BLADDER STONES

Bladder stones are one of the main diseases that dogs suffer in their lifetime.  Small breeds get them more often than the larger breeds. These stones are produced if some excess minerals and other waste products solidify or crystallize in the dog's bladder.

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Bladder stones can be life threatening if they block the urethra and keep your dog from urinating. This often leads to very expensive surgery.  

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The most common types of bladder stones are struvite stones and calcium oxalate stones. 

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The higher the urine concentration of the constituents that make up the stones, the higher the risk that stones will form. The concentration of these constituents can be influenced by the amount of minerals and protein in the diet, the amount of water the animal drinks, and the animal's unique metabolism.  But the amount of minerals in the urine is not the main determining factor for the creation of crystals/stones. 

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Urine pH is a prime factor in your dog’s bladder stones. The acidity or alkalinity 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, are more apt to form in acidic urine. The urine pH is largely influenced by diet and the health (or disease) of the liver.

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There is a tremendous amount that is not known about calcium oxalate bladder stones. There are many factors that go into preventing them and it is not just the lack of oxalates in the diet.  According to research, the oxalates from some foods are absorbed through the intestines more than other foods. 

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Conventional wisdom says that to treat struvite stones, the urine pH needs to be kept in the slightly acidic range – which is normal -  and for calcium oxalate stones, the urine needs to be kept in the alkaline range – which is not normal.   I have not found this to be true. I believe for your dog's lasting health, the urine pH needs to be kept in the normal range of 5.5 to 6.5, which is slightly acidic, for all types of bladder stones.

    

Why does your dog’s urine become too alkaline?

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If your dog’s system is too acidic, then their urine would be way too acidic and would cause damage to their bladder’s cells and tissues. To combat this, the body raises the urine pH by dumping alkaline minerals such as organic sodium into the urine from the body’s alkaline reserves. If the body’s alkaline reserves are depleted from balancing too much acidity for too long, then the emergency backup system is using ammonia produced by the body to raise the urine pH. Ammonia is highly alkaline, and the now high alkaline pH urine is a perfect breeding ground for bacteria that causes bladder infections.

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Many of the bacteria that cause a bladder infection also produce an enzyme called urease.  Urease reacts with urea molecules found in the urine to form more ammonia and carbon dioxide. The ammonia is slowly converted to ammonium ions, while the carbon dioxide unites with other compounds, freeing up phosphates. Then, through a chain of chemical reactions that seem to feed on each other, the magnesium that is normally present within the urine unites with the ammonium ions and phosphates to form magnesium ammonium phosphate crystals (struvite). If conditions are present for the crystals to form rapidly and in large quantities, they will unite together to form struvite stones.

 

The factors that influence the production of calcium oxalate stones are known to include the oxalate content of the foods eaten, the concentrations of ions in these foods that bind to oxalate and limit its absorption such as calcium and magnesium, the presence of good bacteria that can degrade oxalate, the transit time of food through the intestinal tract, the inheritance of certain genes, and quite possibly several other as yet unidentified factors. It has also been found that the majority of oxalic acid is produced by the body and is not ingested in food.

 

The health of the digestive system is key for keeping oxalate stones and struvite stones at bay because of the absorption factors involved. That is why probiotics and enzymes are key supplements - not only to maintain good digestive health but because they help to break down the oxalates and foods in the digestive tract.  

 

Traditional treatment for bladder stones is to put dogs on a prescription diet that is lower in animal protein and higher in salt. The conventional thinking is that the lower animal protein will mean less urea, thus less of the building blocks for the bladder crystals. The salt causes retention of more water. This approach does nothing, however, to address the underlying problem, which is the urine pH being too acidic from the consumption of a highly acidic diet, and so the body uses emergency measures making the urine too alkaline.

 

It is even acknowledged that the prescription diet cannot be eaten indefinitely as it is not a “complete” food and should not be used for longer than 60 to 150 days.  

 

Why does the treatment (prescription diet) only take away the symptom (the bladder stones) instead of addressing the real problem (acidic system causing alkaline urine pH)? Wouldn’t it be better to develop a treatment that supported the long term health of your dog, not one that just takes away the symptom?

 

I believe that the prescription diet should not be used at all and will contribute further to the underlying problem of your dog’s body system being too acidic, the overproduction of ammonia, and the urine being too high a pH. A change in diet to a balanced acid/alkaline whole food diet along with whole food supplements is necessary to bring the urine back to the proper acidic pH and stop the urinary tract bacteria and ammonia from contributing to the bladder crystal building blocks. This will keep the urine pH in proper range.  Only in this way will your dog say goodbye to all types of bladder stones forever.

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Please contact me for a FREE CONSULTATION if you would like further help.

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