Urinary Tract Problems - Calcium Crystals in Bladder - wont each commercial food

Question
Hi, I have an 11 year old rottweiler bitch.  She has been having problems since May2007.  Started with patches of urine on floor after sitting down, vets did tests etc came back with crystals in urine, she has been on hills s/o canine, ate it for afew weeks then wouldn't eat anymore.  Then changed to waltham royal canine urinary s/o ate for about a month then won't eat again.  She is on metacam for inflammation and arthritus so with not eating not always getting the metacam she needs.  Is there anything i can cook, home made food that will help her.  I tried tuna for a while but she's off that aswell.  I don't want to turn back the progress the diet has done so far, which is reduce the crystals significantly, but not completely and they will soon come back as she's just not eating.  She has no energy and i assume in some discomfort as not getting all her metacam, also she has lost so much weight.  Any suggestions would be appreciated.  Thank you

Answer
Hello Nikki,

I'm sorry to hear your girl is having these problems. I have a senior dog too, with multiple issues, and I know how challenging it can be. The good news is, there's a lot you can do to help. Let's see if we can find some answers.

First of all, a home made diet is a great idea. But I'm a strong believer that owners need to really know what they're doing, or major deficiencies can result that end up backfiring on you. To complicate matters, your dog requires special dietary strategies first and foremost because she is a senior; but equally the crystals require specific management as well. I would not recommend feeding tuna at all, due to the many warnings about mercury, pcb and other toxins in large fish. But sardines are much safer and can be used to boost the Omega3 fatty acids in her diet, which helps reduce inflammation. Just a quick note about tuna, I don't use it for dogs at all.

My first question is, are these struvite crystals? I'm assuming they are, but since the dietary approach for crystals depends on the type, I would need to confirm that before I can make more suggestions. Is she on glucosamine/chondroitin, fish oils, bromelain - anything in terms of natural support for the arthritis? How long has she been on Metacam? Because Metacam stresses the liver, I generally recommend some liver support as well - milk thistle, for example, Before I get ahead of myself, you need a basic diet, so please fill me in about the type of crystals and I can make further recommendations. Have you had a full geriatric work-up done - liver, kidney, pancreatic enzymes all ok?

All the best, Catherine