An increasing number of domestic dogs are suffering from a disease called urolithiasis. Its main danger is that it can greatly harm the body of the animal and bring the situation to death. That is why every owner should be able to determine the symptoms of this disease in order to provide medical assistance to the pet in time.
Urolithiasis in dogs
It is a process in which stones and sand form in the bladder. Like humans, dogs suffer greatly from the symptoms of this disease. It passes very unpleasantly, especially in advanced stages. An animal with stones in the bladder will whine, howl, and also take strange postures while urinating. The muzzle of the dog will look scared and sad, as the animal will not be able to realize what are the causes of such painful sensations.
Having noticed a change in behavior in a pet, each owner should take appropriate measures aimed at diagnosing and treating this disease. If a dog finds stones in the bladder, surgery most often becomes the only way out. Urolithiasis can end very badly for an animal. Therefore, a visit to the veterinarian should not be neglected, since an ailment can lead to rupture of the bladder and, consequently, to the death of a beloved pet.
How are stones formed in the bladder
The composition of the animal’s urine always contains mineral substances and various salts that dissolve in the liquid. If the composition of the urine becomes too concentrated and oversaturated, the salts begin to precipitate from the general fluid, simultaneously forming solids in the form of crystals. Examining them under a microscope, it is quite possible to discern sharp angles in them, which have the ability to injure the mucous membrane of the bladder and the channels that excrete urine. Due to these mechanical injuries, blood is formed in the urine, and wounds on the mucosa provoke the development of a bacterial infection.
Bacteria and fungi enter the bladder using the descending and ascending paths. In the case of the first option, they penetrate through the kidneys, where it carries them along with the blood. In an ascending way, they get with an infection that affects the genitals or the external urinary tract. The vital products of microorganisms, their dead bodies and blood, when decomposed, secrete a number of organic substances. They have the ability to glue individual urinary crystals, thereby forming stones in the dog's bladder.
Signs of the appearance of stones
Most often, this disease is determined in advanced stages, when the animal begins to feel pain and discomfort during urination. Symptoms of stones in the dog’s bladder may not appear for a long time. Only with obvious damage to the mucous membrane does the pet begin to feel acute pain. The obvious symptoms of urolithiasis include the following:
- The appearance of blood in the urine. This phenomenon is called hematuria. The appearance of blood is considered to be an early symptom, although it brings pain to the animal. Hematuria develops due to damage to the bladder mucosa. Based on the magnitude of the damage, the color of the urine varies. The more pinkish the shade, the more affected are the urinary tract membranes.
- Frequent urination. The dog begins to urinate a lot, and she can begin to do this in unusual places. No need to scold the pet and especially punish him. The veterinarian should be shown as soon as possible.
- A dog’s bladder is never completely empty. You can verify the presence of this symptom by probing the pelvic area of the pet.
- Pain during urination. The dog begins to sit strangely, whine, look around at the back of the body. Each urination causes her pain.
- The animal's appetite decreases. With severe pain, the dog may refuse to eat and drink.
- The pet becomes sad, ceases to play and enjoy life. This symptom should be discerned by every owner who loves his dog. The dog may stop joyfully meeting all members of the family or his pet, losing interest in toys and delicious treats. In this way he will tell everyone about the pain he is experiencing. Do not hesitate, you must immediately take the animal to the clinic.
- The dog may have bouts of vomiting. This symptom may also indicate a dog’s bladder stones.
In the first stages, this disease proceeds without visible signs of development. However, during the next ultrasound, the doctor will definitely discern stones or sand deposits in the organs of the animal. In order not to start urolithiasis, you need to regularly bring the dog to scheduled examinations in a veterinary clinic.
The main causes of the development of the disease
The most common causes of urolithiasis include the following:
- Genetics. The disease can be transmitted from the dog’s parents. If they suffered from it, the likelihood that their offspring will also survive this scourge grows significantly.
- Breed of dog. Unfortunately, certain breeds are more prone to this disease than others. Small dogs are at risk.
- Congenital diseases. The development of urolithiasis is influenced by many different factors and processes that develop in the body of the animal. A dog may become ill due to impaired functioning of the kidneys, heart, liver, and vascular system.
- Contributes to the appearance of stones in the dog’s bladder and infection of the urinary tract.
Improper pet content and urolithiasis
An important role in the health of a pet is played by the person himself. Only a dog’s owner determines its full and healthy life. That is why there are other reasons for the development of urolithiasis other than those listed above. They arise due to improper maintenance of the dog. The most common among them is considered an unbalanced diet. Many owners cannot control themselves when their favorite pet plaintively begs for a piece of something tasty from the table. Feeding an animal with ordinary dishes that all family members eat, a person renders him a disservice.
Deciding to get a dog, you must immediately determine its type of food. The animal needs to be fed either with premium balanced feed, or with completely natural food, which will consist of meat, bones, porridge and vegetables. If you mix these two types of food, the dog can already in the first year of his life learn what urolithiasis is.
Treatment of stones in the bladder in a dog is most often quite painful for the pet. Therefore, you need to know how to prevent this ailment. To do this, it is necessary to note many common mistakes of owners that provoke the development of this disease:
- You can not force the animal to restrain its desire to urinate. As soon as the dog asked to use the toilet, you need to get dressed and take her outside. Walking is advisable to do at least 3 times a day. If the urine is retained in the body, this will lead to its crystallization, and then to urolithiasis.
- Low level of dog activity. With insufficiently frequent walking, the animal will not spend the necessary amount of energy. This can lead to overweight and obesity. These deviations lead to stagnation of excess fluid, which applies to urine.
- Non-compliance with the drinking regime. The dog should always have access to fresh and clean water without gas. Water should be purified from impurities and preferably filtered.
To maintain the health of the pet, you must remember all of the above reasons that can cause this pathology. This is the only way to prevent a dog from developing a stone in the bladder.
Diagnosis of urolithiasis
It is impossible to detect this disease on your own. Even with obvious symptoms of stones in the bladder, it is necessary to do all the tests and ultrasounds, which will not only confirm the diagnosis, but also help determine the stage of the disease. To make sure there are stones, the doctor will first do a urinalysis. It must be carried out exclusively in the clinic, as the test material should be fresh. If urine is collected long before arriving at the hospital, a natural crystallization process will begin to occur during infusion. Therefore, subsequent research may not be correct.
With the help of urine analysis, not only the urolithiasis itself is confirmed, but also the type of stones. It is depending on this nuance that a dog treatment regimen is prescribed. Each type of stone is treated in completely different ways. Therefore, you can not self-medicate and purchase the most popular medicines in the pharmacy of a veterinary clinic. They can only aggravate the condition of the pet.
To determine the location and size of the stones in the dog’s bladder, the doctor makes an ultrasound scan. In some cases, an x-ray may be needed. A biochemical blood test is also mandatory. Only after the doctor performs the above examinations, you can start treatment with the prescribed drugs. If the veterinarian does not consider it necessary to carry out the necessary tests, it is better to seek help at another clinic where the dog will be examined according to all the rules.
Treatment of urolithiasis
Before removing a dog ’s bladder stones , the animal is catheterized to remove all urine. If the dog is severely affected by pain, she is given antispasmodic drugs with an analgesic effect. They are used for blockage of the urinary tract, as well as pain during urination. In some cases, animals are given sedative medications to calm the nervous system.
Treatment of urolithiasis is carried out depending on the type of stones in the dog’s bladder. If there are uroliths, which in the early stages do not form large deposits, it makes sense to use therapeutic treatment based on a strict diet and medication. In such cases, the veterinarian prescribes medication with antibiotics, as well as drugs that increase diuresis. Also, medications with analgesic and sedative effects are used for treatment.
Physiotherapy is also very popular. Most often, they use pulsed magnetotherapy, which facilitates the outflow of urine and relieves inflammation in the animal's body.
Unfortunately, most people turn to veterinarians in cases where the disease in the dog has gone into a serious stage. In this situation, there is only one way out - the operation. Large stones in a dog’s urine can only be removed with surgery. In addition, it is the only treatment with severe blockage of the urinary tract.
In some cases, veterinarians use a treatment strategy called urohydropropulsion. It does not imply surgery. Most often, females are treated in this way. For males, urohydropropulsion may not be as effective due to the more complex anatomy of the urethra.
Removing stones from the bladder in dogs is carried out in the following steps:
- The animal is given sedative drugs.
- A catheter is inserted into the urinary tract.
- Using a special solution, the stones are washed back into the bladder, cleaning the walls of the urinary canals.
- Then the stones are removed mechanically.
If there are large deposits in the bladder, a full operation cannot be dispensed with. They do it exclusively under general anesthesia. During it, the doctor makes an incision on the skin, abdominal wall, and also the edges of the urinary tract. After removing the stones from the bladder in an animal, they are often sent to a laboratory for further research. Having knowledge of their composition, you can find out why they were formed in a dog, and also prevent possible relapses of the disease.
Treatment prognosis and recovery period
This disease is known for its hidden course. It is extremely difficult to notice signs of stone formation in the dog’s bladder. That is why no one begins early treatment when it will be possible to dispense with minimal suffering in the animal. Only with the identification of the first painful symptoms, many owners begin to sound the alarm and seek help from a veterinary clinic to find out where the dog’s urinary stone comes from.
After a thorough treatment has been carried out, the prognosis becomes very favorable. However, we must not forget that even an operation cannot guarantee the absence of relapse. That is why it is so important to know why dogs have urinary tract stones. Knowing the causes of their appearance, you can avoid the re-development of the disease. It is one of the most common pathologies that cause relapses. Therefore, it is necessary to carefully monitor the health of a beloved pet that has successfully undergone treatment. Particular attention should be paid to its content. The recovery period in the dog should take place gradually. At this time, you need to treat your pet more carefully and affectionately. So that the disease does not return, the animal's diet should be adjusted, as well as monitor its timely walk.
Veterinarian Tips
Many dog owners are confident that this pathology can arise only from malnutrition. Most manufacturers of dog food assure of this, forcing naive buyers to purchase special series of feeds that prevent the development of stones in the urine of a dog, the treatment of which is described in the article. However, all this is nothing more than a publicity stunt. You need to carefully read the composition and consult with a veterinarian about choosing a balanced diet for the animal.
Doctors do not advise hoping for a miracle and thinking that magical food will protect the dog from this scourge. Of course, a balanced diet is considered one of the most influential factors preventing urolithiasis. But there are others, no less important. These include the genetic predisposition, the health status of the dog, as well as the correct maintenance.
Urolithiasis Prevention
Instead of removing stones from a dog’s urinary tract, you should ensure that the disease never affects her. To do this, it is necessary to carry out certain preventive measures, as well as to exclude the occurrence of factors that cause urolithiasis. Therefore, you must adhere to the following recommendations:
- Monitor the weight of the dog and do not overfeed. She should always be in shape.
- Animal nutrition should be regular. Too long breaks between meals contribute to stagnation of urine.
- Care must be taken to ensure that the dog always has access to clean, filtered water. On hot days, the pet needs to be watered on walks. Quite often, the cause of stones in the dog’s urine is non-compliance with the water regime.
- There must be at least 80% moisture in the feed.
- Limit protein intake.
- Choose food that contains phosphorus, sodium and calcium in minimal quantities.
- Provide the animal with a sufficient level of physical activity. The larger the dog, the stronger it needs to be active.
- Once a year to undergo a full examination in a veterinary clinic.
By following the above recommendations, you can prevent the development of urolithiasis in a pet, and also prevent the occurrence of relapse after successful treatment.