Introduction
Bladder stones in dogs must be treated to avoid reoccurring urinary tract infections, painful urination, and the development of a fatal condition known as urinary obstruction. Once a dog has been diagnosed with bladder stones, the treatment will depend on the size and amount of the stones in the bladder, and if the stones continue to form after repeated treatments.
Treating Bladder Stones
Non-Surgical Treatment
Tiny bladder stones that develop in small female dogs can often be treated with a nonsurgical procedure called urohydropropulsion. During this procedure the dog is sedated, a urinary catheter is inserted, saline fluid is flushed into the bladder, and then the bladder is squeezed to flush out the stones. An x-ray is performed after the procedure to ensure that all the stones were flushed out.
Surgical Treatment
When a dog is suffering from the development of large bladder stones, or a large amount of stones are present in the bladder, a surgical procedure called a cystotomy will need to be performed. During a cystotomy procedure, the dog is sedated under anesthesia, a small incision is cut into the bladder, the stones are removed through the incision, and then the bladder is closed. Your veterinarian will flush the bladder with saline to ensure that the incision was closed properly. This type of surgical procedure is normally very successful and is a low risk surgery.
Once the stones have been removed they will be sent to a laboratory to determine what type of bladder stones they are; this information will help the veterinarian to know why the stones developed in the first place, and how the owner can keep the stones from developing again. The recurrence of some types of stones can be reduced by placing a dog on a specialized diet; other types of stones may be forming in the dog’s bladder due to another underlying condition that needs to be treated.