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What natural foods can I feed my dog to prevent bladder stones?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Pug | 6 years and 2 months old

Other than medicated food, what all natural foods can I feed my dog to help prevent bladder stones? I've read blueberries and whole grain wheat are good for this

4 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

Answered By Jacqueline Nobles, DVM, DACVECC

Veterinarian, Board-Certified Emergency/Critical Care Specialist

Published on December 31st, 2016

It's is difficult to say which foods in particular because ultimately it is a question of how that food affects the pH of the urine. The acidity or alkalinity (pH) of the urine influences whether the stone constituents will remain dissolved or form stones. Some stones, such as struvite, form in alkaline urine, whereas others, including calcium oxalate stones, form in acidic urine. Depending on the type of stone (struvite vs calcium oxalate-in most cases but there are exceptions such as ammonium urate) you may want to feed a diet that decreases the pH or one that increases the pH. Furthermore, any underlying urinary tract infections must be treated as bacteria can alter the pH. In order to obtain the information needed, have your veterinarian perform a urinalysis or if your pet had surgery for bladder stones ask for the stone analysis report.
As far as blueberries, I think that it is fine. However, grains may result in more of an alkaline urine which could promote further struvite stone formation.

3Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Related Answers from Veterinarians

Answered By Dr. Strydom, DVM
Veterinarian
Published on December 25th, 2017
I am so sorry to say this but, no. The reason for the stone formation is improper urine pH. The improper pH is often from urinary infections, improper diet or a combination of both. The special dog food she is eating now is specifically formulated to keep the urine pH at a constant normal level to help prevent the formation of stones. The diet is not 100% effective but it is your best chance at minimizing the chance of them recurring.

It is strongly recommended that you NOT feed her anything at all but the special diet. Many of those special diets have treats available of the same formulation. Outside of that, definitely not.

Hope this answers your question. Best wishes.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Answered By Elva Ma DVM
Veterinarian
Published on February 13th, 2018
Hello, and thank you for your question. Calcium oxalate stones cannot be dissolved through diet, unfortunately. There is a chance that further treatment will be necessary if bladder stones are present, such as lithotripsy or surgery.

For now, your best bet is to choose a diet that encourages water intake and maintains a neutral urine pH, such as Royal Canin Urinary SO. I would also try to encourage water intake in other ways, such as feeding the canned version of Urinary SO, and flavouring the water with a bit of low sodium broth. All these things will help him to urinate more and flush out any crystals in his bladder.

I hope this helps, and that your pup is feeling better soon!
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Answered By Jennifer Summerfield, DVM CPDT-KA
Veterinarian, Certified Dog Trainer
Published on January 31st, 2019
Hi there! I'm afraid formulating an appropriate diet for a dog with a medical condition like this is quite a complex undertaking, so it's a bit outside the scope of what we can do on a forum like this. I would recommend getting in touch with a veterinary nutritionist for a consult - he/she can help you put together a complete and balanced diet that is also appropriate for his bladder stones.

You can find more information on how to do this here: http://www.acvn.org/nutrition-consults/
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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What food ingredients help dogs and cats with urinary stones or UTIs?

Bladder stones are collections of mineral crystals that combine together in the urinary tract. Excess minerals can encourage the formation of crystals in the urine, leading to the creation of bladder stones. Urinary diets have the correct balance of minerals to maintain bladder health. In addition, they have low protein and calcium, which results in decreased urinary concentrations of stone-forming constituents. To get the biggest benefit, I recommend choosing a urinary specific food for Liir, as regular diets will not be formulated to help with bladder health. I recommend Hill's Science Diet u/d. I hope this helps!

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Dog won't eat urinary food. How to prevent stones without corn/by-products?

The answer partially depends on the type of bladder stones that Boo had. I am attaching handouts on the 2 most common types below. http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=460 http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=662 If Boo had struvite stones, those can often be managed without a prescription diet. If Boo had calcium oxalate stones, then diet will be a very important part of preventing him from forming stones again in the future. Unfortunately, the prescription diets tend to have both by-products and corn. The best option I have found for dogs with calcium oxalate stones are to make a homemade diet for their dogs. A diet can be created by a board certified nutritionist or with the help of Balance It. https://secure.balanceit.com/ Good luck! I hope that was helpful and answered your questions. Thanks for using PetCoach.

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What food is best for a dog with bladder stones and diabetes?

I would suggest that you ask your veterinarian about using Hill's Science Diet W/D. This is a low fat and high fiber diet that is good for diabetic dogs, but is also known to produce a neutral urine ph and may be adequate in preventing the return of her bladder stones. Depending on her individual situation, this may be a possible solution. If a duet change is done, it would be a great idea to periodically check a urine sample to monitor the ph and look for problems.

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My dog has bladder stones. How much homemade food is safe to feed?

I personally would not recommend a home cooked diet for a dog with bladder stones. A therapeutic diet is probably best to prevent more stones from forming and the foods restrict minerals used to form stones, encourage water consumption so that water is dilute, and keeping the urine at an ideal pH. If it is very important to you to cook meals for Hades I’d recommend using a diet formulated by a nutritionist- the website BalanceIT is a good resource. www.balanceIT.com

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What dog food is best for a Shorkie with cystine bladder stones?

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What can I feed my dog with bladder stones when out of special food?

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! It is ok to feed him a regular diet (meaning any dog diet) until you are able to get his Purina diet for stones. As long as he is able to return to his bladder stone diet within a week or two, it should be ok. Best of luck!

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Could my dog's high cholesterol or ALP cause bladder stones?

Not that I am aware of. The exact cause of calcium oxalate bladder stones is poorly understood at this time. Normal dog urine is slightly acidic and contains waste products from metabolism including dissolved mineral salts and other compounds. These mineral salts will remain dissolved in the urine as long as the pH stays within a narrow range, and as long as the urine does not become too concentrated. Some diets that cause a persistently alkaline urine pH may also cause this. This link may help you more. ( https://www.vetmed.umn.edu/sites/vetmed.umn.edu/files/canine_calcium_oxalate_uroliths.pdf )

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

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