Our dog may require bladder surgery due to stones; need advice - alternatives?

[RetiredWithDogs]

Is the pain of hospitalisation and surgery worth the outcome?
Do you have personal experience with more difficult surgeries on your dog?

After going to 4 vets, we have learned that our little mix-breed rescue doggie has what is highly likely a bunch of stones rolling around (and also stuck) in his bladder that are making it hard for him to pee properly.
The vets think it's a genetic fault that is causing them and that they'll be hard to control with diet, but it may be possible. He is about 5 years old.
To make things harder, he appears to have blood pressure problems under anesthetic and sometimes in normal situations as well.

As retirees, we are not especially well-off, but have always put our rescue dogs and cats first. Thousands upon thousands were spent by us on trying to save our (older) dogs from cancer and other age-related diseases, but without any real success. This is the first time a younger dog is sick and we don't know if his emotional and physical pain will be worth the outcome, as he's got some deeply ingrained trauma and fear of being left alone.

The vet said there's a real chance we'll end up with a dead dog when we went to the (apparently) best hospital in the state.
Due to a bunch of factors, the thousands of dollars for the treatment/operation are going to hit extra hard and have long-term consequences, but we'll manage as we always have done before.

So, we don't know if the risks of the hospital surgery are worth him going through the ordeal of separation, tests and procedures. Before surgery, the vets want to try a 48 hour hospital stay with catheter and IV to flush out the stones.

Is there any medication available to reduce potassium levels in the blood (due to poor urine flow) and dissolve the stones?

Please share your experience of similar situations. Thank you!

[kerk2]

I certainly feel for you, and admire your dedication and sacrifice. I have had as many as 6 house dogs at once, and we could never afford all the veterinary care that some people can. So over the years I have taken it upon myself to learn as much, and do as much, as I could holistically with myself, my family, and my animals, and we have all benefited from it. That said, I will not offer you any advice, but suggest you search this: 'Home Remedies to Make Kidney Stones Dissolve'.

I don't think we are allowed to post links here, but if you search that, it should take you to a good piece on kidney stones, on a site called 'Live Strong'. It may give you some ideas that you may be able to use yourself and give you a little more feeling of control. This info may not eliminate the problem, but may help ease the discomfort.

I am a firm, lifelong believer in homeopathy. Not so much for any 'cures', but just that I believe it helps make and keep the body strong so that it can better fight it's own battles, and better it's odds of 'winning' those battles.

Keep us posted, and again, I admire your love for those in your charge.