Bladder problems - food change? -UPDATE

Since it doesn't hurt to rotate rood, I'd try that. At least you could test things and see if there is a change in the urinalysis on a different food.

I actually float my dogs kibble with every meal to be sure they are getting enough water. At least 2 cups of water in each meal. All the dogs basically drink the water first and then eat their kibble, but this way I know they are hydrated. So that's an option too.

 I also float kibble, and bait water, after paying $1000 and nearly losing a dog to bladder stones. If the flavored water works, do it! I do beef broth, or one of the doggy electrolyte mixes (their favorite is k-9 quencher's vanilla flavor), or I just add some flavoring extract (vanilla, peppermint, almond).

Thanks everyone!

I will be dropping off her urine sample this morning, I'll update when we get the results.

I too add water to her kibble... but only about 1/2 cup. She gets one cup at each feeding, so I thought any more water would be too much. But if you're adding up to two cups... maybe I could try adding even more? Sounds like a good option to me.

She's doing well on Wellness... EXCEPT that she has had a few recurring ear infections. Could it be that she is allergic to grain? Hence why I might want to try Evo...

 Thanks again,

 -bernerbear

 I think the "allergic to grain" thing is slightly overplayed, personally. My dog is allergic to rice, but not to corn, LOL. She tolerates corn GREAT! She eats food that she is definitely not allergic to, and has constant ear ick, because she has a TON of environmental allergies. I work very hard to manage them, and that minimizes things, but.... food allergies aren't everything.

If you suspect a grain issue, why not try Core? It's a more moderate food, and doesn't add in the extra factor of dairy.

Hmm, true! Also there have been a lot of dogs in my area having ear troubles due to environmental allergies - vet said for some reason it's been really bad this year. So maybe once the snow flies her ears will clear up.

Still waiting for the results... stay tuned :)

 -bernerbear 

Hi everyone,

 So, Mika's urinalysis results came back, and they're not so good . Her PH is 8 (high), and he said the crystal stuff is back (although weaker than the first test). And he told my mom (she was the one to talk to him on the phone) that actually, her second test, which we were told was 100% clear actually still had some of the crystals, it was just 'better' than before... um, excuse me?? Then why were we told it was 'problem solved, with a follow up in a month'??? Basically he said the crystals were at like a 3 the first time, a 1 the next, and a 2 again yesterday.

And then on the phone yesterday with my mom (I was out...arg) he also said her red and white blood cell counts were really really low. He asked how she was feeling... mom said fine (she'd been perfectly normal) and he said he was surprised she wasn't feeling sick with her blood count like that. My mom was a bit taken aback... tried to ask him what that meant, as in WHY they are so low, and couldn't really get a good answer. Basically all he said was if we want this fixed we need to change her food. He wants us to feed Science Diet, and if we won't do that, then Royal Canin.

 But what I want to know is, WHAT aspect of her diet needs to change to help her bladder problem?? Just telling us to 'change her food' without saying why or what parts need changing is to me really incomplete. Maybe some people are okay with that kind of vet, but frankly not me. We're seriously considering changing vets. And not just because of this intance... the last time we were there, they mixed up files and accidentally gave her a whole set of vaccines she didn't need (needless to say I was furious... he assured me it was not a problem.. didn't even apologize... he acted like nothing happened after he realised). And in general I just feel like there's a lack of thoroughness... I want a vet who will notice things before they're a problem, and work proactively to protect the health of my dog. Mika is my baby... and having someone treat her health like its 'no big deal' is distressing to me. I lost my last dog to cancer, and it broke my heart, so excuse me if I'm a little paranoid about getting health issues solved ASAP. I know now, time is of all importance.

 Anyway, sorry about the rant. I think we will be looking for a new vet though. It will be difficult because our current vet is my mom's friends husband (families know eachother) so we don't want to offend him... but the health of my pup is just too important to be taken lightly. If anyone has any tips on how to tell a vet nicely that you're changing clinics, let me know!! And also, if anyone from southern Ontario (specifically Guelph-Eramosa area) can recommend a good vet, please PM me.

 If anyone has any tips on what we should do diet wise, as all we were told was S.D. or Royal Canin, that would be great!! Thanks guys,

-bernerbear

 Get in touch with a nutritionist, if you don't want to do the prescription diets. They can tell you exactly what needs to be done, and exactly how to do it. Monica Segal (monicasegal.com) and Sabine Contreras (who I've used, personally, at betterdogcare.com) seem to be respected, and often used.