What can I feed my dog with bladder stones when out of special food?
Updated On September 23rd, 2025
We have a 3 year old beagle mix with bladder stones. We just moved to a small town and none of the vets carry the purina pro plan that he eats. They can order it, but it won't be in for a week. He is out of his food. He won't touch science diet or royal canine. What can I feed him?
2 Answers
Most Helpful Answer
Published on August 14th, 2019
Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! It is ok to feed him a regular diet (meaning any dog diet) until you are able to get his Purina diet for stones. As long as he is able to return to his bladder stone diet within a week or two, it should be ok. Best of luck!
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Related Answers from Veterinarians
-
Published on August 14th, 2019
I would recommend that you ask for a referral to a veterinary nutritionist. There are several that are available for email consults and they can help you make a homemade recipe that will have the recommended changes based on the type of stones that Rocko makes (there are two main types of bladder stones, and dietary recommendations will change based on the type).
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Health & Wellbeing
My dog is 7 years old and has had bladder stone surgery twice, she has had people food everyday of her life and now is reduced to a special brand of dog food, are there any treats that re still good for this diet and are there any people items a dog
I am so sorry to say this but, no. The reason for the stone formation is improper urine pH. The improper pH is often from urinary infections, improper diet or a combination of both. The special dog food she is eating now is specifically formulated to keep the urine pH at a constant normal level to help prevent the formation of stones. The diet is not 100% effective but it is your best chance at minimizing the chance of them recurring. It is strongly recommended that you NOT feed her anything at all but the special diet. Many of those special diets have treats available of the same formulation. Outside of that, definitely not. Hope this answers your question. Best wishes.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
Hi. How long should my dog stay on prescriotion food (for urinary problems,he had a bladder stone removed) My vet said for the rest of his life,but ive read that the hills urinary recommend 6 months.
Bladder stones often do recur. I would use the food at least six months, and I would have a urinalysis done every six months to make sure there are no crystals or urinate tract infection. Your veterinarian is correct that using the urinary food for life gives Bollie a better chance of not having another bladder stone. Thanks for using Boop by Petco to help you care for Bollie.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Food & Nutrition
Dear madam, ser, bladder stone was removed from my dog terier female 11y old. The stone is on analyze, but I go to holiday, and dont know the results - struvite or ca oxalat. She has problem with high alp only and cholesterol, probably metabolical ch
The appropriate diet here would be the urinary diet either Urinary S/O or Hill's C/D, and then placing your pet on a liver protectant medication to address the liver issues. The liver protectant medication is called Denamarin, and has to be prescribed by your vet. I would then consider getting your pet an abdominal ultrasound to better define what is specifically going on with the liver, so that we know what mode of therapy would be best to manage things going forward, because these values (ALKP, CHOL) can be changed by not just the liver, but also the gallbladder and adrenal glands. I hope that your pet Ceca is able to manage both of her conditions well moving forward. Best wishes and take care. : )
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Food & Nutrition
gidget is on royal canine so for bladder stone...for almost 9 mos now she dosent want to eat it anymore could i change her too freshpet brand food
I do not recommend you change Gidget from her current prescription diet without consulting with your vet. The type of food recommended varies greatly with the type of stones/ crystals, and if you change her diet you run the risk of her developing crystals and/or stones, which can even be life-threatening if they block the urinary tract. There may be other prescription diets for dogs with bladder stones you can try from different companies that may work for her, but you need to confirm that with your vet based on Gidget's previous lab results.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
Boo (pure bred Bichon Frise, almost 12) just had surgery to remove urinary stones (with no bacteria present as tested by vet). We were given special food (Royal Canin multifunction urinary tract) by the vet. I do not like feeding him chicken by-pro
The answer partially depends on the type of bladder stones that Boo had. I am attaching handouts on the 2 most common types below. http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=460 http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=662 If Boo had struvite stones, those can often be managed without a prescription diet. If Boo had calcium oxalate stones, then diet will be a very important part of preventing him from forming stones again in the future. Unfortunately, the prescription diets tend to have both by-products and corn. The best option I have found for dogs with calcium oxalate stones are to make a homemade diet for their dogs. A diet can be created by a board certified nutritionist or with the help of Balance It. https://secure.balanceit.com/ Good luck! I hope that was helpful and answered your questions. Thanks for using Boop by Petco.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
Other than medicated food, what all natural foods can I feed my dog to help prevent bladder stones? I've read blueberries and whole grain wheat are good for this
It's is difficult to say which foods in particular because ultimately it is a question of how that food affects the pH of the urine. The acidity or alkalinity (pH) of the urine influences whether the stone constituents will remain dissolved or form stones. Some stones, such as struvite, form in alkaline urine, whereas others, including calcium oxalate stones, form in acidic urine. Depending on the type of stone (struvite vs calcium oxalate-in most cases but there are exceptions such as ammonium urate) you may want to feed a diet that decreases the pH or one that increases the pH. Furthermore, any underlying urinary tract infections must be treated as bacteria can alter the pH. In order to obtain the information needed, have your veterinarian perform a urinalysis or if your pet had surgery for bladder stones ask for the stone analysis report. As far as blueberries, I think that it is fine. However, grains may result in more of an alkaline urine which could promote further struvite ston
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
My small dog has stone bladder but he also has pancreatic disease .I wonder if he can eat urinary royal canine for dog?
What diet he should be eating is dependent on what is the pressing issue right now. If he is recovering from pancreatitis then he should be eating a low fat bland diet until the issue has resolved. After the pancreas is back to normal then he should go back to eating the Royal Canin urinary diet. If the pancreas condition is chronic then you really need to speak to your vet about what is best for him to eat since they are privy to all his medical history whereas I am not.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
My dog has bladder stones, and this vet has put him on a special diet dog food "Hills prescription diet" and it is beyond expensive. Is there ANYTHING that I can buy at the store that would help or lessen the issue?
Unfortunately there are no over the counter that will help dissolve stones once they form. There are diets that claim to encourage urinary bladder health, however there are no clinical trials to substantiate those claims. What Scooby really needs right now is the Rx food, although it is a bit costly and I can sympathize with that. However it works and is effective because the necessary trials were done to formulate the food properly. It can take several months to even a year to dissolve the stones depending on the quantity and size.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
My dog was diagnosed with bladder stone! We still dont know what type! Hes 17 years old and has cushings! I want to give him diet food VS surgery! Hes on antibiotics but hes still straining to pee and his red rocket is out after catheter! How long wi
It really depends which type of stone it is and the quantity and size of the stone/stones in the bladder. he should get back to normal within 1-2 weeks but without surgery the problem may return. ..some types of stones can be dissolved with a special food, others can't, that's why you must wait for the lab results first.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
Wookiee had a bladder stone but it dissolved with the Hill's c/d food. Should I keep him on that food forever? He's so tiny (4lbs). The c/d's kibble is big. Will it hurt his teeth? Should I wet the food? I wish he could go back to royal canine x-smal
Hi and thanks for using Boop by Petco! Sorry to hear about Wookiee but it sounds like things are much better. So I can assume that the crystals and stones were struvite because of the c/d food and I can assume you tried s/d first but maybe not. Struvite crystals and stones are most often tied to infection in the bladder and urinary system. You may be able to try another diet but only your vet should make that call for you. They are much more familiar with his particular case. If you monitored his urine with dip sticks (again consult your vet) you may be able to feed something else. Ask you vet. The kibble shouldn't hurt his teeth unless he develops severe periodontal disease which lots of small breeds develop due to their genetics. Sure you can wet the food plus that increases water consumption which is crucial in pets with a history of urinary problems. Yes, I would advise against the table scraps as these can definitely play a role and alter the pH of the urine (how acidic
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Have A Vet Question?
Book an appointment with the pros – our expert vets are here to help.
