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Congratulations to our Co-Pets of the
Month!
Back to Pet of the Month
 Maddie
and Xena
Maddie and
Xena both presented to Rock Bridge Animal Hospital over the summer with similar
conditions. Maddie, a 4 pound Yorkie, presented in July, and Xena, a 24 pound
terrier mix, followed in September.
MADDIE: Maddie originally came in on July 29th for her annual
vaccines and the owners were also concerned about her urinating more frequently
than normal as well as having some accidents in the house. A urinalysis was
performed and Maddie was found to have a urinary tract infection. She was
placed on antibiotics and a recheck was scheduled for 7-10 days later. On August 9th when Maddie came in
for her recheck exam the owners reported that the antibiotics didn?t seem to
help and Maddie was now straining to urinate. Radiographs were taken which
revealed that Maddie had a urinary bladder full of stones.
XENA: On September 27th, almost 2 months to the day, Xena was
brought into our facility for a very similar problem. She was attempting to
urinate but could not produce any urine despite having a full bladder, and
overall not acting herself. Radiographs were performed on Xena and bladder
stones were found in her urinary bladder and urethra. She was taken to
emergency surgery to relieve the blockage and prevent damage to her kidneys.
BLADDER STONES:
Bladder
stones, also called uroliths, can be caused by mineralization in the bladder
from chronic infections or from certain metabolic disorders. They are more
common in the female dog than in the male.
Unfortunately,
the best treatment for most bladder stones is surgical removal. There are some stones that can be dissolved with a special
diet.
 Both Maddie
and Xena underwent surgery to remove the stones and their surgeries went
well. The stones were submitted for
analysis. Maddie had two types of Struvite stones, which typically occur
secondary to a bladder infection in dogs, and is now being fed Science Diet C/D
to help prevent recurrence of the stones. Xena also had Struvite stones.
Unfortunately Xena?s stones were just the right size to block her urethra (rare
in a female dog) which is why surgery was needed right away. Had the owners not
been aware of the symptoms and waited, this very quickly could have progresses
into kidney failure. She was treated with a long course of antibiotics after
surgery to clear the infection and she will be monitored regularly for future
infections and small stones.
 Thanks to
the awareness of both of the dogs owners, Maddie and Xena have fully recovered
from their surgeries and are back to their normal activities.
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