water, so that wouldn't cause any of this, would it? They will both be on the RX food as soon as it comes in. I had them order some of the canned as well, but it sounds like they can still have their usual treats and bullies.

[Ellie May]

Oh my! The iPad incorrectly spelled checked for me before. Struvite crystals are almost always caused by infection. Antibiotics and cultures for both dogs (JMO). Because they both have them, I would have to wonder about diet. I would drop the newer foods and do what the vet is saying. Rx foods need to be fed exclusively for best results, so no treats unless they are vet approved and no edible chews/bones.

[111lily222]

Originally Posted by Schooby

Chase had his adult health screen today since he's almost 3. It includes an exam, serum chemistry profile, urinalysis with sedimentation, and cbc with differential. We also did his annual heartworm, lyme etc test, fecal, and bordetella vaccine. His bloodwork was great, but not the urinalysis. He had alot of crystals in his urine. We tried to get Calvin to go while we were there so they could check his too, but he's a stinker and wouldn't go lol. We ordered the prescription food for Chase, and hopefully it will get rid of the crystals. I feel so bad because it's diet related, and I am SO picky about what they eat and research everything and give them only what I feel is THE best foods. After we came home, Calvin went pee (and Jay was able to get some in a cup, can't imagine what Calvin thought of that lol), so we drove it back to the vet (keep in mind it's 35 minutes 1 way), and had it tested. He has a ton of them too, so he will be on the special diet as well. We will recheck them again in 6 weeks. I forgot to ask how much the food was since I won't pay for it till I pick it up, but today alone was almost $400. I really hope the food will help them. It just goes to show that even if your dogs are healthy, these health screens are so important. We caught this before it became a major problem, thank goodness.

My Brody had a bladder stone, and then he was on rx food I think it was ud food by hills, never had any more crystals, so it does work to break up the crystal before they form stones. Thank god you caught this in time, before a stone formed. Don't beat yourself up you are a great mommy.I can't imagined Louie peeing in a cup But I will say our vet told us no treats, just that rx diet, so I would make sure. Good Luck!

[Schooby]

Originally Posted by Ellie May

Oh my! The iPad incorrectly spelled checked for me before. Struvite crystals are almost always caused by infection. Antibiotics and cultures for both dogs (JMO). Because they both have them, I would have to wonder about diet. I would drop the newer foods and do what the vet is saying. Rx foods need to be fed exclusively for best results, so no treats unless they are vet approved and no edible chews/bones.

Thanks for the info, I'll take all I can get! The vet never mentioned anything about doing any more tests or antibiotics. He really seemed to think diet. He's not a fan of the newer foods, and I do see his point of view. When we were talking about what rx food to put them on, he mentioned Hills, and I asked about Royal Canin. He said he was going to recommend that and he likes it better, so that is what we will be getting. It's Royal Canin Urinary SO. Now, this isn't a long term diet, correct? It's just until the problem is solved and then we will have to choose another food that will help prevent this from happening again? I figured we would talk about it after they get retested in 6 weeks and we hopefully have good news. When I pick up the food I will ask about any treats or if they can't have anything. They don't get many, maybe 2 Gerber puffs a day, a fruitable, 2 green beans with dinner, and a pinch of cocotherapy chips before bed. You think no more bullies for now too? That will be hardest on us lol

Originally Posted by 111lily222

My Brody had a bladder stone, and then he was on rx food I think it was ud food by hills, never had any more crystals, so it does work to break up the crystal before they form stones. Thank god you caught this in time, before a stone formed. Don't beat yourself up you are a great mommy.I can't imagined Louie peeing in a cup But I will say our vet told us no treats, just that rx diet, so I would make sure. Good Luck!

Thank you Dee Was he on the UD food for a long time? I will find out for sure from the vet when I pick up the food. My dad's dog recently had bladder stones, so bad that they had to do surgery. He is on an rx food too, but I can't remember which one. I thought he got them from eating crappy Beneful and treats. He is still having a problem with them, and my wonderful (I'm being sarcastic) parents say they just can't keep "putting money into this dog", so they will get rid of him if it keeps up. I'm so glad I am not like my parents

[111lily222]

Brody had surgery for a bladder stone when he was 7 yrs old. After surgery he was put on the rx diet for the rest of his life. The vet said if Brody went off the food, most likely he would have crystals again, and then they would form into stones. The food is what breaks the crystals up before forming stones.So we kept him on the food, no treats, just that rx food and never had another problem. We bought the big bag of dry kibble from the vet, I think it was 30.00 dollars, it would last a couple months atleast.Also, bought a few can of wet to mix with it.