Do you feed your B only wet food or wet down dry food to help prevent Bladder Stones?

[amongmany]

Was perusing the BCOA page on facebook today and came across this post/discussion (100+ comments deep now): https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10203102923203810&set=a.4063115746096.169564.1528294663&type=1&stream_ref=10

It's an ongoing discussion on the predisposition of Basenji's to have issues with Bladder Stones. Many people are discussing the benefit of feeding a B primarily wet food or of wetting down their dry food to help them digest it.

Does anyone here do this?
Has anyone had issues with Bladder Stones in their Basenji?

We're picking up our male in about 10 days and we're trying to learn everything we can.

[tanza]

Never had a problem with bladder stones.. I feed grain free kibble… mixed with some wet food... mixed with veggies.. raw and cooked... I don't really think it is a problem with our breed... of course there are some that have had bladder stones... best to ask your pups breeder on their experience... but I always have felt that bland kibble is boring for any dog.. so I mix everything up all the time... including the kibble... then you never have to have a problem with changing food..... and things like yams... and all veggies.. mixed with their food is a great choice... mine love all veggies and most all fruits... of course since we have a garden.. they love to pick for themselves

[agilebasenji]

i feed mostly grain free dry. but now that Jet the trying is 16+, he gets 50/50 mix of canned and dry. Cuz at 16+ he decided he needed to be more spoiled and i didn't feel like arguing that point. If i have some leftovers, i'll toss that in too (veggies, meat, carbs, no high sugar or spicy foods or toxic-to-dogs food). For the dogs on mostly kibble, I add some oil - usually fish or coconut. On the weekends, I make extra eggs and they get some of that.

[amongmany]

Thanks for the replies. @tanza - did you have a look at the thread on facebook that I included the link to?

I would never have worried about it until I read that thread, but there's a lot of information in it (mostly anecdotal) about things that may lead to Bladder Stones including high-protein diet and not enough water.

[tanza]

Basenjis for the most part are not great water drinkers… I have had ones that are and ones that are not... so I have always been concerned that they get enough water.

And yes, I am on that group (FB) so have read that thread

[eeeefarm]

I feed NRG dehydrated, which once rehydrated is actually "real food", unlike kibble, which is processed to the point where it would not sustain life without a "premix" of vitamins and minerals being added.

[Buddys Pal]

Well, my old lab got struvite crystals in his bladder and went through the internet for answers. Long story short, he lost the crystals and was ph balanced until he did reach his end of life 3 months later, but he died of old age, the blood labs went to very normal! Now that my other two, Candi the hound and Uzi my B are still on raw since Oct 2013, I am assured they area totally healthy. For the Basenji, that they do not drink so much, he gets liquid via the raw food, and he looks sooooo good! I love it that he does not have to poop so often and all his chemistry labs always come back 'perfect'. I don't have any fears about later I life either. Protein and the variety he gets is doing the job. Kibble needs so much water to break down. Now, there are many that are excellent, but I just can never go back to it…..

[CrazySenji]

I've been meaning to mention that different crystals grow in different PHs. More water will help flush the bladder more and might help with dogs that have had crystals but I don't know that they would prevent them. Most dogs don't get crystals and I don't know that basenjis are a high risk breed like a schnauzer.

[amongmany]

@CrazySenji

The first I'd heard of it was in the facebook discussion linked above. Granted, we're just picking up our pup this weekend, so my hands-on experience is certainly limited in that regard, but I figured I'd ask others about their experience.

[CrazySenji]

Yeah I know there have been issues lately with cysteine crystals with some breeders so maybe that's what they meant? Ask your breeder.. good ones should be upfront about issues their past dogs have had :).

[Buddys Pal]

wow, read all through that facebook link you gave, so scary! thanks for the flag to be watched, definitely!