Calcium Oxalate crystals
…are found in a wide variety of plants and are known to be in both water and soil in great abundance in the Mid-Atlantic states. You don’t mention where you are located, but I live in the “kidney stone” belt and you can find the crystals in almost anything grown in the local soil (and it’s in our water supply). If a plant has that “twang” to it, like greens, berries, rhubarb, that’s the calcium oxalate you’re tasting. Even our grass tests high!
Changing the PH of the urine helps some, eliminating products high in oxalate crystals helps. In general, the more fluids that can pass thru the kidneys to “flush” out the crystals the better. Kidney specialists are now recommending supplements of Calcium Citrate and no extra Vitamin C. Calcium Citrate is suppose to help bind the Calcium Oxalate crystals in the intestinal tract, thus preventing the crystals from reaching the kidneys. Your elimination of soy and beet pulp was a wise decision, as both can be high in Calcium Oxalate.
I hope you have found a solution to the problem, as eventually, there is a good chance that those crystal would bind together and form actual stones. I’ve seen horses with kidney and bladder stones and they are just as miserable as their human counterparts…only some of theirs can grow to huge proportions.
Good luck. I hope your horse becomes more comfortable and no other problems occur.
