How long does it take cat urinary food to dissolve bladder stones?

Hi there, and yes, it takes submitting the stone to find out what type it is. Typically it takes about 2 weeks after submitting the stone to have results back. I will usually put my feline patients on Royal Canin urinary SO diet until I have results back, then adjust if needed. Good luck with Kitt Soft Paws! I hope she improves quickly!

I'm sorry to see that Beau has this large bladder stone! The most common types of bladder stones in cats are struvite and calcium oxalate, but the only surefire way to differentiate between the two is with a stone analysis after the stone has been surgically removed. The Hill's C/D multicare can dissolve some struvite stones, but will not dissolve calcium oxalate stones. For the long term, however, this diet is fantastic at preventing a recurrence of such bladder stones and crystals. It's a bit of a gamble using a diet to dissolve stones, particularly in male cats, because of the potential of part of the stone breaking off and causing a urinary obstruction, or blockage, as this is a life-threatening emergency. I generally find it to be safest and most effective to remove bladder stones surgically since you know that it's going to work right away without the same obstruction risks. I hope that everything goes well for Beau!

Surgery may be the next option if he won't eat the prescription diet. Discuss other diets, both canned and dry, with your veterinarian first. It may take several weeks to months to fully dissolve any stones or crystals. Try to get him to drink as much water as possible to dilute his urine.

Bladder stones often do recur. I would use the food at least six months, and I would have a urinalysis done every six months to make sure there are no crystals or urinate tract infection. Your veterinarian is correct that using the urinary food for life gives Bollie a better chance of not having another bladder stone. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Bollie.

Good for you for being so conscientious about Dusty's urinary health! Crystals can develop in a matter of days as the pH of the urine changes with a new diet. That said, some cats can develop crystals over a period of months to years. Since he has had urinary issues in the past, I would recommend asking your vet about checking a urinalysis after eating this new diet for one month. This will help to determine both if crystals are currently present and how the new diet is regulating the pH of his urine. Be sure to change his diet gradually over 5-7 days to decrease the risk of developing vomiting or diarrhea. I hope that all goes well!

It can take 6-8 weeks for crystals to dissolve depending on how many there are. But He could have developed another infection while waiting for the crystals to dissolve. Just know depending on the type of crystals they may never completely dissolve. Also make sure your vet took an X-ray or did an ultrasound to ensure there a no stones in there that may need to be surgically removed. I would recommend to take him back to the vet for another urinalysis to ensure there is no bacteria present. If it is just inflammation, you may consider adding in cosequin for cats. This has been proven to increase the mucus lining of the bladder and therefore decrease inflammation. I hope this helps!

Unfortunately there are no over the counter that will help dissolve stones once they form. There are diets that claim to encourage urinary bladder health, however there are no clinical trials to substantiate those claims. What Scooby really needs right now is the Rx food, although it is a bit costly and I can sympathize with that. However it works and is effective because the necessary trials were done to formulate the food properly. It can take several months to even a year to dissolve the stones depending on the quantity and size.