And here is another story that I got emailed to me from "Dogs Naturally" magazine.
http://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/fda-silence-is-telling/
I was in New York, this past week and while I was away.. Ayo was taken to the emergency room because he couldnt pee and was in a lot of pain. He had six bladder stones.. 4 of which had moved into the urethra.. one of which was really big and stuck. As I flew back home to santo domingo he was given a pre-pubic urethrostomy.he is now recovering and hopefully will be back from hospital tomorrow… i had never heard of that prcedure and frankly it seems very strange to me.. HAs anyone else had any experience with this type of thing?..
When I had to put Johnny down, that was one of the options given to me, however, it wasn't realistic for me. This was in the middle of a snowstorm, and I would have had to drive about 5 hours through a blizzard and then they weren't even sure it would be possible. Johnny had seven stuck in the bone of his penis and the Dr. had taken out another 25 out of his bladder. I do know a person who had it done to their dog and eventually, after the stone moved out, dissolved or whatever (was gone) they closed up the hole and he was able to pee again normally, but the instance of stones again is very real. I hope you had them tested for what kind they were and you may have to make adjustments to his diet to ensure the formation is limited again. They kind of pee like a girl and dribble until the hole is closed up.
Thank you Arlene,….yes.. i this case the idea is the whole will stay open so he can always eject them thru there.I dan never heard of that. The other option was a that they would castrate him and make the whole bigger, like a vagina and he would pee thriugh there. HOnestky I had a few moments to make a decisin and in that sitiation I chose to have the prepubic urethrostomy done instead, where they dont castrtae and the opening is a little smaller between his penus and testicles.. In retrospect, i think maybe I should of chosen the other solution... I feel terrible.. I did hav the stones tested and will find out what they are, but the doctors seem to believe that it is very very likely that he would keep producing the stones..That some dogs , like people,just do that , and so the urethrostomy is the thing to do..I just feel a little like I should have had the other one done...... I am waiting to go see him today.. hopefully he can come home with me today........
Yes ..the idea is to leave it open ,because the urethra is small and even smaller now with all the damage..
There is lots of talk about bladder stones on my kidney dog list. Thankfully that isn't something i'm dealing with. I think you need to figure out what kind of stones you're dealing with and there are some diet things you can do to help prevent them from coming back.
Here's a good place to start:
Thanks a lot .. Will definetly look into it. I went to see him this morning and he was doing great. BUT Now I'm in the hospital with terrible pain from want seems to be a kidney stone!!!!!!!! What are the odds???? Maybe it's in our water!!!!!!!!!!!
It mentions in this site that urethrostomy cannot be done without neutering. But Ayos urethrostomy was done without neutering. He has an opening between his testicles and penis, near his testicles. This was described as a prepubic urethrostomy and is maybe not as a effective as the full one where they neuter but was also an option..
Dog aware.com is great.. Thanks a lot!!!
Hi, hope your boy Ayo has a quick recovery and is back home feeling better soon and look after yourself as well.
Jolanda and Kaiser
The formation of future stones is entirely possible and probable. Unfortunately. Johnny was only 3 and had 32 altogether. They were cystine stones and may have been a one off in his line. No other dog in that line that I know of, or anyone else knows of, had a problem with stones. Yes, with the other type of hole he would have been neutered, but he would have been able to pass stones more effectively. It really is up to you on how to proceed. They both have advantages and disadvantages. If they are cystine stones, you will have to watch his urine ph level and try to keep it in around 6.3 on average. 7 is border line high and 5.5 is border line low with the ph strips. You'll have to watch what food he gets, his water intake and type of water also. And xrays don't always show cystine stones, but it would be a good idea to get him xrayed every once in a while. I don't know if ultrasound would show them up any better. Just a few thoughts. I was devastated, and still am, about Johnny. I wish you all the best with Ayo.
Thanks a lot .. Will definetly look into it. I went to see him this morning and he was doing great. BUT Now I'm in the hospital with terrible pain from want seems to be a kidney stone!!!!!!!! What are the odds???? Maybe it's in our water!!!!!!!!!!!
well, i think i'd be drinking filtered or bottled water from now on. it is a bit strange that both of you are having stones. I don't know if kidney and bladder stones are related, but it seems like they might be.
I'm glad you've found the dogaware site helpful.
Sorry to take over the thread a bit, but apparently, with all breeds, this has been happening more and more lately. They seem to think there is a sort of connections between young dogs (2-3) years getting these stones. There is a study going on, I offered the stones and info about Johnny, but never heard back. I know they are not funded though so maybe they can only do so much. I'm thinking it's not just the water, but the food. Most of our food now we are concerned about high end, no grains, blah, blah, blah. But maybe there is something to be said for the cheaper food where the dogs lived and had no issues with stones. I know a couple of dalmations who had stones who were put on a cheap dog food and lived to be 14 or so. You kind of have to wonder if what we think is quality food is really worth it. There are lots of questions that are still unanswered when it comes to the stone formation.
Thanks a los for everyone a thoughts. I just came back from seeing him and he is doing much better today. Unfortunately I had to go to the emergency room last night again in terrible pain. We all drink bottled water in DR because tap water isn't potable. Most people give their dogs tap water but I give them the same that I drink. I still don't know what the stones are. As soon as I know I will let everyone know, and I guess I
L know how to deal with it. As for me I have to go to the urologist tomorrow morning , to get an ultrasound and see what's up….
Best to both of you. I know it's terribly painful for both of you. How is Ayo doing today? Have you passed yours?
Ayo is doing great. i cant get used to seeing the opening .. It makes me very sad. But I know its the best for him. I have not passed them. I am going tomorrow morning to have an ultrasound… And well see.. Hopefully i wont get the pain again tonight!!!! .
well, knowing Ayo is doing well has got to make you feel better, even if you feel like crap.
hopefully you'll soon be on the mend too
I've never heard of this and I'm sorry Ayo has Togo through it. A question forgot and the forum: because Ayo has a permanent opening what kind of risk is there for infection? I'd be super paranoid about that…poor pup- glad he is in good spirits though
the veteronarian explained that there is little risk of infection because there is still a good distance between the opining and the baldder, even more than in a female dog, which , like in humans, tend to g more infections due to larger opening. …..I have my doctors appointment at 2:30.... And Ayo maybe coming home tonight or tomorrow...
My vet recommends not just bottled water, but distilled water for dogs as it has no minerals in it. If his stones are calcium or other minerals, switch him to distilled bottled water.We live in a high-mineral area and caused a kidney stone in me many years ago. I hope you are both better soon.
Ayo is back home from the vet. He is doing ok, I guess, except he has some incontinence and I know he is hurting abit because he is not very active, as he usually is. Im sure it is normal since he is recovering. i will ask the doctor about the incontinence.