Cystine Stones In Dogs Diet

In this situation measure urine cystine concentration.

Cystine stones in dogs diet. The exact mechanism of cystine urolith formation is unknown. The type of diet your vet prescribes will depend on the stone. Because not all cystinuric dogs form stones cystinuria is a predisposing factor rather than a primary cause of urolith formation. Neutering castration in these cases may prevent recurrence of cystine uroliths removing the need for lifelong medical management.

In most stone free dogs cystine concentrations are extremely low. Cystine bladder stones appear to be the result of a genetic abnormality that prevents a dog from reabsorbing cystine from the kidneys. Calcium oxalate stones cannot be dissolved and must be removed surgically. Calcium oxalate or cystine stones about three quarters of dogs diagnosed with this type of stone are males between the ages of 5 and 12.

Strict compliance is necessary if your dog is on a special diet and is receiving medication to dissolve cystine stones. Urolithiasis is a medical term referring to the presence of crystals or stones in the urinary tract. This is significant as lifelong feeding of a commercial prescription diet or home prepared therapeutic diet is very expensive particularly in large breed dogs. Some dogs with cystinuria are negative on this test even though they have the disease.

Urine amino acid profile reveals abnormal quantities of cystine and in some dogs and cats lysine arginine and ornithine. On the canine cystinuria email list most of us have found that diet and urinary alkalinization have failed to prevent our dogs from forming stones and have sometimes caused other problems including other types of stones that form in alkaline urine. Without preventive care cystine uroliths tend to recur within 6 12 months of removal or dissolution. Once they are removed you can help prevent the formation of new stones by giving your dog the correct diet.

Urolithiasis cystine in dogs. For example for dogs with urate and cysteine bladder stones your vet will recommend specific lower protein therapeutic diets that promote alkaline ph and reduce intake of stone precursors says larsen who is board certified in veterinary nutrition. When the stones are made up of cystine a normal compound found in the body they are called cystine stones. Some of us are also concerned about feeding ultra low protein diets to dogs particularly.

Your veterinarian may be able to palpate the stones or may need to perform imaging studies such as a bladder ultrasound or a contrast radiographic study. While bladder stones in general are somewhat common in dogs cystine bladder stones are rare. If the nitroprusside test was only evaluated after castration it is difficult to determine if castration reduced cystine excretion.