Its surgery day! The most common signs that a dog or cat has bladder stones are blood in the urine and straining to urinate. Blood in the urine occurs because the stones rub against the bladder wall, irritating and damaging the tissue and causing bleeding. Straining to urinate may result from inflammation and swelling of the bladder wall or the urethra, from muscle spasms, or due to a physical obstruction to urine flow caused by the presence of the stones. Bladder stones can develop within a few weeks or they may take months to form. Speed of growth will usually depend on the quantity of crystalline material present and the degree of infection present. Although it may take months for a large stone to grow, some sizeable stones have been documented to form in as little as two weeks. There are many different types of bladder stones - some can be dissolved with diet but others have to be surgically removed. Whenever possible, bladder stones (either those that are removed surgically or those small ones that have been passed in the urine), should be analyzed for their chemical composition. This will permit your veterinarian to determine if a special diet will be helpful in preventing recurrence. Click on the individual photos for more information on bladder stones.
Posted on: Wed, 04 Jun 2014 12:30:00 +0000
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