# Struvite crystals/food



## InTheNet (Jun 1, 2016)

We have the pleasure of Zoltan (the wonder puppy) joining us. We adopted him at 8 weeks and now is 15 weeks.

The breeder was feeding purine pro plan which we did not care for as all the grain. We have been feeding Timberwolves grain free.

A couple of weeks ago he started Peeing in the house often. I thought bladder infection so went to vet and it was confirmed. With a course of anti biotics the infection is cleared up but still peeing in house and from excitement (not done this before)
We took another pee sample in and he now has struvite crystals. 
The vet recommended Royal Canin SO For urinary problems. This food is mostly grain corn/rice/wheat. From my reading grain is not good for urinary problems in dogs.

Our thoughts are to continue the grain free kibble. and add more liquid to help dissolve/flush things out. We also are using cranberry powder ( may not help but do not see any negatives)

We are going to make chicken broth/beef broth and ad to his kibble to increase water intake

We are going to monitor ph which is at 9 now and should be 5-7.

Ideas /suggestions welcome


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## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

It's something I know very little about, so I looked to see if Dr Becker had any posts on it. Not sure how much help it will be, but here is the link. 
http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2013/09/09/struvite-stones.aspx


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## einspänner (Sep 8, 2012)

You'll be good between monitoring pH, adding broth, and using a cranberry supplement. You could also add enough water to his kibble to "float" it, as well as get him drinking consistently throughout the day with frequent bathroom breaks. Add a probiotic in there as well. Yogurt or kefir if he tolerates dairy. Beyond that it's silly to overhaul your dog's diet, if it's been working well otherwise, because of one infection. If it turns into a chronic issue that's when you want reconsider. 

My dog has a genetic condition that leaves her predisposed to forming a different kind of crystal which is more likely to form in acidic urine, so I was faced with the opposite task of alkalizing her urine. I'm not an expert, but I've done way too much reading on optimizing diets for urinary problems.  Her prey model raw diet which included next to no vegetables was fantastic at keeping her urine acidic, normally a great thing for dogs. (And a raw diet would be my recommendation if he repeatedly has UTIs). By adding in certain veggies, among other changes I've successfully changed her pH. So in general a diet with higher meat content will lead to more acidic urine and more veggies and grains will lead to more alkaline. 

Blueberries, like cranberries, acidify urine and help prevent bacteria from sticking to the bladder wall. Those, chunks of meat, and dehydrated liver would be my choice for training treats. Kibble is already balanced, so I wouldn't go crazy adding a bunch of extras to his meals though.


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## hecallsmebama (Mar 31, 2016)

I second einspanner on the probiotics. I'm no expert on urinary issues, but anytime you have a round of antibiotics you need to replace the good bacteria with probiotics, so the yeast/fungus does not take over and wreak havoc. I know this from our family's lovely bag of health issues and I can't imagine it's all that different for dogs. 

Also, coconut oil is an anti fungal, so adding a bit of that might help, too, as far as keeping the yeast/fungus from gaining the upper hand. 

And I just noticed that the ph is 9, which is alkaline. Yeast/Fungus love alkalinity and even secrete some chemical to make their environment more alkaline in the gut. Bacteria secrete acid. I don't know if those carry over to urine, but if it does, then I would guess the probiotics and coconut oil would help alot.


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## Gatsby2015 (Oct 26, 2015)

Gatsby also had an infection at about the same age. We added water to his kibble as well as a can of food and he has been fine since the one infection. He is about 15 months old now. He eats the Merrick's canned and Blue Buffalo kibble. We also add some canned pumpkin to his kibble. Good luck, I hope your puppy feels better soon!


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