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My dog has bladder stones. Can diet dissolve them to avoid surgery?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed Medium (23 - 60lb) | Male | neutered | 12 years and 4 months old | 40 lbs

Our dog may have bladder stones.we cannot afford surgery. I am wondering how can I safely treat the dog with a diet to dissolve stones? Is there A danger a stone may get lodged. What will happen if we do nothing. The dog is not in any apparent pain and is able to urinate at times in a good quantity.. He goes frequently- sometimes a dribble , sometimes blood often holding urinating position for a long time.

4 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

Lauren Jones VMD

Answered By Lauren Jones VMD

Veterinarian

Published on May 22nd, 2017

Poor Jimmy! The main concern in a male dog with bladder stones is that they could become lodged in the urethra, causing a urinary obstruction which is a life-threatening emergency condition. In many cases, this will not occur, but it is a big risk to take. If Jimmy has struvite (magnesium ammonium phosphate) crystals in his urine, odds are good that his bladder stones are also struvites. This type of stone can sometimes be dissolved with a prescription based diet. It can take many months for these stones to dissolve, but the diet change does not dissolve the stones for all dogs. If Jimmy has other forms of crystals in his urine, surgery is the only option.

Surgery is nearly always the best (and only) option for managing bladder stones. I understand your financial concerns, but fortunately there are some resources available to help. Care Credit (carecredit.com) can provide financing options. There are also many non-profit organizations that provide financial assistance for veterinary care (redrover.org, humanesociety.org/animals/resources/tips/trouble_affording_pet.html?credit=web_id91754962, bestfriends.org/resources/financial-aid-pets, lessonsfromaparalyzeddog.com/when-pet-owners-cant-afford-veterinary-bills/, https://getyourpet.com).

I hope this helps!
Vote Icon2Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Related Answers from Veterinarians

  • Answered By Lindsey Edwards MVB, BSc, IVCA

    Veterinarian

    Published on March 6th, 2020

    Poor Peanut! POnce foremd calcium oxalate cannot be dissolved and will require surgical removal to prevent obstruction and reduce pain. Prevention focuses on diluting the urine as far as possible so the crystals and stones are less likely to form - using a canned diet and adding as much water as he allows helps; ensure also no access to high calcium or oxalate treats (or access to cat food etc).

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    1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

  • Answered By Dr. Elizabeth

    Veterinarian

    Published on November 10th, 2017

    I'm hate to hear about Max's bladder stones. The stones may dissolve if the infection clears up and IF the stones are made purely of struvite. There are many types of stones and the others cannot be dissolved. For a male dog with stones already in the urethra, yes, surgery is the safest and fasted option. If Max becomes blocked, he needs emergency care immediately. The stones can dissolve anywhere between 2-6 weeks on average. I hope this helps.

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    1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

  • Answered By David Elbeze, DVM, MRCVS

    Veterinarian

    Published on April 4th, 2020

    It really depends which type of stone it is and the quantity and size of the stone/stones in the bladder. he should get back to normal within 1-2 weeks but without surgery the problem may return. ..some types of stones can be dissolved with a special food, others can't, that's why you must wait for the lab results first.

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    1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Smart Picks for Smart Questions

Food & Nutrition
My dog has bladder stones. Can I buy cheaper food at the store?
Unfortunately there are no over the counter that will help dissolve stones once they form. There are diets that claim to encourage urinary bladder health, however there are no clinical trials to substantiate those claims. What Scooby really needs right now is the Rx food, although it is a bit costly and I can sympathize with that. However it works and is effective because the necessary trials were done to formulate the food properly. It can take several months to even a year to dissolve the stones depending on the quantity and size.
Updated on September 23rd, 2025
Food & Nutrition
Will costly medicine dissolve my dog's cystine stones or just prevent?
The cysteine crystals are very difficult to dissolve in my opinion. If there are stones, I would consider having those surgically removed and then putting him on the special diet. There are also studies that show neutering them may or may not help. I have one patient that has had this type of stone and they returned despite the surgery and food. We put him on the medicine instead of repeating the surgery and we periodically check the stones. They have maintained size, haven't multiplied, but also haven't dissolved. For that patient, this is a win. I think you need to make sure you have discussed all options with your vet to see what best works for your finances and for Milo. I hope this helps!
Updated on September 23rd, 2025
Food & Nutrition
My cat's bladder stones aren't improving with diet. What should I do?
Surgery may be the next option if he won't eat the prescription diet. Discuss other diets, both canned and dry, with your veterinarian first. It may take several weeks to months to fully dissolve any stones or crystals. Try to get him to drink as much water as possible to dilute his urine.
Updated on September 23rd, 2025
Health & Wellness
Can Hill's c/d Multicare cat food dissolve my cat's bladder stone?
I'm sorry to see that Beau has this large bladder stone! The most common types of bladder stones in cats are struvite and calcium oxalate, but the only surefire way to differentiate between the two is with a stone analysis after the stone has been surgically removed. The Hill's C/D multicare can dissolve some struvite stones, but will not dissolve calcium oxalate stones. For the long term, however, this diet is fantastic at preventing a recurrence of such bladder stones and crystals. It's a bit of a gamble using a diet to dissolve stones, particularly in male cats, because of the potential of part of the stone breaking off and causing a urinary obstruction, or blockage, as this is a life-threatening emergency. I generally find it to be safest and most effective to remove bladder stones surgically since you know that it's going to work right away without the same obstruction risks. I hope that everything goes well for Beau!
Updated on September 23rd, 2025
Food & Nutrition
My dog has kidney stones. Should I get a second opinion on treatment?
I agree that it looks like Buddy has bladder and urethral stones. A diet might help to dissolve them, although the stones in his urethra are a bit more concerning and may not dissolve. He is at risk for urethral obstruction at any time which would be an emergency. Surgery to remove the stones might be another option. If you feel like you want a second opinion you certainly could make an appointment with another vet, or you could ask about referral to an internal medicine specialist.
Updated on September 23rd, 2025
Health & Wellness
My dog has kidney stones. How are they treated, including surgery?
I would recommend to have a look at this link with best and most complete informations about it: https://www.petcoach.co/dog/condition/bladder-stones/ Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further. If this answer was helpful please let us know, this will be used to improve our service!
Updated on September 23rd, 2025
Food & Nutrition
What dog food is best for a Shorkie with cystine bladder stones?
The recommendation is to feed your pet a low protein, low sodium diet to help alkalinize the urine and reduce cystine urine excretion. You can achieve this with the Rx brands Hill's U/D or Royal Canin UC Low Purine. Although it is suggested that feeding a canned diet or increasing water intake will help to dilute the urine as well, and therefore reduce cystine urine excretion. Dissolving stones is possible with the diet, but this can take an extended period of time and there is always the risk of stone blockage along the urinary tract. If blockage occurs then your only option for resolution is to have the stones surgically removed. From a medical standpoint, the drug 2-MPG is used to dissolve stones that are currently in the bladder. You will have more success riding stones if you implement both MPG treatment and a urinary diet simultaneously.
Updated on September 23rd, 2025

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