Shih Tzu Bladder Stones

Bladder stones are not uncommon in Shih Tzus. Some forms of bladder stones happen because of inherited causes and are due to some kidney abnormalities. Another type occurs typically after a urinary tract or bladder infection. Still others happen from diet or for unknown reasons.

Symptoms
Symptoms include difficulty/straining to urinate and or blood in the urine.

Treatment
The most common treatment of bladder stones is surgery. In some cases however diet and medication may be enough to cure the problem. Always see your vet if you suspect anything is wrong.

Avoiding bladder stones
Some things thought to be helpful are:
1) Avoiding dehydration
2) Filtering tap water with a reverse osmosis filter, especially if the tap water is hard.
3) Treating bladder and urinary tract infections fast or trying to avoid them.
4) There are diets/dog food which can help prevent the stones from forming.