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My dog had urolith stones. Are his new cystine stones from same cause?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Yorkshire Terrier | Male | neutered | 5 years and 11 months old | 20 lbs

A year ago my yorkie/coton mix had to have uroltihs stones removed and this year cysteine are they caused by the same thing

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

Veterinarian

Published on December 7th, 2019

No, they are not caused by the same thing. Certain diets, mineral supplements or metabolic problems may lead to an excess of a substance in the urine, which may lead to the development of uroliths. Cystine bladder stones appear to be the result of a genetic abnormality that prevents a dog from reabsorbing cystine from the kidneys.

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Related Questions

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my dog was suffering from difficulty in peeing,i went to the vet he did an xray and ultrasound nothing came out,then he did a urinalysis and found out too much cystine crystals in his urine.The vet told me our only approach now is to change his diet
Cystine stones are quite rare and if large require surgical removal - you report however no large stones were identified on ultrasound so it is possible it was the small crystals and inflammation which were causing the signs. Therapeutic diets are used to prevent the formation of stones and are vital in dogs with cystine crystals or those recovering from stone removal. A repeat urinalysis and specialist ultrasound (possibly following catheterisation under sedation to ensure nothing is lodged in the pelvic region which is very difficult to scan) would be required if symptoms persist or worsen as even one small stone can cause a potential obstruction
Updated on September 24th, 2025
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Is there any conection between high level of holesterol and high alp (other ok) and oxalate or struvite stone in bladder? Thank you in advance.
Not that I am aware of. The exact cause of calcium oxalate bladder stones is poorly understood at this time. Normal dog urine is slightly acidic and contains waste products from metabolism including dissolved mineral salts and other compounds. These mineral salts will remain dissolved in the urine as long as the pH stays within a narrow range, and as long as the urine does not become too concentrated. Some diets that cause a persistently alkaline urine pH may also cause this. This link may help you more. ( https://www.vetmed.umn.edu/sites/vetmed.umn.edu/files/canine_calcium_oxalate_uroliths.pdf )
Updated on September 24th, 2025
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other than diet change and water intake, can I give my dog a supplement to help with preventing cystine bladder stones?
There is currently no supplement available that will prevent Cystine bladder stones unfortunately. Our only options here are a prescription diet available through your veterinarian. The diet ensures that the ph of the urine is optimal for crystals not to grow and also that the pet drinks more water and helps dilute the urine. Supplements would not be strong enough to make those kinds of changes; therefore we have to approach crystal management from a diet change perspective only. I hope that you are able to manage Roy's crystal issue well going forward. Best of luck and take care. : )
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
Best brand of dog food for dogs with Cystine stones ! Male 1 year and half old shorkie .
The recommendation is to feed your pet a low protein, low sodium diet to help alkalinize the urine and reduce cystine urine excretion. You can achieve this with the Rx brands Hill's U/D or Royal Canin UC Low Purine. Although it is suggested that feeding a canned diet or increasing water intake will help to dilute the urine as well, and therefore reduce cystine urine excretion. Dissolving stones is possible with the diet, but this can take an extended period of time and there is always the risk of stone blockage along the urinary tract. If blockage occurs then your only option for resolution is to have the stones surgically removed. From a medical standpoint, the drug 2-MPG is used to dissolve stones that are currently in the bladder. You will have more success riding stones if you implement both MPG treatment and a urinary diet simultaneously.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
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Dear sir/madam, I have female mixed race terrier. Year before, she had blader stone surgery. She has high alp and holesterol, other ok. She ate royal canine low fat, and drink mineral water ph8.8. Didnt analyze stone. Before ten days new stone and ne
It is possible that the new stone is struvite but I have seen where they are part one thing and part another no matter what they eat or drink. It is strongly recommended to have the new stone removed and analyzed if possible. If not, you could talk to your vet about options of prescription diet that may help to dissolve the stone. This method may or may not work depending on the type of stone. I hope this helps!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Food & Nutrition
My dog was diagnosed with a cystine stone and crystals. My vet wants to put him on Things to see if it will dissolve the stone. Will this dissolve or just prevent? The medicine is extremely expensive and I don't want to get something that won't di
The cysteine crystals are very difficult to dissolve in my opinion. If there are stones, I would consider having those surgically removed and then putting him on the special diet. There are also studies that show neutering them may or may not help. I have one patient that has had this type of stone and they returned despite the surgery and food. We put him on the medicine instead of repeating the surgery and we periodically check the stones. They have maintained size, haven't multiplied, but also haven't dissolved. For that patient, this is a win. I think you need to make sure you have discussed all options with your vet to see what best works for your finances and for Milo. I hope this helps!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
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My dog Sam just had bladders stones surgically removed. The vet said his kidneys are mineralized, and that she suspects Atypical Cushings disease. He is 10 years old. What does mineralized kidneys mean and what can I do? Thank you!
Hello, it is hard to interpret what your veterinarian meant by mineralized kidneys without reviewing Sam's medical records. However, things that can cause mineral debris in the kidney such as kidney stones can be associated with diet content and the pH of the urine (either too acidic or too alkaline). Other less common causes include abnormalities with the regulation of calcium and phosphorus such as with hyperparathyroidism. In a 10 year old dog, paraneoplastic hypercalcemia due to anal gland cancer or lymphoma can also be possible. Based on his bladder stones, I would assume that whatever may have caused stone formation in his bladder may also be causing the changes you are seeing in his kidneys. Cushings disease commonly involves changes in the adrenal glands and the excess production of cortisol hormone. It can cause a secondary increase in calcium, however you typically do not see en elevated calcium alone without an increased in cortisol levels. Ultimately, it will be diffi
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
I am very confused. My 14 yr Bichon had 2 oxalate bladder stones pushes back into bladder and removed. Thevet at the emergency hospital recommended royal canin so to get ph to 7. It is staying at 6.5 and sometimes 6. primary vet says this is fine and
Hello. Unfortunately, despite our best efforts, some of these dogs keep developing stones, & we just do not know the total reason & mechanism for this. So you are perfectly right to feel confused, & frustrated with this. The Royal Canin S/O has been one of the best options in terms of preventing stones through the diet, & of course, the more water he takes in, the more water there is to flush the oxalate elements out of his bladder before stones reoccur. Sometimes we do recommend potassium citrate, if urine pH is consistently lower than 6.5, & some newer thinking is to add hydrochlorothiazide if he does seem to be redeveloping urolithiasis frequently & he does not have high blood calcium levels. You could monitor his urine for blood with urine dip strips manufactured for this purpose ( your vet can help with this ). A full urinalysis should be done every 3-6 months to keep pH between 6.5 & 8 & to maintain urine specific gravity to 1.020 or lower. Imaging, with either ultrasound
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
How quickly do struvite stones form? Our chihuahua had stones removed 10 months ago and is showing signs again. Is it possible.
Yes unfortunately it’s possible. He may just have crystals at this point that are causing irritation and bloody urine or infection. Please take him in soon to have them check a urinalysis, and perhaps do an X-ray or ultrasound to check for stones. I recommend a special diet to prevent them from recurring and often giving some wet food with added water daily will keep the urine dilute and also reduce the recurrence of crystals. Thanks for using Boop by Petco to help you care for Beef.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Food & Nutrition
My dog had bladder stones removed back in late August and the lab came back and said she has struvite stones. She is on a therapeutic diet however is still passing small stones. What do I do?
I would recommend seeing your veterinarian for a recheck. Struvite stones often form secondary to a urinary tract infection so your vet may want to test Beemo’s urine to make sure there is not currently an infection present. If you’re able to save a stone for your vet they might want to send it out for analysis - occasionally dogs can have multiple types of bladder stones and it’s possible your vet may want to change the diet or add a supplement if this is the case.
Updated on September 24th, 2025

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