My dog has kidney stones. Should I get a second opinion on treatment?

I personally don't like to question or contradict another vet's treatment, especially since I can't see Einstein in person, but I would be concerned that there is another cause to his trouble going pee. It can happen that bladder stones are missed in surgery, or new ones can form, and I would be concerned that this could be causing his problems with urinating. I would recommend getting a second opinion from another vet as soon as possible.

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!

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!

I would recommend seeing your veterinarian for a recheck. Struvite stones often form secondary to a urinary tract infection so your vet may want to test Beemo’s urine to make sure there is not currently an infection present. If you’re able to save a stone for your vet they might want to send it out for analysis - occasionally dogs can have multiple types of bladder stones and it’s possible your vet may want to change the diet or add a supplement if this is the case.

Jaundice can be caused by many things but kidney stones are not one of them. Gallstones can sometimes cause jaundice but this is actually very rare and would typically be from obstruction of the biliary tree or sepsis, both of which are very serious. Did your pet have a full abdominal ultrasound to look at the abdominal organs? If jaundice is present, and these 2 entities are not players, then another cause is likely which would mean a different treatment approach. Medical therapy for gallstones can be employed (especially if underlying liver disease is the cause) but if there is obstruction surgery is typically needed. What i would recommend is that your Sandy see a specialist. Your family vet can likely provide a referral for an internal medicine specialist in your area. An internist is a great person to manage an older pet with liver and kidney issues and they may have medical options for her. I hope this helps and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

Hello and welcome to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I am sorry that Cointhee has stones. Urinary stones are concerning because at any point one of the stones can cause a complete blockage of the urethra (tube you pee out of), and can block any flow of urine and this can lead to life-threatening kidney disease and death because the potassium cannot be peed out. Therefore, firstly, it is very important to make sure that Cointhee is able to pee out urine at all times, and isn't trying to pee with nothing coming out. If this is occurring please get him to a vet right away. Blood in the urine can be caused by the stones/crystals causing irritation, and can also be caused by infection that sometimes goes along with the stones. Repeated trauma to the urethra can cause strictures, and long term complications. I would discuss with your vet about taking some x-rays to see how many stones are present, and discuss if surgery is an option to remove the stones. I would also discuss about checking to see if an infection is present. Usual treatment for bladder stones includes antiboitics if infection is present, special food to try to dissolve the small crystals and tiny stones, and surgery to remove the big stones. Best of luck with Cointhee, I hope he is peeing normally again soon!

Depending on the size of the kidney stones and their nature, they can be partially dissolved by changing the diet. You can find in the market different kind of diet in order to change the PH of the urine and eventually dissolve the crystals/stones. If the kidney stones are not dissolvable or are too big, surgical removal could be the second option. Unfortunately male cats may suffer from blockage (partial or complete) of the urinary tract, which is a medical/surgical emergency condition. I would recommend a check up as soon as possible at your local veterinarian to perform a urine analysis and a radiograph/ultrasound to determine the size of the stones.Once you know nature of the stones from urine analysis, you can decide whether medical or surgical treatment are needed.