Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Diet and animal factors linked to urine oxalate and calcium in dogs
By Dijcker, J C et al.·Published in The Veterinary record·2012·Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Netherlands·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Dietary and animal-related factors associated with the rate of urinary oxalate and calcium excretion in dogs and cats.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A study found that dogs fed a dry diet had higher levels of urinary oxalate and calcium, which can be concerning for their health. The research involved 141 dogs and showed that those on a dry food diet, especially males, excreted more oxalate and calcium compared to those on a raw meat diet. This suggests that diet plays a significant role in urinary health for dogs. If you're worried about your dog's urinary health, consider discussing their diet with your veterinarian to see if a change might be beneficial.
People also search for: dog urinary oxalate levels · dry food vs raw diet for dogs · dog calcium excretion issues
Abstract
This paper reports the results of a cohort study and randomised clinical trial (RCT) in cross-over design. In the cohort study, the range of urinary oxalate (Uox) and calcium (Uca) excretion was determined within a sample of the Dutch population of dogs and cats, and dietary and animal-related factors associated with these urine parameters were identified. Spot urine samples were collected from privately owned dogs (n=141) and cats (n=50). The RCT determined the effect of a commercial raw meat diet versus a dry diet on Uox and Uca excretion rate in 23 dogs. In the cohort study, Uox excretion ranged from 21.1 to 170.6 mmol oxalate/mol creatinine in dogs and 27.5 to 161.6 in cats. Urinary calcium excretion ranged from 3.4 to 462.8 mmol calcium/mol creatinine in dogs and 10.1 to 128.0 in cats. In dogs, increased Uox and Uca excretion was associated with (1) the intake of a dry diet as the primary source of energy, (2) receiving no snacks and (3) breed. Increased Uox excretion was associated with males as well. In cats, urine collection in anaesthetised subjects was identified as a confounder. In the RCT, feeding the dry diet resulted in higher Uox (P<0.001) and Uca (P=0.021) excretion rates in dogs.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22735988/