As noted in previous posts regarding Cosmo’s food, I have used Royal Canin Urinary SO (moderate calorie) canned food as an oxalate-free source of vitamins and other essential nutrients that are below the RDA in his homemade food recipe.

Before discussing Cosmo’s diet, let me say that he is doing well. He turned 11 in November 2019 and as of August had no more bladder stones. His hyperlipidemia seems to be under control and the soft stool problem he had for most of 2018 has also abated through the use of daily doses of Tylosin and Metamucil.

Cosmo requires a special diet due to his propensity to form calcium oxalate bladder stones. In addition, he developed hyperlipidemia last year which necessitated a low-fat diet.

Last November I learned that Cosmo, our 9 1/2-year-old Miniature Schnauzer, had hyperlipidemia in addition to his propensity to form calcium oxalate stones in his bladder. He has had three surgeries for the latter condition. I have written several previous posts on our efforts to find a diet which will reduce, if not eliminate, these stones.

Cosmo has had a re-occurrence of his calcium oxalate bladder stones. He has had two bladder surgeries to remove them since November 2014, and now another surgery seems inevitable. His latest crop of stones was found with an x-ray by our vet in late July, but we decided to put off the surgery until they create a problem (e.g., UTIs and/or blood in his urine).

Cosmo was first diagnosed with calcium oxalate stones in August 2014. These were subsequently removed by surgery in November 2014 and he has been on a special diet since the surgery. The diet consisted of a combination of Royal Canin Urinary SO (moderate calorie) and a low oxalate homemade diet.

This is a description of our dog’s (Cosmo, a male miniature schnauzer) urinary stone problem…. how the problem developed; what was done to remove the stones; and what we are doing to prevent their return.