canine struvite stones

Question
My yorkie had surgery to remove struvite stones.  I am confused about the diet needed to prevent them.  She is on Science Diet CD, but I am concerned about all the fillers used in that food.  I have read a lot about holist foods,  am wondering if that is the better food.  How do I know that she isn't receiving too much protein, magnesium & phosphorous and is receiving enough of the right ingredients to raise her urine acidity if I don't use the CD diet?  I was told the food needs to be low in protein, yet aren't meats proteins?  I need help knowing what is best to feed her.

Answer
Hi Karin,

I'm sorry to hear about your Yorkie, but as you no doubt are aware, uroliths of this type are common in the breed.
And I understand your confusion here, because Science Diet really is a poor quality food, but it IS formulated to help control various conditions, so what you end up doing is trading off disease control for poor nutrition. That's the strength and the weakness of a conventional Westerm medicine; it treats the condition in isolation from the whole organism. What I like to see with uroliths is a home made diet that uses fresh foods and is also formulated correctly for the condition, but I understand this isn't possible without help. I share your concern about switching to a premium food, although they are indeed all MUCH better in terms of food ingredients (than Hill's) they are also not geared to prevention of a struvite reccurrence.
So you are in a bit of a dilemma here.
All that said, *most* struvites are related to bacterial infection and if that is controlled, it limits the likelihood of reccurence. (There are no guarantees). I have worked with dozens of dogs with struvite who were able to return to mostly a normal level of nutrient once  the condition had been treated.  Each case is unique, but there are some guidelines.
If you would like more ideas about a home made diet, you can either contact me privately to discuss a consultation, or you can ask here and although it isn't a substitute for personalized support, I may be able to offer some tips and ideas. In the meantime, I'd have to say stick with the prescription diet.
And yes, meats are primarily protein and fat.

Sorry not to be much help here, but for a condition like this I can't just suggest a recipe - there are too many factors and variables to consider; I like to work with the owner, using ph strips at home to test the ph in the urine, and watching how the dog actually does on the diet I formulate. A diet can look perfect on paper and still not be ideal for the individual, your dog is more than his or her condition, and I need to know that my diets work for the whole dog, as well as controlling whatever problem we're addressing.

All the best, Catherine