Sasha’s Journey: From Painful Bladder Stones to Long-Term Prevention

Sasha, a 5-year-old spayed Miniature Schnauzer, came to Vet HQ Double Bay with signs that concerned her owner. She was straining to urinate, making frequent trips outside with little result, and showing discomfort in her abdomen. These weren’t new symptoms. Sasha had experienced urinary issues before, and her owner worried the problem was returning.

During examination, Dr Angelene Woo suspected bladder stones, a condition Miniature Schnauzers are genetically predisposed to developing. Imaging confirmed multiple uroliths (bladder stones) that were causing irritation, pain, and potentially setting Sasha up for dangerous urinary infections. These stones needed to be removed, but more importantly, we needed to understand why they kept forming so we could prevent future recurrence.

Dr Angelene performed ultrasound imaging that revealed three intact uroliths in Sasha’s bladder. The stones needed surgical removal, but understanding their composition would be critical for preventing new stones from forming. Bladder stones in dogs can have different causes. Some forms are due to infection, others to genetics or diet, and some result from underlying metabolic issues.

Miniature Schnauzers are particularly prone to certain types of stones, making breed-specific considerations essential. Dr Angelene explained to Sasha’s owner that surgery would provide immediate relief. Still, a comprehensive laboratory analysis of the stones would guide the long-term prevention strategy that would keep Sasha comfortable for years to come.

We recommended surgical removal of the bladder stones under general anaesthesia, followed by detailed laboratory analysis to determine their exact composition. This information would allow us to create a tailored prevention plan addressing the specific type of stones Sasha was forming.

Our comprehensive approach included:

• Pre-operative blood work and urinalysis
• Laparoscopic (key hole) assisted surgical cystotomy (bladder stone removal)
• Submission of stones to the Minnesota Urolith Centre for quantitative analysis

On 4th August 2025, Dr Angelene and Dr Geoff performed key hole cystotomy to remove the bladder stones. The surgery went smoothly, with Sasha recovering comfortably under the careful monitoring of our veterinary nursing team. All three stones were carefully collected and submitted for analysis. The results, completed on 15th August, revealed critical information. The stones were primarily composed of 100% struvite, but the larger stones contained multiple bands within the body layer consisting of 60% struvite and 40% ammonium urate.

This complex composition explained why Sasha continued to form stones. She had both infection-related struvite formation and a genetic predisposition to urate stones, common in Miniature Schnauzers. This dual composition required a comprehensive prevention strategy.

Sasha recovered beautifully from surgery, with pain well-controlled and normal urination returning within days. But the real work began with implementing her prevention plan. Based on the stone analysis and Miniature Schnauzer breed predisposition, Dr Angelene developed a comprehensive strategy.

Sasha’s prevention plan included:

• Urine cultures every 1-3 months to catch infections early and prevent struvite formation
• Prescription low-purine, low-protein diet producing neutral to alkaline urine
• Increased water intake to maintain urine specific gravity below 1.020