Bladder Stones In Our Shih Tzu-Schnauzer: With X-Ray Of Stones

My Granddaughter, Tiffany, bought a Shih Tzu-Schnauzer when she was a freshman at a University in Florida. I tried to convince her to wait until she graduated, but she had to have this little dog NOW. I advised her of the responsibility, the Vet bills, the cost of feeding a dog, and on and on, but it was useless. She purchased this little female Shih Tzu-Schnauzer and named her Bailey. Bailey is almost 3 years old now.

Even though Bailey is a Shih Tzu-Schnauzer, she seems to have more of the features of a Shih Tzu. This breed is known for their wonderful personalities, and their intelligence. They are a small dog. The traditional long, silky coat will reach the floor if it’s left to grow. People who show these little dogs let their hair grow long, and they are quite beautiful. If the Shih Tzu is kept for strictly a pet, they are usually kept in a “puppy clip”. They have these large, round expressive eyes that can melt your heart. They are very playful and loving little guys. There are various theories of the origins of today’s Shih Tzu.

One theory is that it stemmed from a cross between Pekingese and a Tibetan dog, the Lhasa Apso. Dogs during ancient times were selectively bred and seen in Chinese paintings. A lot of these dogs were brought to the United States after World War II, when returning members of the US military brought them back from Europe.

Tiffany fell in love with Bailey from the start and Bailey with her. When Tiffany would come home for a visit, Bailey would come with her. She and my Miniature Schnauzer, Baby, became great friends. They loved to chase each other round and round the rose bush in the front yard. They would knock each other over. One would pin the other one on the ground, and they would growl and show their teeth, but always in play. Tiffany has never allowed us to feed Bailey from the table, insisting that she only eat her dog food. She has taken excellent care of this little dog. She is so concerned for her safety that she puts Bailey in a carrier for a road trip, never allowing her to be free in the car.

Tiffany has taught Bailey a lot of cute tricks, too.

One day, Tiffany called to tell me that she was concerned about Bailey. When she took the dog for her early morning walk, Bailey would squat, and try to go to the bathroom, but couldn’t. She kept trying, and after a while it was evident that something was wrong. Tiffany took her to the Veterinarian who immediately took X-rays. She had about 20 visible little stones in her bladder! He anesthetized her, put in a catheter to drain her bladder, and pushed a large stone that was blocking the urethra back up into the bladder. He informed Tiffany that surgery was necessary to remove the stones.

The surgery was performed to remove the stones, and after Bailey woke up, Tiffany took her home.

All during the experience, I was worried about Bailey, of course, but I was worried about Tiffany, too. Bailey has always been such a healthy little dog, and it was hard for us to believe that this was happening to her.

It has been almost a week now since Bailey had surgery to remove the kidney stones, and I have a lot of concerns. What can we do to prevent this from occurring again? Was it the dog food? Was it the water? I worked with a Veterinarian for many years, and I can’t recall ever seeing a dog come in as a patient with bladder or kidney stones. Are they doing something different now manufacturing the dog food? Remember the scare several years ago where they found the dog food contaminated? Maybe it’s the preservatives they put in the dog food? I have friends who cook chicken, rice, and vegetables for their dog. They don’t trust commercial dog food. I sure don’t want this to happen to my Schnauzer. I certainly wouldn’t mind cooking for her.

The stones they removed from Bailey are yet to be analyzed. The Vet says he will know more about recommending her diet when he gets the reports back. Since the Veterinarian sells dog food in his practice, will he tell Tiffany to cook for her, or would he rather sell her the dog food that he carries?

Dogs are much less prone to disease of the bladder and urethra as compared to cats. According to Wikipedia, these stones occur in 1% of dogs. They are composed of crystallized minerals, such as struvite, oxalate, urate, cystine, or calcium phosphate. Certain breeds are more prone to have kidney and bladder stones, and the Schnauzer is one of them.

I am writing this to make people more aware of bladder stones in dogs, not to alarm anyone. As pet owners, we have come to recognize problems or symptoms with our animals, but we were totally unaware of this potentially fatal occurrence. We would never have suspected a dog that is not quite three years old of having bladder stones! If an animal can’t urinate, they will become toxic and can die. If your dog seems to be having difficulty urinating, and if the urine looks cloudy or bloody get it to a Veterinarian! This problem seems to more prevalent with cats, but now we know, it can happen to dogs, too. If I get some good answers as to the cause of these stones and prevention, I’ll write more on that subject.

Tiffany couldn’t miss class the night she brought Bailey home, so she took her to school with her. She said Bailey just slept on her lap the whole time. The professor never said a word. It’s been four days since all this happened. Bailey is still not her old, playful self. Her appetite is not good, and Tiffany is finding it hard to make her drink water. Because she is a young dog, we are hoping for a full recovery. I’m anxious to see the old Bailey again, and I know Baby, my Schnauzer, wants to chase her around and around the rose bush again.