Does your dog have urinary stones? Make your own dog treats for your dog if he or she is one of the unfortunate pets to be diagnosed with calcium oxalate stones also called oxalates.
Read more about this topic here: urinary crystals in dogs. These stones will not dissolve once they form.
According to Dr. Ron Hines, DVM, Ph.D., it is not known why some dogs develop these stones and others don’t. Once your dog develops them, there is no absolute guarantee to prevent re-occurrence.
However, by paying close attention to your pet’s diet, you can do your best to limit future stone formation.
The foods recommended for pets that form struvite urine crystals would not necessarily be recommended for those that form oxalate stones, because it is important to keep the urine in the alkaline range to try to inhibit oxalate formation.
In reviewing many websites offering acid/alkaline food charts and comparisons, it is often noted that animal protein is NOT recommended for oxalate formers. Dr. Hines disagrees. He notes that red meat, chicken, and turkey are all low in oxalate. However, organ meats, like the liver, can have higher concentrations.
He writes that soybean and corn products can be high in oxalates. An alkaline food chart that we found lists soy sprouts as an alkaline food. There is a long list of vegetables as well. But Dr. Hines does not recommend raw vegetable ingredients. However, he suggests boiling the vegetables and discarding the water that was used, thus reducing the amount of oxalate from the vegetables that can be absorbed into the body’s system.
Bottom line: Do as much of your own research as you can and seek out experts who can offer important advice. We have read on other websites that other people have received information from “those in the know” which is conflicting.
