What treats are safe for dogs with urate stones? Is cheese okay?

Hello. You do want to keep to this diet for the majority of his calories. Acceptable treats should make up less than 10% of his overall calories per day & include low fat yogurt ( 2-3 tbsp. 2-3 x weekly ), 1/4 of an apple, white rice, rye bread, 2-3 non-salted saltine crackers, 2-3 baby carrots per day, & small amounts of cooked beef, chicken & eggs. Avoid lots of meats & any high protein treats & no vitamin or mineral supplements. The daily Dasaquin is fine to use. Try to keep to the prescribed diet as much as possible. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Low Purine meat proteins are most poultry (not goose and duck), most fish, beef, lamb and pork. Other foods low or free of purines are: eggs, pasta, cheese, rice, whole grain cereals and bread (if no yeast), milk, butter, peanut butter, nuts, (do not feed macadamia nuts) and oatmeal. If Penny has urate stones then I recommend the prescription diets. I hope this helps!

It depends on which diet you are using in the Hill's brand. The link below is to a school that many vets will send stones to for analysis. On this page you will find a PDF link to treatment/prevention of urate stones. There are several diets listed there. Another option is having a nutritionist make a diet for your pet that you would make at home. Most vet schools offer this service and it could be facilitated through your vet if you don't live near a vet school. Hopefully your pet has also been evaluated for diseases that predispose to urate stones as this is a more rare stone. I hope this helps and thank you for using PetCoach! https://www.vetmed.umn.edu/centers-programs/minnesota-urolith-center/urolith-analysis/treatment-recommendations

I would not deviate from Blaze's diet if he has a history of bladder stones. If you are feeding u/d, there are canned versions that can be used to stuff Kongs and then frozen as an extra treat, or can also be baked into crunchy cookies to give some variety without going off his diet. Your vet can also let you know of any other science diet foods that are compatible with u/d along with treats that may add some variety.

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.

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.

Honestly, this is tricky. Royal Canin's SO diet (which is excellent BTW) works because it neutralizes the urine pH, making it almost impossible for crystals to form, and it also encourages more drinking, which has the same effect. If you feed other foods, you increase the chances of the food not working, and having crystals or stones. I tend to encourage owners to use the kibble as treats, or take the canned food and shape in into "cookies," and bake at a low temperature until hardened. I know it sounds like a bit of work, but dogs like it, and you'll be making sure Ted is getting exactly what he needs to stay healthy.