anyone know of grain free dog food for struvite crystal problems?

Oddjob

My dog has just developed a problem with struvite crystal formation.
She's been on antibiotics for a suspected infection, weeing a lot, blood in urine etc. It goes, then comes back.
She went in vets for day last week, had blood tests, checked renal, kidney functions, all came back clear, wee was perfect, no blood or protein, had about 6 xrays, no signs of stones or tumours or anything untoward, wee was sent off for culture to be grown, that came back negative.
Last Sunday, she started passing blood again in her wee. Went back to the vet again, blood again in urine. This time they tested for crystals and found she does have small ones forming. At the moment, we don't know the cause. The vet thinks it still could be an infection which didn't show up on the culture because it was masked by her having been on antibiotics at the time, they finished last Tuesday so I've got to take another sample in this Friday to send off for another culture to b grown to see if that produces anything.
Vet has also said that it could be a dietary thing. She is rescue dog and I was told when I had her she needed a grain free diet, I feed her Sainsbury's Delicious collection lamb which is 60% lamb and the filler is potato. I also make her a stew which I add to that, made with either chicken or lean mince and veg. She has been on this same diet for over a year with no apparent problems, does really well on it.
I've looked up struvite problems on the web and apparently it used to be recommended that a low protein diet was recommended but now, they are saying a high protein diet is best - vey confusing.
Anyway, the vet says that if the crystals have grown or increased when I take her back on Friday, it might be a good idea to put her on a urinary diet for a while. I really would rather not if I can help it as it suits me to feed her what I do and she has not shown symptoms before in the year she has been on the same diet but if she needs to go on it for a while to dissolve the crystals then so be it. However, the vet has already said they have struggled to find a grain free urinary food for another customer so I was wondering if anyone on here knows of one or have had the same problem.

takethatfan1978

Have you had a look at the all about dog food site? I have not had any experience with Struvite crystals at all, it might be worth looking on any of the dog breed forums for advice?

There are a few grain free foods out there but again I am not sure about the urinary food you mentioned. I feed my girl on Millies Wolfheart with is a good quality grain free food, they have a great nutritional team that may be able to help. They wont try and tempt you to buy the food if it is not right for your girl but may be able to offer advice that you could use in your search.

I hope you manage to find something

www.allaboutdogfood.co.uk

http://www.allaboutdogfood.co.uk/articles/prescription-veterinary-diets.php

there is mention of the struvite crystals here but it recommends low protein, MW is higher protein although good quality but there may be others out there with lower amounts.

krlyr

Low protein used to be recommended, but they came to realise that quality of protein is more important. Poor quality proteins, like those found in grains, put strain on the liver and kidney, in comparison to good quality meat proteins.

I'm a rawfeeder and I would always suggest its something to consider - but I know it's not for everyone. It does require a little bit of research to make sure you feed a balanced diet (but it's often considered easier to balance a raw diet than a homecooked diet - easier/safer to give raw bone for the calcium/phospohurus element of the diet) but can work well for a lot of dogs.

If you're not keen on the idea of a raw diet, I would highly recommend you look on https://www.allaboutdogfood.co.uk - you can filter to grain-free, and the foods are rated by a star system and they analyse/flag up any concerning ingredients in the food. They also work out an estimated cost per day going on your dog's weight - which is really useful to see, as you'll tend to find that although a high meat content food will cost more, you tend to feed less of it (as all the fillers like potato, rice, corn, etc. just add bulk rather than real nutrition) so it doesn't actually always work out more expensive to feed a better quality food.

Oddjob

Thanks for your comments up to now. I have looked on that site you both recommend and the food I am feeding now rates as 3.9 out of 5, so not a bad quality food, none of the ingredients flagged in red, so no concerning ingredients. Kylyr, I know you are a fan of raw feeding and I am not against it, but it would not be for me, I would worry about getting the balance right and don't have a freezer to keep it in. It would really suit me much better to continue to feed the Sainsburys brand, it is not a cheap brand at £6 for 2 kilos - my dog is 30 kilos in weight, but I get an allowance to spend at Sainsburys so cheap for me. Obviously if the food was totally unsuitable I wouldn't feed it or even if there was a grain free alternative which was better for the condition.
I do give my dog added home cooked stew with chicken or lean mince, so adding to the protein, perhaps it would be better just making a stew without the meat? She does eat better with something adding to the dry food. I have also read on that site and on a vetinary site that acid added to the diet is good for dissolving the crystals, which is interesting. I asked the vet if cranberry juice could be given to dogs as it helps with cystitis in humans and at that point we did not know about the crystals, thinking it was cystitis or an infection she had, the vet said yes so I was giving cranberry juice with a little natural yogurt swirled in to make it more palatable, it did seem to make a difference but when the symptoms seemed to have gone, I stopped it. I am going to try it again and see if it makes a difference again.

sheramber

this is an good site with information on stones

http://www.dogaware.com/articles/wdjstruvites.html

Is your dog a dalmatian by any chance?

Oddjob

Thank you so much sheramber for pointing me in the direction of this article, I am going to print it out and take it with me to the vets on Friday when I have to take another sample of her wee to send of for another culture. I notice it says that cranberry tablets are better than cranberry juice. I actually got her some cranberry juice today and added some to her food, I shall try to get some cranberry tablets tomorrow. The vet said that the more liquid she had the better so I made her food very wet too.


By the way, she is a Boxer not a Dalmatian.


Thanks for your help.

sheramber

I hope the information helps.

I got cranberry capsules from Holland and Barrett for one of my !!!!!es who had urine infections at one time.

I fed dry food with water or stock made from boiling bones or chicken ( not stock cubes or granules) added like you add milk to cereal, not mixed in just added at the last minute.

Oddjob

I usually make a stew out of chicken or lean mince and veg plus apple and any veg peelings from my own food - not onions, but as it has recommended low protein, I haven't put any meat in it this time, I've added more apple as it says that the ph is probably too alkaline, so apples will add acidity. I do put a stock cube in to add some flavour and it says the salt will encourage more drinking.
I have been up about every 3 hrs during the night and given her a bit of her kibble and lots of the stew juice, each time I have taken some juice out, I have topped the pan up with more water so it is still being flavoured with the stew. She has been weeing more so hopefully by doing this it may dissolve the crystals or at least stop more growing. Fingers crossed we can get rid of them without having to resort to special diet which that site doesn't recommend.
Hopefully too, the culture they are going to send off will show an infection which they can pinpoint the correct antibiotic for.
Thanks again for your help.