Lithotripsy for Dogs

Lithotripsy is a medical procedure which treats certain kidney diseases in dogs. Lithotripsy is recommended in case of kidney stones and urethral stones. Dogs can get kidney stones or urethral stones as a result of infections, metabolic disorders or an imbalanced diet. Kidney stones may be painful and should be treated as soon as possible. Otherwise they might degenerate into more complicated kidney disorders and require serious surgical intervention. Lithotripsy is an efficient and almost painless means of treatment.

Lithotripsy for Dogs

Lithotripsy consists of the destruction of stones located in the kidney or urethra through the use of shock waves. Kidneys and urethral stones are mineral deposits which form as a result of infections, metabolic disorders or an unsuitable diet. In most cases the dog’s urinary apparatus is unable to eliminate these deposits on its own. Therefore a medical intervention is necessary.

Lithotripsy is a non-invasive procedure which means that incisions won’t be necessary. Lithotripsy is recommended for stones smaller than 1 cm and is a good alternative to classical surgical procedures. Depending on how hard and how large the stones are, lithotripsy might require more than one session.

Lithotripsy is not a painful intervention, although in some cases the dog might experience some discomfort.

How Lithotripsy Is Performed

Lithotripsy is a noninvasive extracorporeal procedure, which means that it is performed externally, with no need of any type of incisions.

Lithotripsy is performed with the help of the lithotriptor, a device designed to emit shock waves. These shock waves are aimed directly at the kidney or urethral stones.

In order to determine the exact location of the stones, the veterinarian will use either fluoroscopic X-ray imaging or ultrasound imaging. The pulses emitted by the lithotriptor are meant to fragment the stone and turn it into much smaller parts which can be easily eliminated afterwards without any further medical assistance. If lithotripsy fails to break the stone, an endoscopic intervention will be required.  

Post-Lithotripsy Care

After lithotripsy you should assist your dog and see if he eliminates the stone fragments. However, these fragments may be very small and invisible to the naked eye.

It is important that your dog drinks as much fresh water as possible. You should supervise his diet and feed him wet food.

It is also important that you feed him a low-protein diet which reduces the amount of calcium in the urine. Fats should be avoided in dogs that are prone to kidney stones. Dietary changes are also important to prevent the disease from reoccurring.

Follow-up visits to your veterinarian are also important in order to monitor the elimination of the stones fragments and to determine whether any further medical intervention is necessary.

Side Effect of Lithotripsy in Dogs

Although lithotripsy is a safe procedure, it can still produce some side effects. Studies showed that acoustic pulses emitted during lithotripsy can damage renal tissue in dogs. The side effects are cumulative, which means that if your dog is exposed to more sessions, he has higher risk of renal tissue damage.

 

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