Proper identification and interpretation of dog urine crystals is important in determining a medical strategy for treating the condition.
Dog urine crystals diet.
A large part of therapy for struvite crystals in dogs is the diet.
If you must use processed foods use canned foods which contain large amounts of water rather than dry foods.
As the building blocks for kidney stones renal stones urine crystals can over time join to form small grains that look like sand in the kidneys ureter bladder or urethra.
Timing of sample collection.
For instance a sample taken after a meal may have higher concentrations than a sample taken during fasting.
Test the urine regularly for crystals and once they disappear migrate the dog slowly back onto regular food.
Avoid a diet that is vegetarian or cereal based and likely to cause alkaline urine which promotes struvite crystals.
A diet of highly processed dog food and or foods high in grains and other fillers.
Different types of crystals require different treatment strategies.
Urine crystals and stones aren t always related.
Canine urolithiasis is a condition in which crystals develop in the urine often leading to the formation of bladder stones.
Make homemade food for dogs with chronic bladder stones.
Since urine ph is one of the factors in stone formation changing your dog s diet can help to prevent crystals and stones from reoccurring.
Certain kinds of crystals in cat urine or dog urine may eventually lead to stone formation.
Some stones can be dissolved through diet change while others require surgical removal.
Crystals in dog s urine may be caused by one of the following.
Types of urine crystals in dogs.
In general crystals are found when an abundance of certain compounds are excreted by the kidneys.
When changing the dog s diet mix small quantities of the new food with the dog s regular food gradually increasing until only the new food is given.
According to the whole dog journal crystals in dog s urine are a common finding affecting as much as 40 44 percent of all health pooches.
The cause of crystals in cats and dogs depend on the kind of crystal your veterinarian finds.