During my years of practice as a veterinarian, I’ve seen a lot of human guardians coming to the clinic in tears, because their dog was urinating blood.
Understandably, this would cause a sense of panic. I often start with a few questions to help calm them down: When did the Dog start to urinate blood? How much do they usually drink? Were there any possible incidents that might have contributed to concentrated urine?
It might not be obvious at first why some of these questions are directed at hydration, so let me go into detail.
QUESTION #1: HOW DO URINARY STONES FORM?
Urine is concentrated in the final stages of its production: Water is absorbed back into the blood, thus increasing the concentration of the urine even before it reaches the urinary bladder.
During periods of water deprivation, this ability to concentrate urine helps ensure that blood concentration stays stable. So, while the urine becomes more concentrated than usual, the blood has more or less the same concentration. Of course, this compensatory mechanism can only go so far.
When the urine becomes too concentrated, it becomes the perfect environment for crystals to form and clump together. This becomes especially problematic in Dogs, such as Dalmatians, who are genetically predisposed to stones because of their breed.
There are many types of stones that form, including struvite stones that are often associated with urinary infection. With infection, the pH of urine goes way down, making it ideal for struvite crystals to form.
When blood starts to appear in urine, it’s either due to the infection itself, or the crystals are rubbing against the lining of the urinary tract and causing them to bleed.
Bringing your Dog to the vet when there’s blood in their pee can help identify the problem. Often, a change in diet is required to ensure that the ions that eventually become crystals are kept at a minimum level.
QUESTION #2: WHY ARE CERTAIN DOGS PRONE TO URINARY STONES?
As for Dalmatians, they are prone to having uric acid stones, because they are less able to convert uric acid to allantoin. Up to 80% of uric acid stones found in the urinary tracts of Dogs occur in Dalmatians.
The remaining 20% are found in Dogs who share the same mutation, or in those who have impaired liver function.
QUESTION #3: WHAT ARE THE MOST COMMON URINARY STONES IN DOGS?
In female Dogs, bladder stones are usually struvite. In male Dogs, calcium oxalate stones are the predominant type.
QUESTION #4: WHAT ARE THE SIGNS OF URINARY STONES?
More often than not, the crystals are already of considerable size before signs are present.
BLOODY URINE
As mentioned, blood in the urine is one sign. When the crystals or stones rub against the lining of the urinary tract, they can cause bleeding.
URINARY BLOCKAGE
By the time the crystals become visible stones, they might cause blockage. A Dog might find it difficult to pass urine and might strain to urinate, which is an emergency: Without prompt management, the urinary bladder will be filled beyond capacity and might rupture.
URINARY FREQUENCY
With a stone occupying a lot of space in the bladder, it makes sense that a Dog is forced to urinate frequently.
PAIN OR DISCOMFORT
Urinary infection itself causes pain. On top of that, any of the other signs mentioned above may contribute to a Dog’s discomfort when they urinate.
QUESTION #5 HOW ARE URINARY STONES TREATED?
Way before surgery is proposed, the least invasive types of treatment are of course explored.
Address urinary infections
In the case of struvite stones, we already know that infections play a role. Because bacteria can lower urine pH that leads to struvite formation, dealing with the infection can help address the issue before any crystal has had an opportunity to form.
Improve diet
It also helps to evaluate what your Dog has been eating. Is their diet rich in the minerals that are found in their stones? There are prescription diets that could help address these mineral imbalances. It also helps to provide species-appropriate diets instead of kibble.
Evaluate urine pH
Aside from treating the infection, urine acidifiers are used in struvite stones. On the other hand, other stones form when the urine is too acidic. It then matters to find out what type of stone or crystal is present in the urine before trying to change the urine pH.
Increase hydration
It also helps to reduce the concentration of urine by increasing the water intake of your Dog. By doing this, the urine doesn’t become saturated, and crystals are less likely to form.
More invasive interventions might be necessary, such as the surgical removal of stones, to ensure the speedy recovery of a Dog. It depends on the symptoms they have, the size of the stones, and even the number of stones.
QUESTION #6: WILL DOGS RECOVER FROM URINARY STONES?
If the cause of the problem is addressed, then their outcome is optimistic. But there are situations where it’s difficult to completely do this, such as when the Dog has a specific genetic propensity to develop stones.
Recurrences may happen. However, it does help to ensure that Dogs eat the right type of food and drink often. These help protect them from the formation of crystals, which eventually develop into bigger stones — and bigger problems.
