In article (Steve Crane) writes:
(Marshall Dermer) wrote in message ...

This is all good news for Max whom I love. The bad news is that
though I walk him well at 11 PM; he is now eager to be walked
at 5 AM! :-)

LOL, Heck that's about the right time of day to get started. At least
for me, I'm usually in the office about 5:30 - 6:00 AM. I find I can
get's lots of work done before the 8:00 AM rush. Of course that also
means it cookies and milk for me at 9PM each night. :-))

I understand!

Actually, though I wake up at 5 AM I return to sleeping at 6 AM!

As for Max "get this":

His veterinarian was concerned that the marked struvite crystals
in Max's urine were indicative of uroliths.

The veterinary nutritioninst, DVM, PhD, however, apparently is not concerned
with the struvite crystals. Here is what she wrote:

Mr. Dermer -

I think you are placing too much emphasis on the urine pH and presents of
non-oxalate crystals. There will always be crystals in the urine - that's
how the body gets rid of excess minerals, and struvite crystals are NOT the
dog's problem. One should expect to see struvite crystals in a high pH. The
most important information is that there were no oxalate and that is
success.

Yes, the urine pH will be highest in the AM and lowest after dosing with
potassium citrate - but you will never get it to be a constant pH throughout
the day. Urine pH normally fluctuate through the day and before/after meals,
so it will never be constant. A pH of 8 is good in preventing Ca Oxalate
stones.

The dog's hydration state is not measured by the presence or absence of
crystals but by the spec gravity of the urine. I cannot read it accurately
on the faxed sheets but if the specific gravity was less than 1.040 the dog
is probably well hydrated. If not, you can add water to the HM diet.

R Remillard


Perplexed in Milwaukee!

--Marshall