Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
How two diets affect urine pH in dogs with struvite bladder stones
By Calabrò, Serena et al.Ā·Published in The British journal of nutritionĀ·2011Ā·Department of Animal Science and Food Control, ItalyĀ·View original on PubMed ā
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Original publication title: Management of struvite uroliths in dogs.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of twelve adult dogs with struvite stones in their urine were treated with two different special diets designed to help dissolve these stones. Initially, the dogs had high urine pH levels around 8.0, and many had bacteria in their urine, so they were given antibiotics for a week. Over the next two months, both diets successfully lowered the urine pH to the desired levels for stone dissolution, but one diet worked faster than the other. The combination of antibiotics and the special diets helped dissolve the struvite stones, but the researchers noted that the dietary treatment should be monitored to prevent other health issues.
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Abstract
Urolithiasis is a common clinical problem in dogs. Struvite and calcium oxalate are the predominant mineral types in dog urolithiasis. The aim of the present study was to compare the effect of two commercial dry foods formulated for the management of struvite urolithiasis with different anion-cation balance on urinary pH. For the trial, twelve privately owned adult dogs showing struvite urolithiasis were studied. The dogs were randomly divided into two groups (A and B) and fed two dissolving diets for 3 months. The analyses of urine were repeated six times. In both diets, the anion-cation balance was negative ( - 203 and - 192 for diets A and B, respectively). At the first urine analysis, pH values of all the dogs were close to 8.0, and bacteria were present in about 70 % of the samples and thus an antimicrobial was administered for 1 week. Both groups showed a progressive decrease in pH values, and after 2 months, in both cases, the recommended pH values for stone dissolution were achieved. From the sampling at 30 d, group A showed pH values significantly (P < 0.05) lower than group B, probably due to the lower anion-cation balance of diet A. The combination of antimicrobial and dietary therapy allowed the dissolution of struvite uroliths in both groups, even if the utilisation of the diet characterised by the lower anion-cation balance seems to decrease the urinary pH more rapidly. In this case, it seems necessary to interrupt the dietary treatment in order to avoid the risk of other diseases.
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Search related cases āOriginal publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22005426/