Dissolution of a struvite nephrolith in a dog
Klausner, J.S.; Osborne, C.A.
Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association 174(10): 1100-1104
1979
ISSN/ISBN: 0003-1488 PMID: 438042 Document Number: 148308
A large radiodense calculus in the left renal pelvis of a 22-month-old, male Great Dane disappeared one month following surgical removal of two struvite (magnesium ammonium phosphate) calculi from the right renal pelvis. The dog's urine likely became undersaturated with struvite for a sufficient period to permit dissolution of the renal calculus. Several factors may have contributed to the decrease in urine struvite concentration, including eradication of a urease-producing Proteus sp from the urinary tract and induction of polydipsia and compensatory polyuria by oral administration of sodium chloride.