Urinary Issues

Question
Hi - I have a 4 1/2 month old pembroke welsh corgi.  
He had "bladder crystals" at 3 1/2 months old and was peeing blood for
about three days.  
Had urinalysis done and vet told me to change his diet.  After a lot of trial and
error and frustration, I decided to cook for my pup.  I typically have been
feeing him a mixture of Chicken and chicken liver, potato, Yams, and veggies
- with calcium and oil added.   
He's done VERY well with litter box training - before
the crystals he was doing very well - during the crystals he was peeing all
over - and since the crystals he's been peeing EXTREMELY consistently in the
box.  
SUDDENLY last night, he jumped up on the bed (I was awake and on the
couch nearby) and peed on my boyfriend while my boyfriend was sleeping.  I
thought that perhaps it was a hormone or territory issue until tonight -   
in the space of an hour he peed excessively on his own bed and then right
next to me on the floor while I was working with him on training.  (I was
feeding him lettuce, which I know is high in water content)  I was shocked
when he started to pee on the floor and when I responded to his action he
hurriedly went over to the box and finished peeing there.  I'm not sure what
to think now.  
He did drink more water than usual tonight.  He doesn't drink much water
from his water dish normally at all.  I have to add water to his food to
get him to really drink.  (The vet theorized that his low water intake probably
contributed to the bladder crystals.) But tonight, when I took a bath he drank
quite a bit of clean, warm water from the tub.  (No soap)
So perhaps he's not used to drinking so much and having such a full bladder?  
When he got the bladder crystals episode (about a month ago) he stared off
peeing about every minute or 30 second and then progressed to peeing
blood.  Very little amounts each time he peed.  (Just like a human with a
bladder infection)
Now, however,  he's peeing a LOT!  So, I don't think he has material or
crystals obstructing his urethra.  
Could it be his age - hormones - testing me - adolescence?
Could  it be that he's too focused on other things and is suddenly waiting too
long to pee?
I'm not sure what to think.  
If he was acting like he had an infection or crystals I think that I would
recognize it.  (He didn't have an infection when it was discovered that he had
crystals)
Any advice, thoughts, sites to check out?
I live in NYC - any folks that you know and trust to contact?
I don't like the vets I've been going to, since they were VERY non-specific
about what food switch would help the urine crystal problem.

Answer
Jeannie, just going off of what you've told me here, it's difficult to say whether the problem was due to his excessive drinking that day or if it could have been something else. Has he done it any more since? I would be inclined to think that the amount of water he drank did play a role in it, but it's almost as if he didn't realize he was peeing until you fussed at him, so it could very well be that he's got more crystals or has developed a bladder or urinary tract infection. Or, it could be, like you said, that he's simply not paying close enough attention and doesn't realize he has to 'go' until he IS! My male German shepherd was horrible for that when he was young. He would be so engrossed in whatever it was he was doing, that he would 'forget' that he had to pee, and just start peeing wherever he was. I was cleaning up 'pee trails' off the carpet for MONTHS, where he would just start peeing as he was moving around the room. I'd much rather clean up a puddle - at least it's all in one spot! A belly band helped, as far as keeping the mess off my floor, but with a belly band, you have to keep checking it like you would a baby's diaper, because you don't want it to sit, wet, against the dog's belly for too long.

At just 18 weeks, I doubt adolescence has anything to do with it.


There are several different types of crystals that dogs can suffer from. Did your vet specify which type your dog had? That can help me to help you figure out a way to treat them.

I'm guessing the vet wanted to put your dog on a 'prescription diet' made by Hills or Purina; am I right? Unfortunately, vets are taught very little about nutrition in vet school, and the one class they DO get is funded and put together by Hills and Purina, so of course they skew the information so that the vets think that these two companies really know what they're doing. Then, they come up with all these 'prescription foods' that are supposedly for different ailments, but are actually pretty much all the same, if you look at the ingredients and guaranteed analyses. Many of these foods are even worse than the 'over the counter' foods! Hills and Purina are two of the WORST pet food manufacturers out there, based on the quality of the products they sell. In fact, I wouldn't feed a food that was made by Hills or Purina to >>any<< dog.

I'd like to recommend that you take a look at my dog food page, which is located at http://dogfoods.angelfire.com when you get a few minutes. Also, get back to me about what type of crystals your dog has, so I can try to help you figure out the best way of treating the problem.