homemade diet for dog with struvite crystals

Homemade Dog Food For Struvite Bladder Stones

Key Takeaways

• Struvite bladder stones are the most common type of bladder stone in dogs, and are contracted from a bacterial infection of the bladder via the urethra.
• Unlike other types of bladder stone, struvite bladder stones are not primarily caused by diet. But restricting your dogs diet could help dissolve the stones and relieve your dog of the condition.
• Homemade dog food for struvite bladder stones can be a bit resource-intensive because of the nature of the condition, but its well worth it if youre set on a natural remedy for this illness.

Dogs can develop many of the health problems that humans have, includingkidneyor bladder stones. Just like with us, struvite bladder stones in particular are quite common in canines. Bladder stones generally form from minerals that build up in the bladder and resemble small rocks. Struvite stones specifically develop due to a buildup of magnesium ammonium phosphate hexahydrate as a reaction to an upper urinary tract infection.

Such infections are caused by bacteria that secrete ammonia, which combine with the magnesium and phosphorus in the urine, as well as calcium carbon-apatite, to form struvite crystals and subsequently turn your dogs urine alkaline. Canine urine is normally acidic, so any struvite that forms usually dissolves. However, if the concentration of struvite is higher than normal or if the urine turns alkaline struvite bladder stones may form. Factors that may contribute to urine turning alkaline include:

• Bladder infections
• Kidney disease
• Antacids or diuretics used long-term

Transitioning your pup to homemade food instead of commercial dog food can help to prevent struvite bladder stones from forming in your dogs bladder. My tried and tested homemade dog food for struvite bladder stones is just the recipe for that task. Alternatively, try out one of the best fresh dog food brands if youre too busy to cook your own dog food.

A Quick Rundown on Struvite Bladder Stones

Bladder stones are known to be a somewhat common problem among canines, with struvite bladder stones being the most common variety.

Symptoms

• Constantly urinating
• Difficulty urinating
• Frequently thirsty
• Weird urination pattern (when urinating, your dog might only release a few drops to start, and after a few seconds it may increase to several drops to a stream)
• Poor bladder control
• Cloudy urine
• Blood in urine

Causes

As stated above, struvite stones develop because of bacterial infection. Bacteria in the bladder produce urease, an enzyme that fosters the rapid reproduction of bacteria. Urease reacts with the urea in the urine, producing an excess of ammonia, which is the reason why the urine becomes alkaline. As weve discussed, alkaline urine does not dissolve struvite crystals well, enabling the development of struvite stones.

Struvite stones tend to be more common in female dogs, likely because their urethra is wider and shorter, making it easier for bacteria to get to the bladder from there.

The main cause for infections are unsanitary environment, swimming or traveling through filthy areas, or even poor hygiene that enables anal bacteria to travel to the urethra.

Lack of hydration is also a key factor in causing struvite bladder stones. If this is your main issue, I find that a small amount ofadded saltin food encourages dogs to drink more water. Remember that canned food provides more fluid than dry kibble, but nothing beats actual homemade dog food recipes, or products from acclaimed fresh dog food brands.

What Kind of Diet is Best To Treat My Dogs Bladder Stones?

According to VCA Animal Hospitals, a diet thats low in protein, magnesium, and phosphorus may reduce the risk of struvite bladder stones in dogs [1]. The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) recommends one gram of protein per one pound of a dogs body weight each day. Always remember to give your dog plenty of water to encourage urination to help them dissolve and/or pass the crystals, too.

The most typical recipes for struvite bladder stones in dogs are low in magnesium, phosphorous, and protein. The ideal struvite bladder stone recipe is formulated to promote more acidic urine that can assist in dissolving the bladder stones your pup already has and help to prevent new struvite stones from forming.

My Best Veterinarian Approved Recipe For Struvite Bladder Stones

As Ive shown in all my other homemade dog food recipes, you can easily create healthy,homemade foodto improve your pups health conditions just by using fresh meats, vegetables, and fruits. This struvite bladder stones recipe is no different. Created with the help of my friend Michael Stavin, DVM, this has helped relieve one of my dogs of a particularly nasty bout of struvite stone symptoms, and prevented recurring struvite stones from appearing since. It has since helped many of my friends dogs, and eventually, I hope it will help any of your dogs suffering from this condition as well.

Ingredients:

• 2/3 of a cup of 25 percent fat ground beef
• 3 cups of white rice, long-grain
• 2 teaspoons of canola oil
• 1/4 teaspoon of potassium chloride
• 1 1/4 teaspoon of bone meal powder
• 3/4 of a teaspoon of salt, iodized
• One vitamin and mineral supplement for children
• 50 milligrams of zinc

Instructions

Cook the rice according to the directions on the packaging. While thats cooking, brown the ground beef over low heat in a skillet. Afterwards, mix all the ingredients together in a mixing bowl. The recipe provides approximately 1095 kilocalories about the daily requirement of a 45 lb neutered dog.

As always, remember to consult with your vet in case you need to make any adjustments to the recipe based on factors such as:

• Activity level
• Age
• Breed
• Current health
• Environment
• Medical history

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What can I feed a dog with struvite stones?

Foods that have lower oxalate levels include peeled apples without the core or seeds, fish, meats, and wild rice. Struvite crystals often form as a result of a urinary tract infections(UTI)that will require veterinary treatment. However, low oxalate foods can help to dissolve them.

2. What foods should dogs with struvite crystals avoid?

You should avoid feeding your dog foods made with grains including corn, brown rice, and wheat as they are all high in oxalate. Grains create alkaline urine in dogs that make them more susceptible to developing struvite stones. An alkaline ph is necessary for struvite stones to form and cant form in acidic urine. Additional foods to avoid include:

• Alfalfa
• Bananas
• Beans
• Broccoli
• Cabbage
• Honey
• Millet
• Potatoes
• Pumpkin
• Squash

Vinegar thats not distilled like organic apple cider vinegar found in some foods, should also be avoided.

3. What can I feed a dog with bladder crystals?

The answer largely depends on what type of bladder stone youre dealing with. Only three types have been documented to respond well to dissolution via dietary regimen: purine stones, cystine stones, and struvite stones. For the first two, a protein-restricted diet that promotes alkaline urine pH is required. For struvite stones, veterinarians advise foods high in fat, although this might increase the likelihood of pancreatitis. In general as with humans, high sodium is to be avoided.

4. Is canned pumpkin good for dogs with bladder stones?

Addingcanned pumpkincan soothe the digestive system when a dog has an upset from bladder stones or even an upset stomach. The most important point is that you should only feed your dog 100 percent plain pumpkin. You should never use pumpkin pie filling since it contains additional ingredients that are harmful to dogs.

Best Diet for Struvite Crystals in Dogs

Here at My Pet Nutritionist, we dont like to leave any stone unturned pun not intended! When it comes to a diagnosis of bladder stones/crystals, it can feel like youre embarking on a never ending journey. You will find lots of information on each type of bladder stone found in dogs, but this blog post focusses on Struvite Stones.

What are Struvite Crystals/Stones?

Struvite Crystals are the most common type of crystal found in dogs, and when combined with Urease, a bacteria-produced enzyme, struvite stones are formed. Struvite crystals being present in the urine by themselves, arent much of a worry, however when they are combined with the aforementioned Urease, struvite stones do become a problem, and require treatment.

Struvite stones also develop as a result of infection by other bacteria types including Proteus, and Staphylococci strains.

There are two other names you may see for Struvite Stones, and these are due to their chemical make up; these are:

• Magnesium-ammonium-phosphate
• Triple phosphate

Female dogs are more at risk of developing struvite stones, with a staggering 85% of cases being seen in female dogs! Dogs with recurring UTIs (urinary tract infections) are also among the most likely to develop struvite stones.

Symptoms of Struvite Stones

A range of different symptoms may occur if your dog develops struvite stones, including:

• Blood in urine
• downward dog position indicating stomach pain
• Frequent urination
• Urinary incontinence/urinating in unusual places
• Difficulty urinating
• Regular licking of the genitals
• Increased thirst
• Nausea

Findings Here

How Do They Form?

Struvite Stones thrive in an alkaline environment. When looking at the pH of your dogs urine using a pH test strip, alkaline urine will show as a blue or purple tone. The healthy range of canine urine is between 6.5 and 7, which is neutral, or very slightly acidic. Anything above pH7 is alkaline.

When the body undergoes bacterial infection in the bladder, ammonia is produced, which in turn causes the pH to become more alkaline, allowing the formation of struvite stones to occur.

Findings Here

Diagnosis of Struvite Stones

The easiest way to diagnose struvite stones in dogs, is via X-Ray, however sometimes this isnt possible due to other parts of the body getting in the way of a clear image. X-Rays use radiowaves, and produce Radiographs (hence those who take the images are known as radiographers!). Struvite stones are radiodense, which means they would show up very easily in X-Rays.

In cases where X-Rays are not possible, the veterinarian may use ultrasound on the bladder area. Before scans, the veterinarian may give a coloured liquid to the dog which dyes the stones, making them more visible.

The accompanying step to working out the type of stone present, is through urinalysis. Urine samples are needed to find out if any bacteria or crystals are present this can help determine the type of stone, since bladder stones arent very easy to tell apart through imaging alone. If a sample of a stone is taken, this can be analysed by a veterinary laboratory for an official diagnosis of stone type.

Findings Here

What Can the Vet Do?

Much like the removal of another type of bladder stone, the Cysteine Stone, the vet may suggest surgical removal. The surgical procedure is called a Ureteroscopy, during which a very small instrument is passed through the bladder and up the Ureter, pushing the stone out in the process.

Alternatively, the pet may be opened up, and large stones causing blockages will be removed by hand.

For a non-surgical, less invasive approach, the vet may recommend a procedure known as a urohyrdopropulsion.

This procedure is usually most successful on medium to large dogs, and involves two catheters being placed in the dog; one up the urethra, and the other in the urethral lumen. A finger is inserted into the rectum to push against the urethra, causing a build up of pressure and a tight seal. Once a tight seal is made, saline water is flushed through the catheters, and the bladder is palpated, flushing the small stones out.

Although this method requires anaesthesia, it is preferred for smaller stones as it is much less invasive than surgery.

Findings Here

Your veterinarian may suggest a diet change too however they may wish to sell you a prescription dry food diet. This is where fresh feeding is paramount, as dry foods have a low meat content, and low moisture both of which are essential in abundance for a dog with bladder stones! Lets take a look at diet, and supplements to help prevent Struvite Stones.

Supporting the Body, and Preventing Struvite Stones

When it comes to supporting the body with the aim to reduce the risk of recurring Struvite Stones, we need to look at the diet, as well as suitable supplementation.

Diet

Dogs with any bladder stones, require a high moisture diet! Fresh feeding, whether thats raw or gently cooked, allows for meals to be suitably high in moisture. You may even wish to float the food meaning you add extra water to it.

The other benefit of providing a fresh diet, is the high meat content. Feeding a predominantly meat based diet is essential for those suffering from Struvite Stones as meat naturally encourages a more acidic environment in the bladder.

Some ingredients to consider including in your dogs diet, to promote an acidic environment include:

• Chicken
• Pork
• Beef
• Eggs
• Fish
• Venison

Meanwhile, its best to avoid more alkaline food like:

• Broccoli
• Carrot
• Cucumber
• Pumpkin
• Kale
• Sweet potato
• Apple
• Banana
• Cabbage
• Pumpkin

We have two recipes balanced to FEDIAF, which are ideal for those with struvite stones

Low Fat Fish

and

Low Fat Venison

.

Supplements

A number of supplements can be very useful in the combatting of Struvite Stones.

• Gut Health supplements are one of the most important ones to give, as with almost any condition, a healthy gut microbiome helps. When urea is excreted into the gut passage, it is broken down by the bacterial colonies in the gut. If these are unbalanced, excess urea is not going to be broken down sufficiently, creating the alkaline environment we are trying to avoid. Our Gut Guardian supplement contains mucilage herbs for gut healing, as well as soil based probiotics for a healthy microbiome. You can read more about the association between the gut and urinary tract health in our blog here.
• Apple Cider Vinegar (the the mother) may help acidify the urinary tract, as well as having fantastic anti-microbial properties.
• Cranberry Extract is high in proanthocyanidins, which have been proven to reduce bacteria which may contribute to the formation of Struvite Stones from crystals.
• Methionine is a fantastic acidifier. It is an amino acid which is heavily involved in acidification of the urinary tract.
• N-Acetyl Glucosamine is thought to reduce inflammation in the urinary tract, ultimately supporting bladder health.
• Some herbs are also thought to aid the prevention of struvite stones, including nettle, plantain leaf, and cleavers. These are great for general urinary/bladder health.

Findings HereFindings HereFindings HereFindings HereFindings HereWe hope this blog post has cleared up a potentially misty path for you, should your dog have been diagnosed with Struvite Stones. If your dog has recurring Struvite Stones, please dont hesitate to book in with one of our team!Team MPN x