You may have noticed that your dog has been urinating frequently and only a little each time. On the other hand, maybe your dog started accidentally urinating in the house, despite years of being housebroken. Alternatively, the dog may be listless or disinterested in normal activities. Any way it happened, the incident led you to check out your dog more closely, only to discover little white balls in your dog's urine. There are three distinct possibilities as to what those little balls are and how they will affect your dog's health.
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Kidney Stones
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Kidney stones, or nephrolithiasis, are clusters of crystals that can appear as stones. These crystals are made of mineral deposits the kidneys could not process. Simple things such as a diet that creates a high pH level in the urine or an oversaturation of calcium in the dog's system can cause kidney stones. Certain breeds are susceptible to particular types of kidney stones, such as Dalmatians' vulnerability to uric acid kidney stones.
Bladder Stones
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Bladder stones, or urolithiasis, are similar to kidney stones. They can be found anywhere in the urinary tract, which includes the kidneys, the tubes from the kidneys called ureters, the bladder or the urethra. These types of stones also develop from an oversaturation of minerals in the dog's system, such as magnesium ammonium phosphate or cystine, which are different from the minerals that cause kidney stones. Certain breeds, again, are susceptible to particular types of bladder stones due to their particular chemistry.
Gallstones
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Gallstones, also known as cholelithiasis, are crystals built up in the gallbladder. Like kidney stones, these stones are typically made of a calcium derivative. The gallbladder contains the bile that flows into the stomach and intestine to break down food into various nutrients and a more accessible form. Sometimes the bile becomes too thick, an oversaturation of cholesterol or calcium can occur, or an infection can cause inflammation and cause a gallstone. As with the other types of stones, certain breeds, like Shetland sheepdogs, are particularly susceptible to gallstones.
Diagnosis and Treatment
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Only a veterinarian can diagnosis nephrolithiasis, urolithiasis orcholelithiasis. The veterinarian will run blood and urine samples to rule out any other infections and diseases, determine what kind of stone it is, its composition, and any secondary infections that may be a result. The vet may prescribe antibiotics to treat secondary bacterial infections, along with supplements or a change in diet to prevent future problems. To treat certain types of stones, a medication may be prescribed to dissolve them in the dog's system. However, if the stones are large enough, the vet may have to operate on the dog to remove them so that they do not cause blockages in the urinary or digestive tracts and potentially kill the animal.
Prevention
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A change in diet and additional supplements may be necessary to prevent kidney, bladder and gallstones. A diet high in protein and low in fat is ideal for gallstones. For bladder stones, however, the prescription would be for a lower-protein diet. It is important to follow the veterinarian's diet recommendations and administer any prescribed medications to prevent future stones from forming and the condition from worsening.
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