ddunning
Member
Hi, without going into the long, sad story in too much detail, last Thursday we picked up our first foster rescue Cavalier, Sarah (8 years old) - vet found large (size of Hershey Kiss) bladder stones , 3 to 4 of them, and both oxalate and struvite crystals in urine. She is VERY uncomfortable and has to squat and strain constantly and I do mean constantly. Prescription food was mentioned by the vet to at least prevent future stone formation and the other issue is she has a Grade 4 murmur (diagnosed by cardiologist yesterday), no evidence of heart failure but does have enlarged heart. She was put on Vetmedin and Enalapril and will be rechecked in 2 weeks prior to surgery for the stones - oh yes, and at the same surgery she will have several, if not all, her remaining teeth removed due to untreated periodontal disease.
My question is: the ingredients in the various urinary stone prescription diets look like they're almost all grain (even the canned) and some have ethoxyquin or BHA and all sorts of other stuff in them. Short of doing a homecooked diet for her - which I would certainly do in foster, but at this point, getting her to the adoptable stage is going to take some time and having a homecooked requirement will put a real damper on her adoptability, I would think). Have any of you used a prescription diet for this condition and if so, which one might be the best choice, or should I ask for a homecooked diet recipe from the vet (if she can even recommend one)? From my reading, it looks to me like she has both types of stones which show both acidic and alkaline urine (!) so how in the world do you treat that? Or do we simply not worry about future oxalate stone formation and treat as if she only had the other kind(s)?:lpy:
Thanks for any advice!
Diane
(Sarah, 8 yo Blenheim foster; Geordie, 4 yo Blenheim, Teddy, 6 yo B&T rescue and Chase, 2 yo Golden Retriever)
My question is: the ingredients in the various urinary stone prescription diets look like they're almost all grain (even the canned) and some have ethoxyquin or BHA and all sorts of other stuff in them. Short of doing a homecooked diet for her - which I would certainly do in foster, but at this point, getting her to the adoptable stage is going to take some time and having a homecooked requirement will put a real damper on her adoptability, I would think). Have any of you used a prescription diet for this condition and if so, which one might be the best choice, or should I ask for a homecooked diet recipe from the vet (if she can even recommend one)? From my reading, it looks to me like she has both types of stones which show both acidic and alkaline urine (!) so how in the world do you treat that? Or do we simply not worry about future oxalate stone formation and treat as if she only had the other kind(s)?:lpy:
Thanks for any advice!
Diane
(Sarah, 8 yo Blenheim foster; Geordie, 4 yo Blenheim, Teddy, 6 yo B&T rescue and Chase, 2 yo Golden Retriever)