Mary Beth,I'm sorry to hear that your Chi is struggling with
kindey/bladder stones. How old is your Chi? Is he/she a male or female?
There are several factors that can cause stones. Some of the most common
are:
* Urine pH. pH is an indicator of acidity level. It can be measured
via hydrogen ion concentration. a pH of 7 is neutral, below 7 is acidic
and above 7 is alkaline. Generally, dogs tend to have slightly acidic
urine around 6 - 6.5. Unfortunately, calcium oxalate stones have a
propensity to form in acidic to neutral urine. Urine pH needs to be
measure immediately upon voiding from the bladder for it to be accurate.
Hopefully, your vet checked this while assessing your Chi's symptoms. If
the pH was low then you can reduce the acidity of your Chi's diet to
reduce the likelyhood of stone formation. The addition of 1 tablespoon
of sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) or better yet, potassium bicarbonate
per liter of water to your Chi's water and/or food may help.
* Bacterial infection. The vet should have cultured the inside of one
of the stones to determine if bacteria is the cause, since urine is
supposed to be sterile. If the vet neglected to perform this step, then
I'd recommend looking for another vet. You can still have a culture
performed of your Chi's urine without the stones, but it must be
performed against a fresh sample of urine, because bacteria will invade
it very quickly once it leaves the body. If the culture is positive,
then the vet can test several antibiotics on it to see which is most
effective. and treat the Chi with that antibiotic.
* Dehydration. Insufficient liquid intake can result in a higher
concentration of minerals in the urine. This can result in more frequent
occurance of stones. Encourage your Chi to drink lots of water.
* Infrequent urination. The longer the urine stays in the bladder,
the more likely the minerals can condense and crystalize to form stones.
Try to encourage your Chi to urinate 6 or more times a day if he/she is
prone to stones.
* Hard water. If you liive near the beach or other lowland areas,
then your tap water is likely hard, meaning that it has a higher mineral
content than normal. You can use a water filter to reduce the mineral
content of the water, or even buy distilled water to eliminate all
mineral content, if your Chi has ongoing struggles with stones. Avoid
spring water, however, since it can also be high in mineral content.
* Diet. An imbalance of nutrients or a diet that is too high in
certain minerals or too low in others can increase the likelyhood of
stone formation. This is a very complex topic and there are dozens of
chemical processes that can be involved. in general however, since you
mention that the stones are calcium oxolate, increase the amount of
magnesium, phosphorus, and calcium in the diet. Increasing dietary
magnesium and phosphorus decreases the amount of calcium in the urine,
and increasing dietary calcium reduces absorption of oxalates from the
intestines. Potassium citrate may help prevent calcium oxalate stone
formation because it forms a soluble complex with oxalates and promotes
the formation of alkaline urine. Some people use 1 tablespoon of
potassium citrate combined with a tablespoon of potassium bicarbonate
mentioned above in a 1:1 ratio added per liter of water as a
preventative.
* Genetic factors. There isn't a lot you can do about this, but some
dogs are just predisposed to the formation of stones because of
abnormaltites or genetic mutations. You can ask your breeder if other
owners have reported problems with their Chi's. If it turns out that
your Chi is prone, then I would recommend using most or all of the tips
mentioned above to help minimize the frequency and severity of stone
fomation.
* Disease. Sometimes kidney/bladder stones are symptoms of another
illness. A thorough medical evaluation is recommended to help rule out
other health problems.
* Aging. Some dogs, especially males, become more prone to stone
formation as they age because of changes in hormone levels. In addition
to the preventative measures mentioned above, hormone replacement
therapy may also be a possible solution.
I hope this helps. Please let us know if you discover any other tips
that help.
Gregg Dickson
http://www.ChihuahuaFanatics.com/ <http://www.ChihuahuaFanatics.com/>
--- In [email protected], "farmermarybeth" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
wrote:
>
> Hi, Does anyone have experience with bladder stones? My chi recently
> had stones removed and I am trying to figure out a diet to keep his pH
> level 7.0 - 7.1 and stones from reoccuring.
> Mary Beth
>
