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Frenchie with Cystine Urolithiasis (Kidiney Stones)

I'm hoping for some guidance here.

I have a 4 year old French Bulldog (who is the sweestest thing); he has some allergies which we have learned to manage (after a great many vet visits).  He wears boots when he goes out to protect his feet to control most of it without medication with: frequent baths and epsom salt soaks for his feet, food creams, regular fold and ear cleaning, etc (so much more lol).  We both work from home, and he is with me all the time, so it's easier to be able to help and catch any problem areas quickly as they come up.

Recently things took a turn with blood in his urine and difficulty urinating, which was diagnosed as UTI and discovered a lot of crystals and incorrect PH in his urine test. Xray found a stone. Surgery to remove (also found a really small 2nd stone not showing on xray), then complications of Seroma and Hernia (2nd small op needed), then another Seroma, followed by a few other small complications that turns out all (but hernia) be related to him being allergic to the stitches (ugh!!). 2 months of recovery later., we really don't want him to go for another operation if we can avoid it, so we need to keep those stones out of there.

We sent the stone for analysis and its this rare type called Cystine which requires and even more restrictive style diet then other types of stones. He is on Royal Canin's Cystine Urolithiasis Diet.  We are going to do regular urine tests, and xrays to monitor.

My vet has only seen this a few times in 20 years, and I want to have as many bases covered as possible to avoid him getting another stone.

I'm looking at BalanceIT website for a home made diet but they only have one listed (just rice, egg, canola oil, and vitamin pack) - ugh sounds tragic to eat that every day for the rest of your life (this guy LOVES food). Also I read a Clinicians Belief article that says Egg is no good for this condition, and Royal Canin used Chicken Fat as the protien that he is currently on. Are there other known diets that can work?  Can I feed him of the odd vegetable treat?

Really looking for help on the food front. I would prefer not to keep him on a processed dry food for the rest of his life if I can help it, he was eating whole fresh foods before all this happened.

Also I have read medication, specifically Thiola might be a good option. Does anyone have any experience\knowledge with this?

Thank you so much for your time.
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675347 tn?1365460645
COMMUNITY LEADER
I do know that at least for humans, Cystine stones can sometimes be prevented  by a high fluid intake. So you are on  to something when you say you don't want to give him dry food.

It follows from  that (just an idea of mine) that broths and soups made for him might encourage him to take on more fluid.

Now the point is  -what with?

Fruit and vegetables are likely to help reduce stone formation.
This sort of diet leads to the formation of alkaline urine, which makes cystine more soluble and less likely to form stones.

Well, that's a guide for humans. A vegan diet is recommended. That means vegan sources of protein, not a completely protein-free diet.
However, some vegan sources of protein which are fine for humans  are not suitable for dogs.

But for a dog...?
Well , dogs can certainly eat vegetables and some fruits in small portions, and gain a little bit of good nutrition from them.
So soups made with vegetables which are good for/safe for dogs would be at least helpful to give him some variety, on top of what you mentioned above
.
Carrots, broccoli, greens, turnips, potatoes, sweet potatoes, green beans, peas are all good vegetables tolerated well, and often very much enjoyed, by dogs.

Vegetables do contain a certain amount of protein (small amounts)

I also wonder about quinoa. That is technically a seed, not a grain, and does contain a good amount of protein. Dogs like it usually and it is fine for them.

There are other foods like buckwheat, wholewheat pasta,  brown rice etc which could maybe be added to provide variety?

But I am unsure if those would be suitable or not. You could do some research ?

My advice though would be to have a consultation (remotely) either by phone, skype, facetime, or even email -with a veterinary nutritionist, and a "Holistic" one would be a good choice.

That might sound hard to accomplish, yet after researching, I did manage to find one (here in UK) whom I consulted years ago by phone (questions about my dog's nutritional needs for a home cooked fiet for early-stage renal failure.) The nutritionist was very friendly to talk to, and we had a thorough discussion.
Unfortunately I cannot remember her name, and this was in 2011.
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Thank you very much, great advice and I really appreciate it!!  I am going to check out a dedicated nutritionist company that can provide personalized service. Sounds like my best route!
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