Thursday, January 15, 2009

Pekes and Bladder Problems

Many Pekingese have bladder problems. They are just unable to process certain minerals and they form crystals and then stones in the bladder. There are foods that can be used to dissolve stones if they are small and new. But, if they are larger, surgery is usually what needs to be done.
This is Max. He came into rescue with a huge stone in his bladder that had to be operated on immediately. He's been on a special diet for four years and is doing great.
Scooterbug is one of my Pekes. He is seven and a half years old and JUST was diagnosed with bladder issues. He had four small stones and is on SD food for a month. This food is not one that a dog can stay on indefinitely, because it is not nutritionally balanced, but it can be used short term to dissolve small stones. His friend, Ricky, also was dianosed with a small stone and he's on the same food! Don't you just love Scooter's hat!!
Cranberry Muffin is also one of mine-- she had a lot of bladder infections and is now on the Waltam's S.O. diet. She's doing great on that. She also gets special prescription treats and has done great. Like many Pekes, she just had a back injury, so she is being limited on moving around so that can heal. She is "my girl", and we are taking good care of her. ;-)
This is Snuggles, my newest foster dog. This picture was taken before her surgery, when she still had 15-20 stones in her bladder. She was in a lot of pain. She is like a new girl now that she has had surgery!! More pictures of her will be coming and you'll be able to see the light in her eyes.
Trinka had a bladder stone that was able to be broken up by a special injection. (You would have to check with your vet on this, because I don't have any information on it.) She is now on a special diet.

If you have a Peke who is "having accidents" be sure to have your vet check to see if there is a bladder infection. If you catch it early, before stones form, you can use antibiotics and diet change-- your Peke will be so glad you caught it early!


1 comment:

jahanschen said...

Boy that Max sure is cute, haha, but I'm biased as his mommy! :) I'd also like to add that our pug is now on Waltham's SO for bladder crystals that would have become stones if we had not caught them in time. Fortunately, he did not need the surgery. So if you have a pug and peke, watch out for double bladder trouble! Thanks for the peke tips Linda, great job!

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