The Return Of The Bladder Stones

Hello everyone. I know it's been awhile since you've heard from me. Right now, I live in a place that doesn't have dogs. However, I'm lucky enough where I can see Cookie, Gigi and Homer when I visit my family. Luckily, it's not too far of a drive. So, when I blog, you'll be hearing stories about me blogging from experiences outside of my home. It's my goal to do things more frequently and finding a balance between marriage, family, friends and my world online. Anyhow, this post is more about Gigi, so here we go.

In October 2014, I noticed that Gigi was having accidents in the house again and not eating. Not only that, but she would lay on my mom's bed all day and not budge. So it was time take her to the doctor again. Unfortunately, I had to switch doctors because the original one I had taken her to didn't have weekend hours. So I took her to the Petsmart in the neighborhood.

When I took Gigi there, they checked her over and we had x-rays done. From the x-rays, it was obvious the stones were back. They had prescribed Clavamox and she was eating the prescribed food. Taking her back on regular visits, there was little improvement and the doctor suggested that she may need to have surgery.

It occurred to me knowing that she had struvite stones, which are able to be dissolved, this place did not look at all the options. They looked at surgery as the be all and end all. There was no suggestion of a urine culture or other non-invasive treatments. I knew in my heart it was time for a second opinion. It also didn't help that the staff wasn't very compassionate either. For me, compassion goes a long way when it comes to those you love and the people who are responsible for their care. I also felt like I was being judged.

Time for a Second Opinion

One year later, I knew things shouldn't be this way When I got home, I decided to check my old vet's website. After seeing the hours, I noticed he now had Saturday hours in the morning. I quickly called to make an appointment. I brought Gigi in to get an exam and asked the doctor if it would give her the medication that he did in the past, because it seemed to work. I was hesitant about getting an X-ray because I knew in my heart from the way Gigi was behaving and struggling on walks that they were still there.

As the person taking her to the doctor, I had made some mistakes. I got a urinalysis first to see where things were and took a plan of action. It was getting scary because Gigi had become resistant to the original antibiotics. I shouldn't have tried to outguess my doctor. Because the urine culture wasn't done right away, it was hard to tell if the medicine was working properly or not.

So it turned out that the doctor ran the urine culture to see if there was any medications that Gigi's would accept. Out of the seven types of possible medications he ran against her blood chemistry, there was one in which she wasn't resistant. I realized then and there, it was time to me to let go and go all in with what the doctor was saying. We instantly switched the medication and I told my mom that she would need to give her a half pill twice a day.

This was a very long process, but after a couple of weeks, I took Gigi back for another test to see if the medicine would work and her body didn't build up another resistance to the medication. A few days later, I got another call and the doctor told me that the medication was working. We both were relieved.

Lessons that I Learned

This experience with Gigi and her bladder stones has been frustrating and incredibly fulfilling at the same time. I learned that no matter how scared you are, you can't try to second guess your doctor. I also learned that you have to go with your instincts. It's also important to build a foundation of trust with your vet and not to let incidents of the past cloud your thinking. Not all vets are the same. Because of my second veterinarian's unyielding commitment to finding a solution, Gigi didn't have to have an unnecessary surgery. I will always be grateful to him and his staff for their excellent care they gave my dog.

And Gigi? Because the stones came back after the first treatment, she will have to have prescription food for the rest of her life. The food is available by prescription only but it's a small price to pay to know your dog has a good chance of not getting the stones again. I'll also have to take her for a follow up visit in about four months.

Let's Discuss!

I love to hear what you have to say. So here is my question for you. Have you ever gotten a second opinion for your pet and how did it make a difference?

I appreciate you guys always coming here to support my blog. Have a great weekend!

It's All Related!

Gigi's Battle with Bladder Stones
What you need to know about Bladder Stones

What You Need to Learn About Bladder Stones

Photo: Bob Mills

Types of Bladder Stones

Ever since Gigi was diagnosed with bladder stones, I've been wanting to learn more about these. There are two major types of stones -- struvite and calcium oxalate.The stones in the photo pictured above are the type of stones that Gigi has been fighting. They are called Struvite stones which is an alkaline-based stone. These are the type of stones that can dissolve in type. Struvite is composed of magnesium, phospate and ammonium (which is the main ingredient in ammonia). The bacteria in a dog's bladder will combine with this minerals to form the stones.

As all dogs are different, certain dogs are prone to getting struvite stones.Some of these breeds include: Shih Tzus(Gigi is a Shih Tzu/Poodle mix), Miniature Schnauzer, Yorkshire Terrier, Labrador Retriever, and Dachshund. Females are twice as likely to get this stones than males. The main way we've been treating Gigi's affliction is through giving antibiotics daily and giving her specially prescribed food by Royal Canin (their SO variety). Another good treatment for this which is also prescription is the SD variety by Hill's Prescription Diet.

Calcium Oxalate Stones

Another main type of bladder stone is the calcium oxalate variety. These are brown-colored in contrast to the white struvite variety. They are primarily found in most male dogs and are rarely spotted in females. Breeds who typically get these stones include: Shih Tzus, Miniature Schnauzers, Bichon Frise, Lhasa Apso, and Yorkshire Terrier.

Unlike Struvite stones, these stones have to be surgically removed. It's possible that a dog can pass these through their system, but only if the stone is small enough. It has been said that the commercial foods can speed the formation of Calcium Oxalate stones. With the increase in commercial food over the years, the incidence of bladder stones has increased. Combined with a lack of water, bladder stones can grow at a fast rate.

Life After Bladder Stones.

The funny thing about dogs who get bladder stones, the chance of them recurring is very high. For this reason, it's important to keep your dog on a strict diet, watch the treats, and make sure they don't ingest too much protein.

Let's Discuss!

Has your dog had an incidence with bladder stones? If you are a veterinarian, I'd like to hear your thoughts on this.

It's All Related!

Gigi's Battle With Bladder Stones

Gigi's Battle With Bladder Stones

We never know what ailment our dog will have. All that we do know is we hate to see our dogs having any pain or discomfort whatsoever. Over the past month, Gigi (pictured with Fancy above), was diagnosed with bladderstones.

What are Bladder Stones?

Bladder stones are crystals that form in a dog's bladder when there is a ph level imbalance. Most bladder stones have an excess buildup of alkali caused by a bacterial infection. In Gigi's case, it was a staph infection. As a result, dogs who suffer from bladder stones will urinate more frequently and may have accidents in the house. They will also strain when trying to eliminate holding themselves longer than usual.

After the dog is diagnosed with bladder stones, the veterinarian will examine a urine sample to see if there are any crystals floating around. By pinpointing what types of crystals are existing in the urine, the vet will determine whether or not the bladder stones can dissolve on their own or they need to be surgically removed. Vets will x-ray the area to better see the bladder area. In Gigi's case, there were no crystals at all so the results were inconclusive. So we took the conservative route to try to dissolve them by giving her a combination of food and antibiotics. It did start to make a difference because Gigi had more of an appetite with her new food and was having fewer accidents in the house.

When Gigi had her first x-ray done, her bladder looked like they had a handful of marbles inside. An example similar to what Gigi had is included in the photo on the right. Today, I just took her to the vet to get a second x-ray because I spotted blood in her urine. Many times, bladder stones will irritate the lining of the bladder while the process is dissolving the stones. As a result, blood in the urine is a side effect of this. After Gigi received x-rays a second time, it seems like the stones that didn't dissolve much.

Photo Source: Wikipedia

However, there were a few on the bottom that were smaller. The doctor also informed me that in some dogs, it takes longer to break down the crystals.

Looking Down The Road

It seems that surgery is probably going to happen. Gigi has been undergoing this treatment for only three weeks. I'm going to wait and see if more crystals dissolve in order to do surgery as a last resort. My vet advised not waiting longer than 6 to 8 weeks so by then, it should be around six weeks. I'll keep you guys posted as time goes by.

Let's Discuss!

If any of you have had a similar situation with one of your dogs, like I did with Gigi, I'd really like to hear your thoughts on this. Thanks to all of you who stop by.