diet for pug with bladder crystals

Question
I am adopting a 7 y/0 male pug who has just had surgery for bladder crystal (?). Being told he needs royal canin so dog food forever.  Read something by you re: homemade diet to control this.  I am definately interested in this, but don't want to just wing it and adversly affect this poor dog.  How, specifically, would I make a homemade dog food that would keep his urine slightly acidic.  Also, should I use the purchased dog food for a while and slowly switch him over to a homemade one?  Thank you for your help.  Apparently he also has a broken, um er , penis.  Probably due to a kick.  Any concerns there?  Thank you,  Susie

Answer
Hi Susie,
My first reaction to your post is, wow, that poor little guy! It's great that he will have a loving home now with you. And I agree, it's unwise in general to just "wing" a home made diet - as carnivores, dogs have more particular dietary needs than we do, and it's always important to get that right - even more so for a dog with any health issue. So I definitely feel you should use the purchased food for the time being. while your dog is adjusting to his new home, do some research (you can join my discussion group for one reliable source on the net) and let him settle in before introducing dietary changes. Small dogs can be very sensitive and it sounds like he's been through a lot. Struvites are more easily managed than oxalate, and don't usually require major dietary adjustment; but it does make sense to have cultures done regularly and to use the ph strips to check his urine. Here is a good site with some information for you on struvites (I'm assuming they are struvites since you are trying to acidify the diet?);
http://www.vmth.ucdavis.edu/home/NUT/brochures/uroliths.doc?html

also:
http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=545988


Struvites form in the presence of a bacterial infection (usually) and also when the urine is  either overly alkaline, or saturated with magnesium and phosphate. For this reason, it;s important to A) watch mineral intake carefully, possibly restrict phosphorus, but don't restrict anything to deficiency levels, these minerals are dietarily required nutrient B) keep the urine normal or slightly acidic, but don't overdo it C) attempt to prevent recurrent infections. Using some cranberry capsules and adding a few drops of Aerobic Oxygen  to drinking water can help, but don't add cranberry if there are oxalates present. Make sure you know what type of urolith was removed - a stone can  have a struvite shell and an oxalate core, if this is the case you are going to need professional help putting a home made diet together.

If it's struvite alone we can help on the group, or write me back here when you're sure. With oxalates I really prefer to do a tailormade diet for the dog. You can slightly acidify the urinary ph by reducing the carb and feeding a little extra protein (but you need to factor in the phosphorus content, so I like dark meat turkey here) but Vitamin C is very acidifying and can create problems of it's own, especially at high doses, so despite the conventional wisdom I do not use supplemental C for stone-formers.

Protein should be moderate, not as restricted as with oxalate (or in the short term prescription diets) but be careful with it. If you restrict the protein and carb, this means dietary fat will be higher, so have the dog tested for pancreatic and liver enzymes just to be on the safe side. If the dog is overweight or has had a pancreatitis attack, fat will need to be restricted and the compromise here will be more fiber and protein. It can be a juggling act if several conditions are presented at once.


Fish body oil is always a good addition for any type of urolith, as it is anti-inflammatory and helps support kidney function. A 1000 mg capsule per day (containing a high level of EPA and DHA, say 400/200 mgs) plus a good quality, natural source Vitamin E (100IU daily) would be great for this dog.

Hope this helps a little..as for the "broken" penis - what a horrible thought, I hope whoever did that was criminally charged with cruelty - this is a veterinary issue and you might want to ask in Dog Health? I use a homeopathic called Traumeel for pain and shock, but more heavy duty pain management might be needed in tis case.
http://www.heel.com/products/?smid=1&prodID=1&modus=1

No doubt there will be emotional scars as well, but your love and good care will go a long way to healing those wounds.

If I can help more let me know. Recurrence of any stone can be prevented with proper dietary manipulation, so don't be afraid to  keep asking questions.
Catherine