Does my dog really need a special diet for life after struvite stones?

Hello, sorry to hear about Tiko. Depending on the type of stones she had, she may indeed to be getting a special diet for the remainder of her life. Mixing her old food in may not be the best in helping prevent further recurrence of stones. Additionally, if not done already, your veterinarian may need to rule out an underlying UTI as this can predispose her to getting stones. There are different urinary diet you may try at home to see which ones she likes the best. Speak to your veterinarian about prescribing a different urinary diet for Tiko. Hope this helps and best of luck.

Your kitty should be on this food for the rest of her life as the stones will return otherwise. It is expensive food, but surgery is a lot more extensive and struvite crystals are seriously painful. This diet is healthy for your kitty.

Hello, sorry to hear about Penny. I looked up the feeding recommendations for the royal canine urinary SO formula dry dog food and it says roughly about 2 cups for 28 lbs given the fact that it recommends 1 1/4 for 22 lbs and the next size is 2 3/8 for 33 lbs. I would discontinue to green beans for now as the minerals and salt could contribute to the pH changes which may predispose Penny to struvites. Dog food is balanced and made to meet the essential nutrients required by dogs and the diet is made to comply the regulations of AAFCO. Hope this helps and best of luck.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I am sorry you and Sanjee are going through this. First I think it important to wait until the stone analysis is back before deciding 100% what to do diet wise. Even though she has calcium oxalate crystals doesn't mean the stone will be that exactly, though it is likely. Calcium oxalate stones are the hardest to prevent recurrence. I recommend Veterinary Prescription diets like Royal Canin SO, Hill's c/d or Purina UR. I also recommend monitoring urine pH and concentration. Calcium oxalate crystals form in more acidic (lower pH) urine. If the diet alone won't control the pH and keep it more neutral sometimes we have to add potassium citrate. I think periodic X-rays to check for recurrence are also important. There are many small white dogs that have had many cystotomies to remove calcium oxalate stones. I hope this helps and I wish Sanjee the best today for her surgery and a speedy recovery!

Poor Leo! If he has a history of bladder or kidney stones, then I strongly recommend for him to stay on the urinary food. This food is designed to lower the risk of future stones. It does not prevent them 100% of the time but it definitely decreases the risk. Other foods are not specifically designed for this problem and therefore will increase his risk of having stones again in the future. I hope this helps!

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.

Hi and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Sorry to hear about Wookiee but it sounds like things are much better. So I can assume that the crystals and stones were struvite because of the c/d food and I can assume you tried s/d first but maybe not. Struvite crystals and stones are most often tied to infection in the bladder and urinary system. You may be able to try another diet but only your vet should make that call for you. They are much more familiar with his particular case. If you monitored his urine with dip sticks (again consult your vet) you may be able to feed something else. Ask you vet. The kibble shouldn't hurt his teeth unless he develops severe periodontal disease which lots of small breeds develop due to their genetics. Sure you can wet the food plus that increases water consumption which is crucial in pets with a history of urinary problems. Yes, I would advise against the table scraps as these can definitely play a role and alter the pH of the urine (how acidic or alkaline). Good luck with Wookiee. Great questions.