French Bulldog with bladder stones

[Ash]

My friend (who I have mentioned here a couple of times before) has asked me to post this here. He has three French Bulldogs. One of them is a 6 year old un-neutered male who has had bladder stones since last year. His name is Benny.

End of last year he started to strain when peeing. The vet treated him repeatedly for UTI and did several urinalyses. They didn't show crystals, but very high counts of pus cells (at one point up to 40 or so), which did not clear up with prolonged antibiotics use.

In February this year, they did a sonogram which showed no stones. He was advised to change the diet. Benny had been eating almost exclusively boiled chicken for all of his life. He would sometimes eat yogurt but nothing else. He would not touch any commercial dog food. Now the doctor advised my friend to include vegetables, or make vegetable soup for him. He ate a little of that.

His urinating problems didn't improve though, and in March he was blocked (didn't pee at all). The next morning an x ray was taken that finally confirmed stones. He was operated and the vet removed around 60 calcium oxalate stones from his bladder. He recovered well, and the vet got a special diet food for him (imported, I think Royal Canine was the brand) to manage calcium oxalates.

However, Benny wouldn’t touch it and was soon back to chicken and vegetable soup. They were hoping that as long as he gets enough fluid intake, no more stones would develop.

But last month (August) he started to strain again. The x ray confirmed again stones. The vet didn’t want to operate him again, giving the reason that it is not good to operate twice at the same spot in the body. He inserted a tube into the bladder through the penis to keep the flow of urine. Benny had this tube inside for a couple of weeks. Now the tube is out and he pees, but has still difficulties.

I was just there and saw it: Benny stands in the typical pee position and it takes him about 15 seconds before a few drops will come out.

The vet was thinking about laser treatment but the stones are too small, he said, to be removed with laser. They are too large to pass by themselves.

The vet suggested waiting until the stones are big enough to remove them with laser. Either that or surgery.

They have seemingly given up on changing the diet as Benny won’t eat the prescription food.

My friend asked me to ask you if there’s any other approach that could be tried. I said, surgery and strict change of diet would be my guess, but he feels incapable of doing that.

What can I tell him?

Thanks for your advice!

[Marty]

Well, Winnie has had 2 surgeries for bladder stones. My Vet is watching her carefully, as he doesn't want to do another. I assumed it was because of her age (11). How about soaking the Rx food in unsalted chicken broth? From what I have heard, it's usually the owner who has created a fussy dog...it may take a few days of not eating, but a dog won't starve himself.

[davet]

there is really no good treatment for stones that are large enough to block...remove them surgiclally because each straining and movement of the stones cause irritation to the bladder wall which will give way sometime...tell them to get a decent X-ray and get them removed surgically..the longer it goes on the more damaging it becomes...

[Traci]

The vet is risking the dog's health by allowing the stones to enlarge and multiply....surgery is indicated. If the vet isn't experienced or refuses to perform surgery, your friend needs a new vet NOW.

After surgery, the owner needs to be diligent with the prescription diet (tough love). If he was offered a dry prescription diet, then he can choose canned instead, or vice versa. There are several veterinary diets for this purpose. Since he is prone to the crystals, the dog may need to be on a prescription diet for life.

[Ash]

I expected no different reply. I will tell him. Thank you all!

[Ash]

I told him what you said. He told me that Benny's second testicle, which had never descended, has started descending last week, and got stuck, causing him pain. The vet had an ultrasound done and decided they have to go (both of them). My friend asked him to remove the bladder stones at the same time. But the vet is against that, he didn't elaborate why. Too much bleeding? So my friend asked me to ask you, if he should insists on it being done both at the same time, or first the testicles and later the bladder stones (as the vet suggested). Is there a danger in doing both things at once? My friend would be happy if the dog doesn't have to be sedated twice.

[Traci]

It amazes me why this vet didn't neuter this dog at an earlier age,...when only one testicle is descended during the dog's first 6 months or year of life, then the vet usually goes in to retrieve the other one and therefore gets the dog neutered.

Why didn't the vet "elaborate" on his reluctance to neuter and remove the bladder stones at the same time? Granted, there may be an increased risk for post-op infection, but having the dog undergo anesthesia only once for two procedures at the same time would be more beneficial.

However, having said that, it doesn't sound like the vet is too confident. In that case, I would strongly recommend another vet more experienced, and pronto.

[Ash]

He didn't neuter him earlier because my friend wanted to breed with him (and did). French Bulldogs are rare here and costly.

Changing the vet is a bit of a problem since he's become kind of a family friend and would be offended.

I myself had this vet for some time (years ago) and didn't like him, I found him quite useless (and arrogant as well). I told my friend many times to go to someone else. But my friend feels he's "the best of a bad lot".

No, he isn't too confident, but he is one of the experienced vets here (for dogs). There are no "more experienced" ones.

Thanks for your advice though, I'll tell him.

[Ash]

Just an update.

They operated yesterday but took only the testicles out. The sonogram (done last Monday) had shown a growth in or next to the testicle and the vet had said it's cancer. I told my friend that he (the vet) can not possibly tell that from a sonogram. The sonogram also showed pus around the area, so I said it's likely an abcess. It's been sent off for analysis.

I don't know whether this was the reason why the vet didn't want to open the bladder during the same surgery. He has now said he will try the laser after all (when Benny has recovered from the op).

My friend was of course completely out of his mind, fearing cancer. How thoughtless of this vet! I have told my friend for the umpteenth time to go to another vet, but he doesn't want to. This one is just confusing him, but walks around proclaiming that he's the best vet in town When my friend said to him that he had gotten advice online to have the bladder stones done asap and that they could damage the bladder walls, the vet got very angry. He's so arrogant!

Ugh! Don't get me started ...

Anyway, Benny is recovering fine, let's hope it was really only an abcess.

[Traci]

Unfortunately, Ash, testicular, prostate, cancer can occur in intact male dogs, especially over time when the dog had never been neutered.

Hopefully, this is not the case with your friend's dog, but will have to wait for the biopsy results, assuming this was in fact, a biopsy sample sent.