Dogs Dog bladder stones and urethral stones are one of the most common diseases of urinary tract stones in dogs, which can occur in both female and male dogs. Sick dogs often suffer from urinary tract damaging inflammation or obstruction due to the enlargement of urinary stone particles, and have obvious clinical symptoms such as frequent urination, hematuria, dripping urine or anuria. If the dog is not treated in time, as the course of the disease prolongs, it may cause Dog's death. So what are the causes of urinary tract stones in dogs?

Portuguese Water Dog

1. Factors of urinary system infection

The dog's urinary system is infected by some bacteria (such as Staphylococcus, Proteus, etc.), which damages the urethra epithelium, causing epithelial cells to fall off and casts to form, resulting in the core of stones; in addition, due to vitamin A deficiency or the use of female Hormones and stimulation from surgical threads can also cause epithelial shedding, leading to the core of stones; these factors are all inducements to the formation of urethral stones.

If the relative balance between salt crystals and colloids in urine is destroyed, salt crystals in urine will continue to be produced and attach to core foreign bodies to form stones.

​2. Drinking water factor

Dogs that don't like to drink water or drink enough water will have a higher rate of developing bladder urethral stones. Similarly, insufficient drinking water will cause urine concentration, making the stone crystals in the urine supersaturated, making it easier to form crystalline precipitation, which can further increasing the chance of stone formation.

3. Food factors

According to some books on dog diseases, many dog ​​parents who suffer from urinary stones often feed chicken liver, pork liver or beef, lean pork, and foods containing high animal protein diets for a long time, which results in phosphorus and calcium in the feed. The increase in the ratio will cause the levels of phosphorus in serum and urine to increase, and the incidence of urinary stones will increase. The ratio of phosphorus to calcium in the internal organs of animals such as chicken liver, pork liver and lean pork is significantly higher than the feeding standard, and the magnesium content is often also higher than the feeding standard. If the dog eats a large amount of these things on a regular basis, it will easily lead to an increase in the amount of phosphorus and magnesium in the dog's urine. And because chicken liver, pork liver, pork, etc. are particularly rich in protein, the nitrogen-containing compounds in them are eventually degraded into ammonium ions. In this way, when the phosphate ions, magnesium ions, and ammonium ions in the urine increase to a certain concentration, magnesium ammonium phosphate is formed and precipitates, forming stone substances.

4. Breed, gender, sterilization and other individual factors

Generally, the clinical incidence of bladder urethral stones in male dogs is higher than that in female dogs. This is because the physiological structure of male dogs causes the urinary tract to be longer, which increases the chance of stone formation. Moreover, male dogs often suffer from urinary tract stones. Are bladder stones and urethral stones at the same time?occur.

In addition, the incidence of urinary stones in neutered dogs will be higher, which may be due to the tendency of urethral obstruction after neutering.

Different breeds of dogs also have certain differences in the incidence of urinary stones. For example, the prevalence of urinary stones in Pekingese, Shih Tzu, and Pug dogs is relatively high. I personally think it may be related to the low amount of exercise, because it is easy to develop urinary stones if the amount of exercise is small. Letting the crystals in urine settle is the same as for humans. As you may know, some people have urinary stones. In less serious cases, one solution is to let the patient jump. It sounds a bit ridiculous, but it is indeed useful.