Momo has Struvite Crystals

[MandiesMom]

So happy to read that Momo doesn't have an infection. Praying the diet will clear this up!

[mimimomo]

Originally Posted by BabyGirl Rosie

Honestly, I put sweet potatoes in a crock pot and bake the chicken. Easy easy. I mix up two weeks worth and freeze it. Even if you burn toast you can do this! . Cathy has been a great resource for me. I am so glad you contacted her!

It does sound easy & yummy...but actually doing it is the problem loll! After we see how the Hill's C/D goes, I'll ask my vet if home cooking would be ok for him. Thank you!

Originally Posted by salazark

I can't remember the name of the long term food, but it was another Science Diet prescription food - the one for urinary health. The SD was a short term food for dissolving the crystals. All of mine used to be on raw but because Sadie is a therapy dog through Pet Partners (formerly Delta) all of them had to go off raw. The problem started a few months after going back on kibble but I'm not sure if it's related or not. Before raw they were on Orijen and that's what they are on now. I didn't want to have to feed her a different food than the others unless it becomes necessary. So far so good, but if the crystals come back, I'll probably make the permanent switch for her.

I agree - I'd feel better knowing exactly what you are dealing with. Sadie has also had an ultrasound to be sure that none of the crystals had formed stones. Luckily they hadn't.

From what I've read, infections can lead to stones, so I don't think we need to have an ultrasound done but will ask the vet on his next check up. Thank You!

Originally Posted by 107barney

I have old threads on this - I battled struvites in teddy for a while and spent a fortune on internal medicine, imaging and nutrition. At the end of the day the recommendation was to liquefy the diet. My vets were against cranberry juice or acidifying agents as they can cause oxalate crystals/stones. So we added defatted chicken broth and water. It worked.

Cathy, I have so many questions for you! Did Teddy have an infection or just the s.crystals? Did it ever come back? What kind/brand was the defatted chicken broth? All the grocery store chicken broth has some sort of onion in it...I have the low sodium, no fat w/onion juice concentrate. Is that ok to give since onions are a no no? Do I give it straight or dilute it w/filtered water? Do I have to boil it or just give it to him?

Thanks for the tip about cranberry juice & acidifying agents.

[mimimomo]

Originally Posted by GuinnessStout

Same brand just different flavor... His fav and not ours because of the lovely puppy smells

Ingredients:
Salmon, ocean fish meal, sweet potatoes, potatoes, canola oil, salmon meal, smoked salmon, potato fiber, natural flavor, salt, choline chloride, dried chicory root, tomatoes, blueberries, raspberries, yucca schidigera extract, dried Enterococcus faecium fermentation product, dried Lactobacillus acidophilus fermentation product, dried Lactobacillus casei fermentation product, dried Lactobacillus plantarum fermentation product, dried Trichoderma longibrachiatum fermentation extract, vitamin E supplement, iron proteinate, zinc proteinate, copper proteinate, ferrous sulfate, zinc sulfate, copper sulfate, potassium iodide, thiamine mononitrate (vitamin B1), manganese proteinate, manganous oxide, ascorbic acid, vitamin A supplement, biotin, niacin, calcium pantothenate, manganese sulfate, sodium selenite, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), vitamin B12 supplement, riboflavin (vitamin B2), vitamin D supplement, folic acid.

Fish formulas have more sodium, so maybe he's drinking more water & it helped clear it up...I'm wondering if we should get Canine Caviar in the fish formula later. Thank You!

Originally Posted by Maximo

Yay! I am happy to read the great news and I hope the food will fix those crystals quickly.

Have fun picking out your toy, Momo!

I'm such a dork, I didn't realise that we need a prescription from the vet to buy the prescription food from Petsmart loll & I didn't know Hill's was Science Diet! But the receptionist was very nice & she gave us a temp pass to get some. Momo picked out the tiny 2" JW baseball in the blue color. Thank you Kristin!

Originally Posted by Nancy1999

Just wanted to tell you I'm sorry, and hope you find a diet that works, glad Momo doesn't have an infection!

Thank you Nancy! He's going to try the prescription food in about an hr, I need to mix in the clindacure...he eats anything & everything!

[mimimomo]

Originally Posted by DvlshAngel985

Kaji has this too. Will Momo eat lettuce? Iceberg lettuce is mostly water. Kaji is not a good water drinker but he loves lettuce.

Thank you for the tip! He loves veggies, loves any kind of food, he's not picky...When I eat salad, he'll munch on some lettuce & carrots. Mimi spits it out & he'll eat it loll. Did it ever reoccur for Kaji & what is he eating?

Originally Posted by MandiesMom

So happy to read that Momo doesn't have an infection. Praying the diet will clear this up!

Thank you very much!

[DvlshAngel985]

Originally Posted by mimimomo

Thank you for the tip! He loves veggies, loves any kind of food, he's not picky...When I eat salad, he'll munch on some lettuce & carrots. Mimi spits it out & he'll eat it loll. Did it ever reoccur for Kaji & what is he eating?


Thank you very much!

It did once, but that was before I started giving him lettuce every chance I had. He hasn't had a recurrence in about a year, maybe a little more. He'll be having a checkup again next month.

[Schooby]

My boys had struvite crystals this year too. We found out through a routine health screen. We had them on Royal Canin Urinary SO dry and canned for a couple months, and they went away. I about cried when I opened the food and read the ingredients, since I only gave them high quality food and treats. It did help though, and they were able to go back to their good food after the crystals were gone. We got the food through the vets office, but Petsmart sells it too. It was a lot cheaper through my vet though.

[mimimomo]

Originally Posted by DvlshAngel985

It did once, but that was before I started giving him lettuce every chance I had. He hasn't had a recurrence in about a year, maybe a little more. He'll be having a checkup again next month.

Hope Kaji's check up will go smoothly, keep us posted!

Originally Posted by Schooby

My boys had struvite crystals this year too. We found out through a routine health screen. We had them on Royal Canin Urinary SO dry and canned for a couple months, and they went away. I about cried when I opened the food and read the ingredients, since I only gave them high quality food and treats. It did help though, and they were able to go back to their good food after the crystals were gone. We got the food through the vets office, but Petsmart sells it too. It was a lot cheaper through my vet though.

Wow, so it took a couple of months? It seems so common...this struvite crystal...I wonder if it's caused by a certain kind of food? My vet mentioned to feed low ash protein (not sure on this, need to double check). I study the ingredients like you but I also need to pay more attention to the guaranteed analysis from now on.
Hope your guys stay crystal free!

[mimimomo]

The Honest Kitchen emailed me back & here is their response...I LOVE this company!

Hi Jenny,

Thank you for your inquiry. I’m sorry to hear of your Yorkie’s issue with struvites. These occur in a pH that is too high. A diet that contains more meat and less grains is helpful for some. Some dogs/breeds are genetically predisposed to creating crystals unfortunately, but diet can help to prevent them, too.
The pH of our foods ranges between 5.8-6.4 with a resulting urine output averaging between 6.1-6.8. This is just below neutral or slightly acidic, right where it should be. You can test your dogs’ urine at home with pH test strips that you can buy online.
Our Thrive and Embark offer a higher overall percentage of meat than other recipes, but you may also add in a bit of extra meat or try a urinary acidifier such as Solid Gold’s Berry Balance or the like. The following articles may be of help to you:

The Power of pH: Dog & Cat Urinary Tract Health | The Honest Kitchen

Using Diet and Natural Remedies for Urinary Tract Problems in Pets | The Honest Kitchen

I hope this helps. If you have any other questions, please let me know.

Happy New Year!

Katherine "Kat" Pennick
love and understanding
the honest kitchen customer care

145 14th street | san diego | ca 92101
d 619.544.0018 x313 / f 619.544.0370
toll free 866.437.9729
www.thehonestkitchen.com
The Honest Kitchen's nutritional products are not intended to diagnose, cure or prevent disease. Our web site, email communications and other correspondence are for informational purposes only and do not replace the expert care and advice provided by your veterinarian. Dietary and other healthcare changes should be made under the guidance of your vet, particularly when underlying health conditions exist.

[mimimomo]

I did end up buying the pH strips (no supplements) & Momo's urine pH went down to 6-6.5, where it should be. He has a recheck today @ 3.30pm, so hoping the struvite crystals are gone. He's been eating only the canned Hill's C/D enthusiastically & I think he's even gained a few ounces. Which is wonderful bc he's been losing weight even tho he's been eating well & always seemed hungry.
This whole kidney thing is still so new to me & I am hoping to learn more about it. It's overwhelming @ times when I don't understand what I'm reading or can't comprehend what the vet is saying...it's not a language barrier, I just need to find that one thing where it will just click in my mind. For now, I'm lost.

[Patti]

I hope Momo's test results are good today!

[_Chrissy_]

Good to hear Momo is doing better

Just a thought if water intake needs increased... My vet loves the Drinkwell fountain and recommends them. Her dogs use them she says. My cat loves hers and Mickey loves to drink from it too!

[mimimomo]

Momo still has struvite crystals. He's getting plenty of water & he's been on the canned Hill's C/D for over a month...vet thinks there could be an infection & prescribed clavamox. I asked her why she didn't do a culture & she said she didn't see any bacteria. Of course I forget to ask her to do a culture on the recheck. I need to change vet hospitals, Momo has been going there since he was a puppy, but they seem so incompetent in this situation & I feel like I've wasted so much time & $...& my poor baby has an infection maybe (this isn't even verified but a guess or process of elimination!). To make matters worse, Princess also has struvite crystals (a lot of them) & the other vet in the same hospital didn't do a culture (again, I forgot to request it, but I called when I got home & the receptionist said he'll do the culture if he sees any bacteria). Is this the procedure? So I picked up antibiotics for both of them today.

Now after this round of antibiotics, should I do the recheck somewhere else? Please advise, I am so lost & having memory problems.

[_Chrissy_]

2 of your pups have them at the same time? Does the vet know this since you are seeing 2 different vets in same office? That is really strange 2 have the crystals at the same time.
I don't have any knowledge about this but it does not seem right 2 have it. Is it the food you wee/are feeding? I'm sure someone more knowledgeable will be around this post soon.
I know my vet would have done cultures.

[mimimomo]

Originally Posted by _Chrissy_

2 of your pups have them at the same time? Does the vet know this since you are seeing 2 different vets in same office? That is really strange 2 have the crystals at the same time.
I don't have any knowledge about this but it does not seem right 2 have it. Is it the food you wee/are feeding? I'm sure someone more knowledgeable will be around this post soon.
I know my vet would have done cultures.

Yes, both of them has the same struvite crystals! Princess has a lot of it. My reg vet saw me w/Momo & asked how we're doing. He's so nice & caring, but I think we need to go somewhere else...it seems outdated here & IDK why she (the other vet) didn't do a culture & sensitivity when she saw that Momo still had the s/crystals after a month of being on the prescription food...also when I asked her why she didn't do it last time. But I can't blame her bc I'm the one that didn't request it bc I forgot.

I'm reading conflicting info about food causing s.crystals, but have also read that prescription food doesn't help either.
http://dogaware.com/articles/wdjstruvites.html
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.

[_Chrissy_]

Originally Posted by mimimomo

Yes, both of them has the same struvite crystals! Princess has a lot of it. My reg vet saw me w/Momo & asked how we're doing. He's so nice & caring, but I think we need to go somewhere else...it seems outdated here & IDK why she (the other vet) didn't do a culture & sensitivity when she saw that Momo still had the s/crystals after a month of being on the prescription food...also when I asked her why she didn't do it last time. But I can't blame her bc I'm the one that didn't request it bc I forgot.

I'm reading conflicting info about food causing s.crystals, but have also read that prescription food doesn't help either.
http://dogaware.com/articles/wdjstruvites.html
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.

Don't blame yourself! She is the Vet and that is why you pay her. They should have done a culture. You should not have to ask them to or why they did not. Really I think any other vet would have done a culture.

What food are you feeding? Is it food related or bacteria/viral? How did they get them?
Did the vets say anything about how both Princess & Momo could have them at the same time?