Bladder stones or uroliths are a common occurrence in animals especially in domestic animals such as dogs and cats.
Bladder stones in dogs x ray.
This isn t unreasonable considering the dog often has accidents in the house or needs to go outside on an hourly basis.
A small percentage of bladder stones such as urate stones or any stone that is tiny do not reflect x rays well and show up best on an ultrasound.
Some of the most dramatic x rays i show clients are those that reveal the presence of large stones in their dog s bladder.
X ray of bladder stones in a dog.
For example if x rays show that there are one or more stones present in the bladder and the results of the urinalysis show the presence of alkaline urine along with numerous struvite crystals your veterinarian may make a presumptive diagnosis of struvite bladder stones and recommend treatment accordingly.
A few are radiolucent and they do not show up on x rays.
If your veterinarian suspects bladder stones one or both of these procedures will be recommended.
X ray of a struvite bladder stone in a cat.
In other cases the diagnosis of bladder stones in dogs is made or confirmed with abdominal x rays.
Your veterinarian may also suspect that your dog has or is at risk for stones based on the presence of crystals struvite or calcium oxalate for example in a fresh sample of urine.
Most bladder stones are visible on radiographs x rays or a bladder ultrasound examination.
Most stones are radiopaque meaning they show up on the radiographic film as obvious white objects within the urinary bladder.
Occurrence in other species including tortoises has been reported as well.