How to Use Home Remedies to Treat Bladder Stones in Dogs

If your dog has bladder stones the symptoms may include straining to urinate, urinating in inappropriate places or even blood in the urine. Bladder stones can be slightly uncomfortable to excrutiatingly painful depending upon their size. The stones are an accumulation of minerals which for unknown reasons, crystallize to form "stones." There are two kinds of bladder stones, one that forms in urine that is acidic and the other in urine that is alkaline. Since treatment is different for each, it is important to visit your vet to determine which one your dog has. Sometimes surgery is needed to remove large stones, but in most cases, natural remedies can help prevent them from coming back.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Vitamin C
• Corn silk capsules or parsley
• Capra mineral whey

1. Feed your dog plenty of meat. Dogs need one third of their diet to be meat. Most commercial pet foods get a good deal of their protein from grains, which make the urine alkaline. That creates an environment for stones to form. More meat will acidify the urine. Feed your dog a premium quality food such as Innova available from pet supply stores. Add cooked meat if your budget can handle it.

2. Provide lots of water. Keeping the bladder flushed helps to remove debris and bacteria which can cause bladder infections. Pets with bladder infections are more at risk to form stones. The easiest way to get your dog to drink more water is to make their food soupy with water or low sodium chicken or beef broth.

3. Give them a natural diuretic. Both corn silk and parsley are naturally occurring diuretics to remove fluid from the body. The extra urine produced by the kidneys can help flush away bladder debris. Use fresh chopped parsley in the amount of: 1/2 to 1 tsp. per day for dogs under 15 pounds, 15 to 50 pounds can take 1 to 2 tsp. per day and larger dogs can have 1/2 to 1 tbsp. per day. The dose for corn silk is one capsule for every 20 pounds of weight.

4. Give them Vitamin C. Ascorbic acid is the most common form of Vitamin C, which acidifies the urine and helps dissolve and prevent some types of stones. Under 15 pounds can have 250 to 500 mgs twice per day. Dogs 15 to 50 pounds can have 500 mgs twice per day, and larger dogs can take 1000 mgs twice per day. Watch for diarrhea since Vitamin C can cause it and cut back the dose.

5. Add "good" minerals to their diet. A supplement called Capra Mineral Whey contains biologically active minerals that help dissolve stones in the bladder. It can be purchased at health food stores and the website listed below. Give dogs over 50 pounds the full human dose once per day. Dogs 20 to 50 pounds can take one-half the dosage.

Resources

• Order Capra Mineral Whey Online

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[bduprey]

on 3/22/2009 THis article is dangerous. Meat causes an acidic enviroment in dogs and that grows calcium oxalate stones. Calcium oxalate stones cannot be dissolved, only removed by surgery, and 85% of male dogs in middle age have these types of stones. If they lodge in the penus (most eventually do), they cause sudden death by blocking the flow of urine. SO the recommended diet is VERY DIFFERENT than the one described above.