19 Ryde Road, Pymble, NSW 2073
Summer Rocks
By Helen Burns | Dated July 4, 2016
Summer was just a stone’s throw away from hitting rock bottom when we found numerous stones stuck in her urinary tract.
Little Summer the gorgeous Bichon Frise came to visit us last week when her owner noticed that she had been straining but wasn’t passing any urine. On examination, her bladder was full, and there was a stone lodged in her urethra. Try as she did, there was just no way her urine could get past the blockage. She was very uncomfortable as you can imagine. Fortunately her observant owner had brought her straight in, because she could have been critically ill within 24-48 hours.
Under an anaesthetic the stone in her urethra was flushed back into her bladder, and then the 7 stones were all surgically removed. Now, these stones were not the regular garden variety of rock! They were composed of minerals that precipitated in Summer’s urine. We regularly see a variety of stones in dogs’ urine, the most common of which are composed of either magnesium, ammonium and phosphate or calcium oxalate. Of course, not all dogs suffer from bladder stones, and their formation is dependent on a whole bunch of factors such as the urine pH, the concentration of the base minerals, frequency of passing urine and genetics. In Summer’s case, Bichons are genetically predisposed to forming calcium oxalate crystals, which was her situation.
Looking to the future, we are now working to reduce the risk of recurrence for Summer. She is being fed a special diet, which she is eating well (phew!), and will be encouraged to drink plenty of water. Additionally, she will regularly give us urine samples so that we can closely monitor both the pH and concentration of her urine, and make little adjustments to her diet and medication as necessary.
Summer relaxing on her favourite rug
Written by Helen Burns
Helen graduated from Sydney Uni in 1997 with First Class Honours and worked in a practice on the Northern Beaches for 16 years. Helen joined the Gordon Vet team early in 2014 and our clients have really enjoyed getting to know her. She loves being a vet and takes a keen interest in all of her patients. Her gentle, friendly nature helps pets to feel relaxed when they visit the vet. Helen lives locally and has 3 children. At least one of her children seems destined to be a vet! When not ferrying her children around, Helen cares for her menagerie of pets. These include Chloe the dog, Obi and Leia the cats, Little Cocky the galah and Rosie the very tame eclectus parrot who all happily coexist at her house. In her spare time, Helen likes to be active outdoors, running, kayaking, camping or playing any manner of sport with her children.
