Prey Model Raw

While a prey model raw or raw meaty bones diet is by far the most ideal diet for our carnivorous companions, there are certain circumstances where this style of feeding isn’t appropriate for medical reasons. A good friend of mine has one of those rare cases with her dog Duncan, a Black Russian Terrier that is prone to forming urate stones.

I thought is was important to let it be known that dogs really are individuals and their diets do need to be tweaked here and there based on an individual basis. Most dogs do optimal on the “cookie cutter” prey model raw diet, others do not. Below is Duncan’s story and the extensive research his dog-mom did to help him through this!

Canine Hyperuricosuria and The Black Russian Terrier

Knowing that Duncan has this I am now in “must learn as much about this as possible” mode. I have been researching quite a bit the last few days. As sad as I am about his condition, I think that things happen for a reason. He was meant to be with me and I am going to do everything in my power to help him in any way I can.

I would love to share with you all what I have found. I apologize if this is something that some of you already know, but I thought I would share it for any new people to the breed or any new people who don’t know much about Canine Hyperuricosuria (like me).

This is what I have learned so far:

The formation of urate stones occurs because affected dogs excrete uric acid in their urine rather than allantoin. Uric acid and allantoin are waste products from a chemical called purine, thus uric acid is formed from purines. The presence of uric acid (rather than allantoin) is what causes these dogs to produce and form urate crystals or stones. These crystals and stones can become lodged in the bladder or urethra causing a blockage.

Dogs have the ability to produce any purines that they need from other things in their diet. So, for dogs that are affected with Canine Hyperuricosuria you want to limit the purines in their diet significantly. A big key thing to understand is that you don’t want to limit the amount of protein in the dogs diet, but what you DO want to limit is the TYPE of proteins you feed the dog.

I have been in contact with some Dalmatian people since Canine Hyperuricosuria is a prevalent problem in the Dalmatian breed. Every single dog is affected and runs the chance of developing these urate stones. Female dogs are usually less likely to have a problem due to the fact that their urinary tract anatomy is a straight shot from the bladder to the outside. Males are the ones that have a bigger chance of having problems due to the shape of their os penis. There is a bend in their penis where stones have a greater chance of getting stuck, thus causing a blockage.

So moving back to purines, protein and diet. It is very important for dogs that are stone formers to be fed a diet low in purines. Purines are highest in organ meat, red meats, game meats, and sardines.

There are a variety of diets you can put your dog on:
-Science Diet UD
-Royal Canin Urinary UC
-Flint River Ranch has several kibbles suited for this condition
-A BARF (raw) diet geared towards dogs with this condition
I feed my dogs a raw diet. However, finding out about Duncan’s condition had led me to decision that I am needing to modify his diet.

I have researched the “Dalmatian Raw Diet” thanks to the advice from some Dalmatian breeders who feed the same and have had for years with great success. The diet mainly consists of chicken and turkey (since white meats are the lowest in purines), a veggie/fruit puree (to replace the nutrients lost from the organ meat and red meat), eggs, and some added supplements that are to be given a few times a week. Some add in dairy products (cottage cheese, yogurt, etc). However, I am still not sold on this since dogs are lactose intolerant (I am continuing to look into it, though).

Another important thing to keep in mind is to keep the dog well hydrated. Stones are less likely to form in dilute urine. Also, emptying the bladder often is another important thing. It is recommended to add some water to the dogs diet to aid in this. Raw diets are high in moisture content (around 80%).

It is a good idea for dogs who are stone formers to have a routine urinalysis done by your vet as well as testing the urine from time to time with pH test strips. You are wanting to keep the urine alkaline, as apposed to acidic.

There is also a medication called “Allopurinol”. I don’t know much about it, but what I have learned so far is that is it given twice a day at the proper dosage for dissolving urate stones. This is used as a prevention once the dog has undergone a surgery to have stones removed.

So here is the short version:
Purines -> Hypoxanthine -> Xanthine -> Uric Acid -> Allantoin

Dogs with Canine Hyperuricosuria stop at uric acid. The medication Allopurinol shuts down “xanthine oxidase” which is responsible for converting Hypoxanthine to Xanthine and ultimately to uric acid. With out this conversion purines are stuck in Hypoxantine and never make it to uric acid.

So…that’s it! I am continuing my research and will share any more that I learn. If there is anything wrong or someone would like to add to this, please let me know. I know that I feel much better about Duncan after learning more….and I hope this information can help someone in some way. :0) Knowledge is power!

Resources:

This website had great information and is where I ordered my DNA test for Duncan:

http://www.vgl.ucdavis.edu/services/Hyperuricosuria.php

http://www.marvistavet.com/html/uric_acid_stones_in_dalmatians.html

http://www.thedca.org/purines.html

http://www.acumedico.com/purine.htm

http://hattrickdalmatians.com/PreventingUrateStoneFormation.html

http://www.britishdalmatianclub.org.uk/health/index.php?action=urinary_stones_detailed

I also got information from a great article in The Whole Dog Journal titled “Cast in Stone” June 2010 issue.

http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-228995247.html

Raw & Natural Nutrition for Dogs, The Definitive Guide to Homemade Meals written by Lew Olson, PhD has some great information on nutrition as a whole, as well as a chapter on bladder stones.

http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9781583942949&view=quotes

I also had several exchanged emails with Dr. Tom Lonsdale on the topic of urate stones.

http://www.rawmeatybones.com/

Duncan is a happy, handsome boy and is lucky to have such a caring and devoted dog-mom!