Crystals in Urine

[Toddy]

Just wondering if anyone out there has any information on treating crystals in the urine??

[farrelli]

Can you tell us more about your situation? Does your squirrel have them? How do you know? What is the diet?

[Skul]

Any additional info would be very helpful.

[Toddy]

I suspect crystals in the urine due to the following symptoms:

- increased attempts to urinate
- squinted eyes during urination (discomfort)
- abdominal movement during urination, or what appears to be "straining"
- difficulty emptying the bladder completely
- random drops of urine

Overall a change in her normal bathroom routine.

I would appreciate any info you have!

[Toddy]

She is a four year old North American grey squirrel.

Her diet consists of:

Henry's Healthy squirrel blocks
Zoopreme monkey biscuits
Fresh lettuce
Apples and pure apple juice (periodically)
Cranberries and pure cranberry juice (periodically)
Acorn squash (raw)
Snap peas
1 almond per day
Fresh maple tree leaves
Dandelion greens
Black sunflower seeds (treat only)
Orange or clementine
Nectarine or peach
Banana

[Skul]

OK, that helps a lot. I don't see diet concerns.
Let me contact a better qualified person that might be of help.
This may take a little time, so be patient, and check back now and then.

[Jackie in Tampa]

:Welcome

what makes you think it's crystals?
syptoms could be a bacterial as well.
can you post a pic please?

[Toddy]

I suppose it could be a bacterial infection, or UTI (?), it is hard to say. I suspect crystals, but I could be wrong. How do you tell the difference?

Visually, there does not appear to be any blood in the urine.

I am attempting to put her on a low calcium to magnesium ratio diet to see if that helps at all. A high ca/mg diet can contribute to crystal formation, but the reverse can help dissipate the crystals if present.

I am going to test her urine ph and see what that reading can tell me, if anything. A squirrels urine ph should be around 7, a reading lower or higher will tell me if it is too acidic or too alkaline.

What would you like the picture of?

[Jackie in Tampa]

seems your sq has had these issues for many months now...
pics of your sq for general visuals
are you on city water? well?
water bottle? bowl? are they changed out and cleaned regularly?
do you wash her veggies well?
maybe by giving a daily example of what she actually eats will give clues/spark ideas to what is going on with her...
I am just shooting some thoughts out in the open, hoping someone has a suggestion..
pics can be a thousand words.

[Toddy]

She has had this issue off and on for about a year. There are long periods of time when she urintaes normally, then she has issues, like now.

When she has had this problem urinating in the past, it appeared to get better all of a sudden with no medication. It was like she passed the crystals and all was well again. This is why I believe the problem to be crystal related opposed to a bacterial infection.

I only offer her filtered water. Her water bowls are changed and washed out daily.

[Toddy]

Here is what she ate yesterday:

1 HHB
2 blueberries
Half a medium strawberry
1/8 mushroom
Lettuce
Purified water
Pure apple juice (not from concentrate)
Organic sunflower seeds (approx. 6)
1 cashew

She still continues to urinate more frequently and is not emptying her bladder fully during each attempt. Still appears to be straining and in some discomfort.

[CritterMom]

If she was mine I would treat her as though this is a UTI.

Can you get your hands on any SMZ-TMP - also called Sulfatrim? It is a little slow acting but very broad spectrum and very effective on urinary tract issues.

This can be ordered from Cal Vet Supply without a prescription - meds that normally require a doctors script can be legally sold over the counter if they are labeled for fish, birds or reptiles and several companies are taking advantage of it.
http://www.calvetsupply.com/product/Fish_Sulfa_Forte_60_tablets/Antibiotics

You would need help from someone here to help you properly dilute and dose this (need your squirrel's weight, too). SMZ-TMP is a common med for human children and is often available already mixed in a pediatric solution - if you have a friend with kids they may have some.

[Toddy]

Thank you very much for the tip!

Yes, I have the SMZ-TMP but am unsure of the proper amount to administer.

She weighs about 2.5 lbs.

Since she seems to get this issue regularly, is the SMZ-TMP something that I could use long term?

[CritterMom]

Can you tell us the strength of the SMZ-TMP that you have? 2.5 pounds is a big squirrel - is this a fox squirrel?

The length of time you use if will be determined by her reaction - I would think at LEAST 7-10 days and possibly longer - like I said, it works well but is not the FASTEST drug in the world. Hopefully if this is the problem she will clear up and won't need to use it again.

I always recommend adding probiotics to the diet when giving meds. You can use yogurt, or buy some Benebac at Petco. I would give meds for 2 or 3 days and then start adding the probiotics to the diet.

[Jackie in Tampa]

some bacterias will always be present... what counts is the immune system... how healthy she is ...
times of stress, times of appetite change, whether seasonal or individual, times of estrus, any change at all can and does affect the immune system..
and I would think more so with a captive sq due to the tricky nutritional issues we are always up against...
healthy happy full circle life is all about the immune system...
adding a probiotic to her diet will add some good gut flora, insuring the best metabolism of nutritional intake...
my sqs love yogurt... vaaahhhhnilla!:D

if you are over feeding veggies high in oxilates, she may have crystals, but it is not normal to have so many urinary issues, it is not an issue that sqs are particularly susceptible to, that I know of......
I would try changing what water you are using... please tell us you do not add anything to her water:shakehead .
maybe even a Britta filter:dono on your water source...
it could be her water...

sorta hard to peg a diet fault with just one days example...
TSB has a great nutritionl forum with charts and suggested healthy diets and ADVISE too...
how to get bad eaters to eat what benefits them long term, not what will fill their bellies today...
sqs can be tricky, stubborn and seriusly can get stuck on one food item way too easy...
I have several older NRs, no urinary issues ever...and no junk food either..
I find variety to be the healthiest diet and I always buy seasonal veggies... variety...
the earth and sun know what mammals need and when.... mother nature is a slick chic...
for now I would not feed anything high in oxilates...
your list is not ideal until her urine output is is better... the blueberries, any berries really... even natural sugar shoud be avoided if she has kidney stones..
and that water..poop on that... it has been stripped of all the good stuff that is healthy... if there is a shortage of minerals, that alone can take down an immune system..
I am not a nutritional guru, so I do not want to get all funky about your sqs diet, but the first thing I would reco' is to boost her immune system and get a drinking water with all the stuff that mammals should be drinking!!

I would not even give meds.. I would push hydration so she passes them asap...
someone that knows nutrition betetr will be ehre shortly...
good luck

edit... I am a slow typer..I started this post before Critter mom posted...
please do as she suggests..don't want to give conflicting advise...
I am going back under my rock... good luck..

[Toddy]

Thank you very much for the info.! I really appreciate it.

No, I haven't been adding anything to her water. I have been using filtered water for her because the tap water where we live it VERY hard. I was worried that it would have too many minerals and calcium deposits!

I will take her off the berries and other foods high in oxilates. Yogurt will be on the menu tonight!

Critter Mom - she is a North American grey squirrel. She is bigger then normal, so about 2.5 lbs. in weight. A big girl!