Special Diet For Struvite Crystals

[rum]

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Hi,

I posted last week as my 3 year whippet, Izzy, had been weeing and drinking excessively. After a trip to the vets , she had blood and urine sent off to the labs and it has come back that she has these Struvite Cystals.

She has to go back in tomorrow for an x-ray as the vet wants to see if any stones have formed in her bladder. She has said that Izzy will be put on long term anti-biotics to fight off infection and also a diet change to help dissolve the crystals and/or stones.

Has anyone else's dogs had this and if so how have they got on? What diets do you have them on?

Ta

 

[Louise_Simon]

My greyhound had this problem the vet prescribed feeding her Hills canine C/D tinned food, if you live anywhere near Gloucester I have 8 tins going spare.

Sorry I cant remember what else we were told to do

She didn't have anymore episodes after putting her on this diet

 

[rum]

Hi,

No sorry live in Hampshire but thanks for the thought. Is she still on a special diet or did she eventually go back to original one?

 

[Louise_Simon]

Unfortunatly we lost her in June but that was due to old age

But I think the diet was going to be for life, she was fed a dried food before with extras :b

 

[rum]

Oh I am sorry to hear that.

Izzy is on a dried food at the mo but loves tinned foor so she would be in seventh heaven if that were for the rest of her life.

Thanks you for your help

 

[Strike Whippets]

The vets will have special diets to help break down the crystals ...... I have heard that once the crystals have broken down then butchers tripe is ok to feed :thumbsup:

 

[Louise_Simon]

Thats got to be good as the Hills C/D is a bit pricey :thumbsup:

 

[NickyVN]

The best diet that we find is Royal Canin urinary diet, which comes in dry or tinned. Hills CD does contain quite a lot of fat so can make them put weight on. It is owever dependant on which diets your vets stock as some only stock 1 type, you can get them off the net though if there is another brand you want. I know eukanuba and purina also do urinary diets.

I would just be careful - if the struvite crytsals were diagnosed by an outside lab it may be a false negative. Crystals form in any urine that is left to stand so the test really needs to be performed inhouse on a fresh sample, and only interpreted in conjunction with a pH reading that would indicate a problem. Most vets should have a microscope to look at the urine fresh. Crystals can form secondary to infection as the infection alters the pH of the urine, they can sometimes be stubborn so can take extened courses of antibiotics - a culture of the urine is the best way to establish this. An xray will show if she has any stones present but if they are made up of struvite they will dissolve on the correct diet - other types have to be surgically removed. If she does go on a diet it will need to be the only thing she eats - no treats etc. Hope this helps.