Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Patient of the Month- Candi



Candi, a petite, 6lb, seven year old Shih Tzu was seen by her local vet not eating, straining to urinate and general discomfort. Her vet took x-rays and found her bladder to be full of stones. Immediately, Candi was referred to the HAH for surgery.

Dr. Shapiro examined Candi, reviewed her bloodwork and x-rays and scheduled her for a cystotomy that very day. The surgery went smoothly and the following day Candi was eating well and feeling fine.

The stones Dr. Shapiro found were struvite stones, the most common bladder stones in dogs and cats. They typically form because of urinary changes that happen when bladder infections occur. However, struvite crystals require an alkaline pH in order to form; they are less likely to form in acidic urine. So to prevent these stones from reoccurring Candi was prescribed a special diet of Hills C/D to keep her urine within the right pH.




Candi is now home. She has returned to her playful snuggly self and both her doctor and parents are very happy. We are happy to highlight Candi as our Patient of the Month!

No comments:

Post a Comment