Bladder Stones in the Canine Patient...

Our doctors surgically remove a lot of bladder stones at work. Usually these uroliths are small and a lot of the time there are quite a few of them.

Today we had two different patients in for surgery that had really large bladder stones.

In fact, these stones were enormous.

The first couple of pictures are of two stones that were formed in a medium sized female labrador mix. The tear drop shaped stone was sitting in the bottom of the bladder and was shaped, in part, by the neck of the bladder. A second stone formed on top of the first, forming a cap of sorts.

This was such an unusual formation that I just had to get a picture of it.

The stone was washed and dried. It isn't sparkling from moisture, but from the crystals that formed it.




The second dog was a female German Shepherd. This is the picture of her bladder. The stone is still inside.

Dog owners bring their pets in when they discover blood in the urine. A lot of the time, the hematuria isn't noticed because most pets go outside in the back yard and the owners don't see the urine. This is usually why uroliths can get so large before they are discovered.

Most of the time a pet with hematuria is only noticed if the pet has an accident indoors, or if the owner happens to be with the pet when it urinates and sees the red-tinged urine.Bladder stones can be formed by several different types of crystals.

And there are many reasons why crystals can occur in the urine.

One factor is that there are some breeds of dogs that have a tendency to form more stones than others. Some of the more common breeds of dogs that have a tendency to form bladder stones are:

Miniature Schnauzers
Miniature Poodles
Dachshunds
Shihtzues
Cocker Spaniels
Dalmatians
English Bulldogs

However, any breed of dog can form bladder stones.

There are also certain foods and minerals that help to precipitate crystal formation in the urine. By the same token, there are special diets that have been developed that help to "dissolve" certain types of small stones in the bladder.

A proper pH will help to prevent most stones.

But when you are dealing with stones of this size, there is no alternative other than surgery.

At our hospital we recommend that all pets have a urinalysis every six months. That way we can monitor the pH of the urine as well as check the sediment microscopically for any signs of bacteria, crystals, or other abnormalities.

A urinalysis can also help us watch for certain physiological conditions.


A small little test twice a year can really help prevent a larger problem from occuring...

later...

Washington State College of Veterinary Medicine: Terms, Definitions, and Types of Uroliths

Washington State College of Veterinary Medicine: Urolithiasis