Bladder stones cause significant pain, urinary obstruction, and welfare suffering in dogs, with prevention through dietary management highly effective for common stone types.
Dogs with bladder stones experience pain during urination, frequent attempts to urinate, and haematuria. Urethral obstruction prevents urination entirely, causing rapid deterioration and requiring emergency intervention. The pain from bladder irritation is chronic and affects quality of life until stones are removed or dissolved. Dietary management to prevent recurrence requires lifelong prescription diets for most stone types. Welfare-responsible breeding in predisposed breeds monitors stone prevalence and selects against high-risk individuals.