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RWDVM
05-24-2005, 07:29 AM
Yesterday, a lady brought in her medium sized female mixed breed dog with a complaint of the dog leaking urine, sometimes blood tinged, for MONTHS! The very moment I palpated the abdomen, I felt such a stone load in her bladder, that I did not even need an x-ray to offer my diagnosis of severe bladder stones. X-ray confirmed a hugely distended bladder with 6 stones ranging in size from golf ball size to twice as big.

It saddens me to think of all the time that ellapsed that this dog had to endure such severe discomfort. The client was new, so I don't know her that well personally, but she did not seem at all neglectful. In fact, she gave me every indication that she truly loved the dog and felt very badly that things had gone so far and did not hesitate to book the surgery for this morning. She had just kept banking on the fact that the problem would eventually pass.

Case in point folks, once you see blood in the urine, the waiting game is officially over - don't hesitate bring them to the vet, as this almost always indicated a that somthing not good is going on. rw

Magnum
05-28-2005, 12:45 AM
How is the dog doing? I hope she is okay and is on her way to a speedy recovery.... :(

Squawksx3
05-29-2005, 01:24 PM
Good golly... Im sure glad she finally decided to take the pup in for medical help. I couldn't imagine living in pain all that time :confused: . As you said, I dont think people do it on purpose.. they just dont think and the animals cannot tell us when something is wrong :( . Good luck with the surgery. If she had brought the dog in earlier could you have taken care of it without having to do surgery?.

RWDVM
05-29-2005, 06:46 PM
Thanks for asking. She went home Thursday. I couldn't have hoped for a better outcome, she's a brave old girl. As far as non-surgical management of bladder stones, that depends on the size and type. Struvite are the most common type of bladder stone. If caught early and the stones are small, they can be dissolved by a special diet that acidifies the urine (Hill's S/D). Calcium oxylate stones do not respond to any dietary management and have to be removed surgically. However, once removed, their recurrence can be prevented by a special diet that alkalinizes the urine.

In male dogs, I typically remove the stones no matter what they are because, with their longer and more twisty urethra, they run the risk of getting a stone lodged in the urethra.

Magnum
05-29-2005, 06:55 PM
GLad to hear she is doing good and is recouping at home. ;) Thanks for the update. :)

Squawksx3
05-29-2005, 08:57 PM
Im so glad to hear the surgery went well and she's home YAY!. Im assuming she's on a special diet now so the stones dont come back...?. Bless her heart, what she must've gone through. Thanks Dr Roger for the explaination and the update!!! :)