Keynote Message

Urinary stones are a common disease in dogs and cats. However, its pathogenesis has not been fully investigated. For the treatment and prevention of urinary stones, specific dietary strategies are required. The recommended diet strongly depends on the stone composition and is still in the focus of current research. In particular, the impact of qualitative and quantitative mineral and protein supply on urine characteristics has recently been investigated, and the results provide new insights for the dietary management of urinary stones in dogs and cats. In this session, the latest research findings for the dietary treatment of urolithiasis will be discussed. Dietary recommendations will be provided for the use of commercial and home-prepared diets and will be demonstrated based on clinical cases.

Key References

1.  Passlack N, Zentek J. Urinary calcium and oxalate excretion in healthy adult cats are not affected by increasing dietary levels of bone meal in a canned diet. PLoS One. 2013;8:e70530. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0070530.

2.  Paßlack N, Brenten T, Neumann K, et al. Effects of potassium chloride and potassium bicarbonate in the diet on urinary pH and mineral excretion of adult cats. British Journal of Nutrition. 2014;111:785–797. DOI: 10.1017/S0007114513003279.

3.  Paßlack N, Burmeier H, Brenten T, et al. Relevance of dietary protein concentration and quality as risk factors for the formation of calcium oxalate stones in cats. Journal of Nutritional Science. 2014;3:e51. DOI: 10.1017/jns.2014.13.

4.  Paßlack N, Burmeier H, Brenten T, et al. Short term effects of increasing dietary salt concentrations on urine composition in healthy cats. The Veterinary Journal. 2014;201:401–405. DOI: 10.1016/j.tvjl.2014.04.015.

5.  Paßlack N, Schmiedchen B, Raila J, et al. Impact of increasing dietary calcium levels on calcium excretion and vitamin D metabolites in the blood of healthy adult cats. PLoS One. 2016;11:e0149190. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0149190.