Hills Prescription Diet Canine Ud Urinary Care 7.7kg Pet: Dog Category: Dog Supplies Size: 7.7kg
Rich Description: Bladder stones are formed when mineral crystals in the urine combine to form stone like structures that sit in the bladder. They can come in many different mineral compositions the most common nonstruvite stones are uric acid and oxalate.
Uric acid
Uric acid Crystals form when there is abnormal metabolism of substances known as purines which are both present in the diet and produced by normal biochemical processes in the body. In normal animals purines are degraded by enzymes to uric acid. Uric acid is then converted by liver cells to a substance known as allantoin which is highly water soluble and excreted in the urine. Dalmatian dogs have a genetic abnormality that prevents the liver cells from converting uric acid to allantoin resulting in the uric acid being excreted straight into the urine. Uric acid is not very water soluble and so uric acid crystals form in the urine. These crystals can then combine to form stones. Uric acid stones may also be found in dogs with congenital liver shunts and liver disease. Some other breeds of dogs may also carry the same genetic abnormality as dalmatians but it is very rare. Acidic urine from supplements containing vitamin C and high protein foods in the diet can predispose at risk dogs to developing uric acid stones.
Signs of bladder stones in dogs include
