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Doesn't like s/d.

Species: Dog
Breed: Cavalier King Charle
Age: 5-8 years
My dog has bladder stones(a lot) and was put on Hills Prescription diet s/d Canine Dissolution. However, he does not eat and he is stubborn and will wait without eating. He has lost so much weight for the last 3 weeks and we do not think this is working. He is so weak now, and it is very difficult to enforce this without giving him anything else to eat.

We would love to cook natural food and give feed him a tablet if there is an option. The final solution is surgery which is expensive. Can you please recommend any natural food and how we should prepare them for him? Also, we have seen some drugs on the internet that could dissolve the stones, can you recommend any?

Natural foods that we found in the net are:
plain cooked chicken
plain cooked turkey
eggs
rice
peas
pasta
white potatoes
cabbage
cauliflower
bananas
melon



Online vet, Dr. Marie

Dr. Marie replied:

This is a tough question to answer because legally I can't make medical recommendations for Copper unless he was my patient. But, I can give you my thoughts.

I have had a few patients that would not eat s/d, so that is not that uncommon. You may want to ask your vet if a switch to Royal Canin s/o is a possibility. Most dogs really like the taste of s/o and it is usually a very good food for dogs with struvite stones (which is probably what Copper has if he is on s/d).

There are medications that can acidify a dog's urine and can prevent struvite stones from forming. However, they are not recommended because they can actually cause the urine to become too basic and can predispose dogs to getting another type of stone called calcium oxalate.

I'm reluctant to recommend a diet because I find that it is very difficult to cook a balanced diet for dogs. The risk again here would be that if you find foods that acidify the urine enough to dissolve struvite stones then they may end up promoting calcium oxalate stones. The medical diets such as s/d and royal canin are extensively tested so that they will be safe in this respect (and no, I have no affiliation with either company.)

If I have a case like this where I need a dog to eat a prescription food and he won't eat it, what I often do is consult with the food companies. Both Hills and Royal Canin are excellent at consulting with veterinary staff to go over challenging cases like this. They may be able to suggest a combo of foods that might work or may have alternative solutions.

I hope things look up soon!

Dr. Marie.


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Disclaimer: Although Dr. Marie is a qualified veterinarian, the information found on this site is not meant to replace the advice of your own veterinarian. AskAVetQuestion.com and Dr. Marie do not accept any responsibility for any loss, damage, injury, death, or disease which may arise from reliance on information contained on this site. Do not use information found on this site for diagnosing or treating your pet. Anything you read here is for information only.

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Dr. MarieDr. Marie is a veterinarian who practices in a busy animal hospital in Ottawa, Ontario. She created Ask A Vet Question as a resource for good, accurate veterinary advice online. Dr. Marie treats dogs, cats, hamsters, guinea pigs, and rats. She has been a vet since 1999.

Is an online vet visit just as good as a trip to your veterinarian? No! But, many times, asking an online veterinarian a question can help save you money. While Dr. Marie can't officially diagnose your pet or prescribe medications, she can often advise you on whether a vet visit is necessary. You can also ask Dr. Marie for a second opinion on your pet's condition.