Canine Urinary Crystals

You can be prepared for it.

Canine urinary crystals. While your veterinarian can deal with crystals you can save money and treat the crystals. Struvite crystals irritate the urinary tract and trigger frequent urination. Now you know what causes crystals in dog urine. They typically form because of urinary changes that happen when bladder infections occur.

Dogs prescribed antibiotics will typically use the drugs while consuming the therapeutic dog food and possibly longer if needed. Crystals in dog urine can also be an indication of bladder or kidney infection. Canine urolithiasis is a condition in which crystals develop in the urine often leading to the formation of bladder stones. Depending on the mineral makeup of the stones a calculoytic diet is recommended by veterinarians to dissolve and or prevent recurrence of certain types of crystals and bladder stones.

This can include any foul or fishy urine smell or even your dog smelling like urine. Certain kinds of crystals in cat urine or dog urine may eventually lead to stone formation. Crystals can become bladder stones and a chronic issue if not dealt with. Bilirubin crystals are seen most commonly in canine urine especially in highly concentrated specimens.

Struvite stones are one of the most common bladder stones in dogs and cats. The presence of crystals in dog s urine does not necessarily mean that the dog has or will develop kidney stones. In dogs they often are of no clinical significance healthy dogs can have low but detectable bilirubin levels in urine. Acute dog urinary incontinence concern can be brought on by struvite crystals forming in the dogs urine.

It also doesn t necessarily call for medical treatment interventions such as medications. If struvite is the diagnosis a veterinarian will treat the underlying cause e g dog antibiotics for urinary tract infections and may recommend a therapeutic diet that will dissolve the stones and crystals. Urinary crystals are commonly referred to as bladder stones or urinary calculi in dogs and the condition which causes them is called urolithiasis. Urinary crystals are usually found within the bladder but can form in the kidneys or surrounding tubes called ureters or the urethra.

They are less common in urine of other species. However according to veterinarians at the marva vista animal clinic in los angeles struvite crystals require an alkaline ph in order to form. Urine crystals and stones aren t always related. Crystalluria in individuals with anatomically and functionally normal urinary tracts may be harmless because the crystals are eliminated before they grow large enough to interfere with normal urinary function.

Urinary stones are similar to human kidney stones which is less common in dogs and cats but typically form in the bladder.