Struvite stones can often be dissolved. The goal is to create more acidic and dilute urine. Canned prescription diets that acidify the urine are ideal, but dry formulations are available for cats who won't eat wet food.
Full Answer
Why is it important to treat struvite stones?
It’s important to treat struvite stones because if they grow large enough, they can damage your kidney and lead to life-threatening infections. Doctors treat these stones with shock wave lithotripsy (SWL) or percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PNL). PNL is the preferred treatment for people with stones that are too large to be broken up by SWL.
What is the best diet for struvite stones?
These diets typically are restricted in protein, phosphorus and magnesium and are formulated to promote formation of acidic urine (with a pH less than 6.5). This formulation helps dissolve struvite stones that are already present in the urine, and prevents formation of further stones.
What are the treatment options for struvite bladder stones?
There are three primary treatment strategies for struvite bladder stones: 1) feeding a special diet to dissolve the stone (s), 2) non-surgical removal by urohydropropulsion and 3) surgical removal. Feeding a special diet.
What percentage of kidney stones are struvite?
About 10 to 15 percent of all kidney stones are made from struvite. This type of stone is than in men.
How do you treat struvite stones?
Since struvite stones are caused by bacteria, doctors may use a mixture of antibiotics and surgery to remove the stones and kill the bacteria creating them. Surgical methods include shock wave lithotripsy (SWL) or percutaneous nephrolithotomy or nephrolithotripsy.
What foods should be avoided with struvite stones?
To decrease the chances of your dog developing bladder stones, or having them return once dissolved, you should avoid feeding foods that contain high levels of oxalate such as spinach, sweet potatoes, organ meat and brown rice.
What is the dietary treatment of renal stones?
eat a calcium-rich food at each meal, at least three times a day. limit your intake of animal protein. eat less salt, added sugar, and products containing high fructose corn syrup. avoid foods and drinks high in oxalates and phosphates.
What dietary factors can contribute to the development of kidney stones?
Background In older women and men, greater intakes of dietary calcium, potassium, and total fluid reduce the risk of kidney stone formation, while supplemental calcium, sodium, animal protein, and sucrose may increase the risk. Recently, phytate has been suggested to play a role in stone formation.
How do you prevent struvite crystals?
How can struvite stones be prevented? To prevent future struvite stones, your doctor may prescribe certain medicines. Acetohydroxamic acid (AHA) is used to stop the bacteria from making ammonia, which can cause struvite stones to grow. You might also be given antibiotics for a while after a stone is removed.
What cause struvite stones?
Bacteria in your urinary tract produce struvite when they break down the waste product urea into ammonia. For struvite to be produced, your urine needs to be alkaline. Having a urinary tract infection can make your urine alkaline. Struvite stones often form in women who have a urinary tract infection.
What are oxalates good for?
What is oxalate? Oxalate is a naturally occurring molecule found in abundance in plants and humans. It's not a required nutrient for people, and too much can lead to kidney stones. In plants, oxalate helps to get rid of extra calcium by binding with it.
What foods reduce protein in urine?
Renal Diet - If you are diagnosed with Proteinuria, you may be advised to follow a "renal diet". This includes foods that are low in sodium, potassium, magnesium and protein....Some specific examples include:Oranges and orange juice.Leafy green vegetables, such as spinach and greens (collard and kale)Potatoes.
Does diet impact kidney stones?
While there are many factors that contribute to kidney stones, they're usually within your control. Eating the right diet is one of the most reliable ways to prevent kidney stones. Kidney stones can be painful, but an experienced and caring medical team can help you manage them and prevent future incidents.
Which type of diet may increase the risk for gout kidney stones and osteoporosis?
Low-calcium diets may increase your kidney stone risk and your risk of osteoporosis. Calcium supplements, however, may increase your risk of stones. Taking calcium supplements with a meal may help reduce that risk.
How can you reduce the risk of kidney stones?
The best way to prevent kidney stones is to make sure you drink plenty of water each day to avoid becoming dehydrated. To prevent stones returning, you should aim to drink up to 3 litres (5.2 pints) of fluid throughout the day, every day. You're advised to: drink water, but drinks like tea and coffee also count.
How to prevent struvite stones?
To prevent future struvite stones, your doctor may prescribe certain medicines. Acetohydroxamic acid (AHA) is used to stop the bacteria from making ammonia, which can cause struvite stones to grow. You might also be given antibiotics for a while after a stone is removed. This may help prevent future UTIs, which can lead to stones.
What causes a struvite stone?
Struvite stones are caused by an upper urinary tract infection (UTI) from bacteria. Ammonia produced as a waste product by the bacteria can make the urine less acidic (or more alkaline). Struvite stones form when the urine becomes more alkaline. The main chemicals in a struvite stone include struvite (magnesium ammonium phosphate) ...
How to diagnose kidney stones?
Diagnosis of a kidney stone starts with a medical history, physical examination, imaging tests, urine and blood testing, and stone analysis. Blood and urine can be tested for abnormal levels of certain chemicals. You may be asked to collect your urine for 24 hours to test for uric acid or other chemicals.
What is the best test to find a stone?
Imaging tests can be used to locate stones in the body. Ultrasound uses a device to bounce safe, painless sound waves off organs and create an image of their structure. Many healthcare professionals feel that this is the best screening test to find stones.
Where do stones go after they form?
After formation, the stone may stay in the kidney or travel down the urinary tract into the ureter. Stones that don't move may cause significant pain, urinary outflow obstruction, infection, or other health problems.
Can a stone cause back pain?
However, a stone that is too large to pass through may cause significant pain, back-up of urine, and other health problems. Speak with a healthcare professional if you feel any of these symptoms: Severe pain on either side of your lower back. Nausea or vomiting. Fever and chills.
Can a struvite stone be removed?
However, in the case with struvite stones, passage of the stone is rare. In many cases, the stone is too large to pass through, and surgical procedures are needed to break down larger stones or remove them. A ureteroscopy uses a small scope to remove the stone.
Why is it important to diet for pets with no stone?
For pets with no obvious cause for stone formation, diet can play an important part in reducing the risk of future stones.
Why do veterinarians need to do tests to determine what type of stone is present?
Your veterinarian will need to do tests to figure out what type of stone or crystal is present because that will affect how it is treated (and how you can reduce the risk for having them happen again). In some cases, stones must be surgically removed both to treat them and to determine the exact type of stone.
Why do dogs have urea stones?
Urate stones are caused by a genetic condition in some dog breeds (e.g. Dalmatians, Jack Russel Terriers, Bulldogs) but are also commonly seen with liver disease, especially in dogs or cats with liver shunts. Urate stones are made from compounds called purines which are present in DNA. Purines are high in meat, organs (like liver and heart), fish and seafood. Urate stones can be dissolved in some pets with a combination of a low purine diet and medication.
What are bladder stones?
Bladder stones ( uroliths) are common problems in both dogs and cats. The most common types of stones are struvite, calcium oxalate, and urate stones. While struvite stones are usually caused by infection in dogs, the rest of the stones are caused by metabolic abnormalities (such as liver disease or high blood calcium), ...
What is therapeutic diet?
A lot of research and science goes into therapeutic diets designed to dissolve existing stones or reduce the risk for formation of new stones. High quality ingredients are carefully chosen to reduce the stone building blocks while still providing good nutrition and taste.
How to dilute urine in dogs?
Diluting the urine by increasing the amount of water the pet drinks (feeding canned food only and/or adding water to both dry and canned food) Reducing the amount of the compounds that make up the stones in the diet.
Can struvite be used for stone prevention?
Most diets designed to dissolve struvite can also be used for stone prevention. Struvite crystals in cat urine, especially in fresh samples, suggests that the cat may be at higher risk for stone development, even if there is no infection present.
How much of a urolith is struvite?
Together, struvite and calcium oxalate uroliths have been found to comprise over 85% of all uroliths. Based on the results of tens of thousands of stone analyses, it has been found that the number of struvite bladder stones has been declining in dogs while the number of calcium oxalate stones has been increasing.
What is a struvite in dogs?
What does that mean? Bladder stones (uroliths or cystic calculi), are rock-like formations of minerals that form in the urinary bladder, and are more common than kidney stones in dogs. One of the more common uroliths in the dog is composed of magnesium ammonium phosphate hexahydrate.
What causes a struvite crystal to form in the bladder?
Under these environmental conditions, struvite crystals will precipitate out of solution and collect around any cells or debris that may have formed in the bladder as a result of inflammation.
How common are struvite stones in dogs?
How common are struvite bladder stones? Bladder stones are somewhat common in dogs, and struvite stones are the most common. In clinical studies, up to 26% of all bladder stones were found to contain struvite. Together, struvite and calcium oxalate uroliths have been found to comprise over 85% of all uroliths.
Why do dogs have struvite stones?
In dogs, struvite bladder stones usually form as a complication of a bladder infection caused by bacteria that produce an enzyme known as urease. This enzyme breaks down the urea that is normally present in the urine causing an excess production of ammonia; this ammonia production then causes the urine to become alkaline.
What is the best way to remove bladder stones?
This option is ultrasonic dissolution, a technique in which high frequency ultrasound waves are used to disrupt or break the stones into tiny particles that can then be flushed out of the bladder. It has the advantage of immediate removal of the offending stones without the need for surgery.
What causes struvite stones?
A number of different factors have been found to contribute to these stones, including the formation of concentrated urine, increased urine pH (alkaline urine), and increased levels of magnesium and phosphorus within the urine.” 2. An underlying cause for the development of struvite crystals is ...
What is struvite crystal?
Struvite crystals are microscopic crystals that are found in the urine of some cats. Struvite specifically is a material that is composed of magnesium, ammonium, and phosphate. Struvite and struvite crystals can be a normal finding in your cat’s urine at a low level but become problematic when the crystals combine to form grit or stones ...
What is the best way to diagnose bladder stones?
Radiographs are the most effective way to diagnose bladder stones, because most bladder stones (including struvites) are visible on radiographs. On radiographs, struvite stones typically look like smooth rocks or pebbles within the bladder. Ultrasound may also be used to visualize bladder stones.
What is a urine culture test?
A urine culture test is a method of identifying the specific bacteria that may be causing a urinary tract infection. It involves placing a urine sample on a special medium, incubating the sample so the bacteria can grow, and then identifying the bacteria.
How to tell if a cat has struvite stones?
Symptoms of struvite stones in cats include: 2. Urinating outside the litterbox. Urinating small amounts of urine. Increased or decreased urination. Frequent trips to the litterbox. Vocalizing and/or straining when urinating. Change in color or odor of urine/ bloody urine. Restlessness.
What to do if my cat has a bladder stone?
If your cat has a urethral obstruction such as a bladder stone, your vet will need to relieve the obstruction quickly. To do this, they will most likely need to sedate or anesthetize your cat and will place a urinary catheter along with managing your cats’ pain and other symptoms.
Can a struvite stone be removed?
Your veterinarian will continue to monitor your cat via rechecks (exams, radiographs, urinalysis, and/or ultrasound) until the stones are completely dissolved. In some cases, struvite stones cannot be dissolved but have to be physically removed through surgery or other procedures.
What is the main ingredient in a struvite diet?
Main Ingredients: Chicken, Water, Rice, Meat by-products, Liver. This therapeutic diet is specially formulated for the treatment of struvite and calcium oxalate stones. It keeps the urine diluted to prevent the mineral deposits that result in crystal growth.
What causes a bladder stone?
Bladder stones are crystals made of mineral deposits. These stones can be a result of urine that is either too acidic or too alkaline. Struvite stones are caused by foods that are high in magnesium and phosphorus. Oxalate stones can be caused by either too much or too little calcium.
What are the different types of bladder stones?
Your veterinarian will need to diagnose your dog to figure out what type of bladder stones your dog has. There are four main types of bladder stones: 1 Struvite 2 Urate 3 Calcium oxalate 4 Cystine
What type of bladder stones do dogs have?
Your veterinarian will need to diagnose your dog to figure out what type of bladder stones your dog has. There are four main types of bladder stones: Struvite.
Is grain free dog food good for dogs with bladder stones?
This limited ingredient diet is grain-free and has no wheat, soy, or corn, which is perfect for dogs with digestive issues. Ease of digestion is always a goal for dogs who have bladder stones. It has just enough fiber to keep the dog’s insides clean without getting rid of too many fluids.
Does dog food affect bladder stones?
The food your dog eats has a direct effect on the acidity of their urine. I’ve put together a list of the best dog foods that, along with the right medication and care, are an ideal treatment of bladder stones. Please bear in mind that these foods are for dogs who have bladder stones.
Does salt help with bladder stones?
What makes it so ideal for treating bladder stones is the salt content. This encourages the dog to drink more water, which helps dilute the stones. On top of that, it is free of any protein that comes from meat, seafood, or poultry, which is what you need to avoid to get rid of bladder stones quickly.