Guest abbysmom Posted February 27, 2014 Share Posted February 27, 2014 Hello: I'd love some opinions and wisdom from greytalk here. Short (or shortish) bit of background: someone was peeing in the house. I took urine to the vet's, and one of my greys (Emmy) had white blood cells and crystals, the other had crystals in her urine. (I should add that the second grey, Rosie, had recently been on antibiotics for another issue--skin.) We've never had issues with crystals in the past. My vet (a friend) asked if I had switched kibble brand. . . I have not. (Have been feeding Canidae ALS for years.) So now, Emmy is on antibiotics, and both girls are on urine acidifiers. The current plan is to retest when Emmy is done with her antibiotics. But, my vet had mentioned that her Corgi had a UTI and, since Corgis are apparently prone to stones, she's switched him from Canidae to a prescription diet. Right now, she's not talking about changing food for my girls, but, I'm just trying to think ahead. I'm not sure if Canidae has recently changed its formula. Does anyone know? I'm not terribly keen on a long-term switch to prescription food unless absolutely necessary. I have read that diets without too many carbohydrates can help keep ph levels balanced and, hence, help with crystal formation. So, does anyone have experience with this? Does anyone have suggestions for a good mid-range (non-prescription) food that might be worth a try if things don't straighten out with the next urine check? (Both dogs are 8 years old.) I'd love opinions and wisdom from the greygroup! :-) Thanks! Laurie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brandiandwe Posted February 27, 2014 Share Posted February 27, 2014 I've had ongoing UTI and Ph problems in my pack with Brandi. I feed her Nature's Domain, but recently seem to have improved the Ph and reduced the likelihood of removing the yoghurt I was giving her, and substituting tinned tomatoes (watch out for added salt and sugar) and giving all of them a cranberry additive. There's a thread above in Health where I go through what she's currently on as an experiment, but in terms of food only, this is what I'm doing and it seems to be working as far as the Ph in concerned. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blaidd49 Posted February 28, 2014 Share Posted February 28, 2014 What type of crystals are they. Makes a big difference as to how they should be managed from a dietary standpoint Calcium Oxalate, Struvite, etc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest abbysmom Posted February 28, 2014 Share Posted February 28, 2014 Thanks to you both. I'll have to ask which kind of crystals they are. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest abbysmom Posted February 28, 2014 Share Posted February 28, 2014 They are struvite crystals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Batmom Posted February 28, 2014 Share Posted February 28, 2014 Usually you see those crystals in infection. Clear the infection, problem solved. Quote Star aka Starz Ovation (Ronco x Oneco Maggie*, litter #48538), Coco aka Low Key (Kiowa Mon Manny x Party Hardy, litter # 59881), and mom in IllinoisWe miss Reko Batman (Trouper Zeke x Marque Louisiana), 11/15/95-6/29/06, Rocco the thistledown whippet, 04/29/93-10/14/08, Reko Zema (Mo Kick x Reko Princess), 8/16/98-4/18/10, the most beautiful girl in the whole USA, my good egg Joseph aka Won by a Nose (Oneco Cufflink x Buy Back), 09/22/2003-03/01/2013, and our gentle sweet Gidget (Digitizer, Dodgem by Design x Sobe Mulberry), 1/29/2006-11/22/2014, gone much too soon. Never forgetting CJC's Buckshot, 1/2/07-10/25/10. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brandiandwe Posted February 28, 2014 Share Posted February 28, 2014 Usually you see those crystals in infection. Clear the infection, problem solved. This. But you can also work with other foods to try to improve the Ph overall to increase the acidity of the bladder and reduce the amount of bacteria that are present thereby reducing the possibility of further infections. So tomatoes and cranberry are good options. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest abbysmom Posted March 1, 2014 Share Posted March 1, 2014 Thank you! I also read your other thread. I appreciate the feedback. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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