Why does my dog have crystals in her urine?

Your pet is that a higher risk for urinary stones if they have a high-protein diet or a UTI. To treat urinary stones the most important thing to do would be to increase their water intake and reduce dietary protein. There are two different types of urinary stones struvite's and calcium oxalate. Struvite's can be treated by dissolution therapy which is a diet that can be prescribed by your veterinarian. Calcium oxalate's have to be surgically removed. After they are removed it's important to prevent more from forming by limiting magnesium, phosphorus, and protein.

According to The Whole Dog Journal, crystals in dog’s urine are a common finding, affecting as much as 40-44 percent of all healthy pooches. PetMD states that urine crystals occur when your dog’s urine is or was recently supersaturated with mineral concentrates.

Causes include: Urine pH--the most important factor for the type of crystals in dog’s urine. Higher concentration of crystallogenic substances (minerals) in the urine, which can be caused by urine retention/postponement and lower water concentration in urine. Excretion of certain medications, such as sulfonamides and steroids and diagnostic agents such as radiopaque contrast agents.

I invested in a dog fountain in my home. I got a huge indoor/outdoor one because I have huge dogs and a lot of dogs coming and going since I board.

But even a smaller one can help your dog drink more often. The fountains filter the water, and keep it moving, which cats and dogs both like. Which is why dogs like toilet water...it moves and is "fresher".

It may take some getting used to for some dogs, but you can put the old water bowl nearby at first. Seeing more confident dogs (or the cat) drink helps, and you can go splash around with your hand, too.

Bio-film (that gross scum you find of food and water bowls from dog saliva and bacteria) won't build up in a fountain easily, and monthly or bi-monthly cleaning is good for people who don't have a ton of dogs.

Fountains usually hold more water than the average bowl, and are easy to refill, and make a noise when they are getting low, so it's not possible to forget, like it is with water bowls.

Also, it is very trendy now to feed very high-protein diets...but domestic dogs can only metabolize so much protein at once, and the rest goes out the other end. It can be hard on their systems if there is too much protein. So consider feeding a more balanced food if your dog has been on one of those.

Domestic dogs were fed what people could afford to feed them for hundreds and thousands of years...people ate the relatively scarce and valuable proteins, dogs got offal, leftovers, and rice, bread, etc. Dogs' bodies changed: that is what domestication means. Even wolves eat stomach contents and grass. And no wolves are eating alligators or deep sea fish. =)