# Struvite crystals and an alkaline urine



## Lesa P (Feb 3, 2017)

I was just wondering if the occurrence of crystals in urine (struvite) is a Vizsla thing, or just a canine thing. Our V is fed Taste of the Wild (plus some wet Merrick). A few days ago while on the operating table (for her spay day), she urinated and the vet noticed bloody clots and a dark brown urine. She told me she was hoping it was a urinary tract infection vs crystals as one was treatable and the other more of a life time of watchfulness. As a med tech, she gave me a sample and I cultured it. It did not grow anything. She seems to drink plenty of water and Taste of the Wild is a grain free food. Does anyone have any suggestions? Are we going to have to make our own food for her? Now I'm worried, I hate to worry. 
Also, it took her 2 days to recoup, are all V's that sensitive? She just laid around, wouldn't eat, drink, so not herself....but today she's feeling much better.


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## einspänner (Sep 8, 2012)

As far as I know, struvite crystals aren't more prevalent in vizslas than in any other breed. My dog has a genetic condition that makes her more likely to form uric acid stones which form in acidic urine, so we're on the other side here. I manage it primarily through diet and hydration. She always gets 1-2 cups of water added to her meals and that's a really easy way to increase hydration. Low sodium broth would be another good option and I'll sometimes add it to some water to encourage her to drink throughout the day. The motto for a HUU support group I followed is "dilution is the solution," so before going down the road of diet change, definitely give increased hydration a try. 

For diet, she gets a raw diet which naturally creates acidic urine--usually a good thing for them. I know you're not thrilled by the idea of a specialized diet, but if the crystals end up being a chronic problem it's something to look into. I'd recommend raw even for healthy dogs; I don't view it as a last resort. I have to add in veggies to make her urine more alkaline, so reducing those for your girl, again, is going to help with the pH. With humans, cranberry juice or supplements are often recommended, so talk to your vet to see if that would be a good option for your girl. 

I'm sure it'll work out something for your pup! I worried a lot when my dog's issues first manifested and it's really been much easier to manage her condition than I thought.


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## Lesa P (Feb 3, 2017)

Thanks for the recommendation to add water to her food. I had not thought about that. She does seem to be a good water consumer, but then again, how can one really tell how it equates to being well hydrated. All I know is her licks are very wet!  She has completed her course of antibiotics, even though she did not have a UTI. They want to retest her urine next week to see if the pH has dropped. How does one collect a Vizsla's urine? Shove something under her when she squats? If the pH is still high our vet is going to recommend a diet like Urinary S.O., I am curious about your raw diet, we have never branched out beyond commercial food.


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## einspänner (Sep 8, 2012)

I wrote a more detailed reply, but the site logged me out when I submitted it. So here's the short version:

I use a stainless steel ladle to collect the urine. First pee of the morning, midstream, transfer to a plastic container for transport, and bring to vet ASAP. 

I switched from kibble to raw when she was a puppy because she wasn't digesting it well. Then when she was diagnosed with HUU, I modified her diet to work with her condition. The prescription kibble for HUU is basically vegetarian and I prefer to keep her on a whole foods, meat based diet. 

A balanced raw diet consists of roughly 80% muscle meat, 10% bone, 5% liver, and 5% other organs (kidney, for instance). A good starting point for amounts is 2-3% of dog's bodyweight in pounds. So a 50lb dog would get 1-1.5lbs of meat, bones, and organs a day. There are a number of threads that go into more detail and offer other perspectives, so pop raw diet into the search bar and read up or let me know if you have any specific questions!


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## Lesa P (Feb 3, 2017)

Thanks this will be helpful!


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