Question:
Hi,
I have an 11-year old shi tzu & just recently I noticed that whenever he would urinate, he would urinate normally but the last couple of drops would contain blood. I took him to a vet who did xrays & found that he had 2 small stones in his bladder. In addition to that, his urine was very dark & the vet said that the ph of his urine was very low. The vet also said that he may possibly need an operation to remove those stones if he doesn't pass them. Since the beginning of the year I have been feeding him a combination of Wellness dry & canned food with additional cooked vegetables & I would alternate this with Dr. Harvey's premix which I would combine with either beef or chicken again with an additional assortment of cooked vegetables. This is the first time in his life that he has had this sort of problem.
I would like to know whether his diet could have been responsible for creating this problem & how I could improve the diet to help either pass the stones or help in avoiding any further stones from forming. I would also like to know, if possible, if there is any homeopathic remedy that could help in this regard.

Answer:
I'm sure nothing you did caused this and some breeds are more predisposed to get stones. Drinking lots of water and frequent pee breaks seem to help to keep the bladder flushed out. Eating canned food only or special diet may also help!

If the stones are too large to pass - which in a male dog is quite likely - surgery is necessary.

Stones can pass out of the bladder, into the urethra. In male dogs, the stones might get stuck, due to the narrower urethra of the male dog compared to the female. This is a medical emergency and without prompt treatment the dog can die of uremic poisoning.

Personally, I wouldn't take this chance and would have the surgery done.

Answer: