JINGLES & AO ~
JINGLES AND AO ON THE WAY FOR YOUR GIRL ````
JINGLE JINGLE JINGLE & AO ~ AO ~ AO ~ ALWAYS OPTIMISTIC
Roxanne!!! I just remembered her beautiful name…I am jingling aplenty for Roxanne!!! ( One of my favorite movies AND songs…do you sing her name to her in a Sting-esque snarl???)
How are dogs and cats so different that a basic simple radiograph is not taken to determine how many stones are in the bladder and where exactly they are placed? 
I’m truly curious as to why this diagnostic tool was not utilized. Blocked uretha tube is a life and death emergency. I darned sure wouldn’t be futzing around with guesses. I’d want to know HOW much in danger the dog is.
lovey1121
she got that name from her first owners who apparently were big fans of the police (although not big fans of bull terriers since they gave her up :().
she’s doing great. her urine is a beautiful light yellow color. i’ve had additional conversations with my vet based on the comments on this thread and information i got from my friend who is a small animal vet and i’ve decided to trust him on this. he has been my family’s vet for 20 years and has never steered us wrong.
i did find out that the surgery increases a risk of future stone formation so while it provides an immediate clinical solution it carriers its own risk. of course, with roxanne’s heart murmur, there are also other concerns.
[QUOTE=Auventera Two;5893519]
How are dogs and cats so different that a basic simple radiograph is not taken to determine how many stones are in the bladder and where exactly they are placed? I’m truly curious as to why this diagnostic tool was not utilized. Blocked uretha tube is a life and death emergency. I darned sure wouldn’t be futzing around with guesses. I’d want to know HOW much in danger the dog is.[/QUOTE]
Agreed. Radiographs are a MUST for any animal with urinary stones to determine number/size/location. This is essential in planning future therapy and catheter placement.
Why are you so against having a radiograph done to determine the extent of the stones? For me, that would be the #1 step. You first have to determine exactly what you’re up against before you can even begin to formulate a treatment plan.
I have kidney and gall stones myself and every time I have a flare up, the doctor’s #1 thing is to get radiographs, then possibly ultrasound, then determine what to do next.
You absolutely need to know:
Where are they
How many are there
How big are they
Where are they placed
What are they made of
If you don’t know ALL of that data, you’re just guessing in the dark.
If your dog has a bladder full of stones, or the stones are large, you’re dealing with a ticking time bomb.
A2
as i thought i indicated in my prior post, i’m following my vet’s advice as far as treatment and diagnostic process.
your thoughts and input (relevant or not) are appreciated and considered as are those of all the other posters.
Ok, well good luck! I hope your dog isn’t worse than you assume she is.
I’m surprised any vet would take a ‘wait and see’ approach. My dog had stones, 67 to be exact. Mostly small stones, but obviously excruciatingly painful for my pup. X-rays, blood & urine tests, then surgery the next day. It’s nothing to mess around with. But you’ve already been told that by others here.
Jingles to you! My sister’s 7 year old carolina dog just had bladder stone surgery. We brought her in for sneezing and general palpation indicated there was a mass. Rads, and yep–monster stone! Totally unnoticed in previous yearlies.
Of course she did a full blood panel because of age which was 100-150 dollars and then the surgery itself was less than 200. She was in and out, up and walking the next day, no staples to remove and the dog has totally retained continence again; she had been started on Proin as we thought it was an older-age thing. Its an easier surgery–not without worry of course but a simple fix! Depending on the type of stone they often want to run some tests. ETA: the dog had one stone, slightly larger than a golf ball and she’s a 28 pound dog. Urine was always yellow and clear but a urinalysis revealed some yucky stuff. We obviously did not take her in with those intended issues but she ABSOLUTELY feels better and is more active and social now that the stone’s gone.
Word to the wise on a more disgusting note–as my roommate and I are both techs we were toooo curious about breaking open the stone to see the inside. Bad mistake–bounced it off the driveway and the thing popped open and let out the most righteous 7 years of inside bladder DEATH smell that lingered in my nose and IN OUR DRIVEWAY for days. (Did look cool on the inside, though).
If you’re curious like me, I’ll save you the trouble 
And price wise–it was cheapish for her because I picked up her antibiotics and whatnot at my clinic–but this was done at a general practice. Had it been done where I work (surgery) it would have been closer to 1k.
Irkenequine
Thanks for that story. I’m glad to hear it worked well on a dog Roxanne’s age.
Did they tell you to adjust your dog’s diet in any way post surgery to reduce risk of more stones forming? If so, how?
And I can’t even begin to imagine the stench from the broken stone. Damn lucky you didn’t break it open INSIDE the house!!!
Thanks for that story. I’m glad to hear it worked well on a dog Roxanne’s age.
Did they tell you to adjust your dog’s diet in any way post surgery to reduce risk of more stones forming? If so, how?
And I can’t even begin to imagine the stench from the broken stone. Damn lucky you didn’t break it open INSIDE the house!!!
No dietary changes were mentioned; she eats Taste of the Wild and as it was just the one larrrrge stone which had been forming for many many a year (as opposed to frequent re occurrences of many stones) vet didn’t seem concerned with it.
I am used to smelly gross stuff in my line of work but I HIGHLY regret busting that thing open. Smelled like death. Did have some neat tree-like age rings on the inside…but I maintain the ‘never again’ side of that curiosity :dead:
Of course save a small handful, all of us here are only armchair vets or techs with limited experiences. Follow your vets advice first and foremost but if it were me–I’d save the stress, have an xray done and have it removed. You know in typical dog-mommy fashion you’ll just fret and worry about it in every way, shape, or form until its handled anyway…if it was a heavy, expensive and serious surgery (though of course no surgery is without risk) I could understand the trepidation but if it has already bothered her once, I’d have the vet scoop it out so you’re both happier.
And jingles from my bully to your bully, for whatever you decide!
Wow,Im shocked your vet didnt get radiographs! Where are the stones forming, what type of stones are they? Renal in origin, or did they develop in the bladder? acid or alkaline responsive? If she already had a stone stuck in her urethera for a full day, you are lucky she didnt damage her kidneys! Id find a new vet ASAP to investigate further. Seen too many dogs die from vets who send the dogs here for serious complications on what could have beena simple cystotomy.
I too would be finding a new vet. A stone blocking the tube is life threatening. For a vet to push it back in and then say feed this powder…wow, talk about scary.
