Why do dogs get kidney problems and urine crystals? How to prevent?

The minimum amount of protein in the diet should be 18%. There is no maximum amount of protein and in a healthy dog it is not bad to feed a generous amount of protein. In some conditions like kidney failure, protein may be restricted. Urine crystals are not a known concern with a high-protein diet. Urine crystals are usually an indication of kidney or urinary bladder disease and can also be due to genetic conditions. I hope that helps.

Urine crystals often (depending on the type of crystals) form when they have a bladder infection. This would normally be the cause of a young dog having incontinence issues, but it's also possible that he has a nerve issue, or hereditary problem like ectopic ureters. It's best to have Asher rechecked by your veterinarian sometime soon. They can give you more information about the cause of his current urine dribbling and offer additional testing if necessary. I hope that helps and Asher gets better soon.

A well balanced dry food should not cause kidney stones, which are indeed very rare in dogs (certain breeds such as dalmations have higher risk and should be fed a specialised preventive diet either wet or dry; this would not be recommended in all dogs). Bladder crystals can occur with highly concentrated urine where dogs do not drink sufficiently and can be aggravated with poorly formulated diet. In such affected dogs specialist wet food is generally prescribed but this would not lead to a conclusion that dry food is unsafe for dogs

Unfortunately, only these diets will be able to help Luca’s bladder problems. The diet will help acidity the urine and it also causes him to drink more. This helps to prevent crystal formation and also has a flushing action in the bladder. I recommend to try the Royal Canin first. Mix it in VERY slow (like 10% of the food initially). Then every few days increase the amount. You should purchase the canned food to see if he likes that. If he does, you can feed him that mixed in with the dry food. Try to keep him out of the other Doha’s food. The diet will not work if it falls below 90% of the total daily food intake. I hope you find this helpful and please feel free to post any further questions.

In dogs, recurrent urinary tract infections are often caused by persistent bacterial infections that can alter the pH of the urine. Sometimes the result of this can be the formation of urinary crystals, and ultimately larger urinary bladder stones. If Ashlynn hasn't had an x-ray ever, I would recommend getting at least one just to make sure nothing has formed or is in the process of forming. As to your question regarding prevention of future UTIs, it would depend upon what bacteria is the culprit in her previous infections (as this would likely be the culprit in future ones as well). There is some evidence both scientific and anecdotal that indicates that cranberry juice or cranberry supplements can help prevent certain strains of e. coli bacteria from sticking to the bladder's wall. There are many different supplements available, I do not have a preference as to one in particular. If the kidneys and bladder are producing / storing urine at an inappropriate pH, there are special diets that can be fed (both long term or short term) that chance the bladder's pH back to the appropriate level. To confirm if this is a problem, a urinalysis can be ran by your primary veterinarian. With regards to the HW and flea medications, it is unlikely that one of these predisposed her to a UTI. This is not a typical side effect of most medications in that class, and they are not known to lower the immune system enough to cause a secondary urinary tract infection. Hope this makes sense.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! The urinary tract symptoms you describe could be due to a urinary tract infection, urinary stones, a tumor, among other possibilities. Keep in mind that this may be unrelated to the crystals and can even be something like urinary incontinence. I would continue monitoring for signs of painful urination or bloody urine. I recommend that you have him evaluated by your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. Further diagnostics would include abdominal imaging and lab work. Treatment would be based on findings. Good luck and have a good night!

There are many possible causes but age related kidney failure or interstitial nephritis would be most common in an otherwise well dog. Diet manipulation and monitoring of salts in blood can minimise the progression of disease