It was late November 2019. We were getting ready to take our annual family Christmas photo. Arty had on a festive tie and Bonnie wore a dress. Everything seemed normal. The Mall was crowded with a lot of dogs and dog lovers waiting to take a photo with Santa Claus.
Symptoms & Discomfort
We got home, took off their Christmas clothes, and began watching TV. Arty began to whimper. It was not like Arty since he had water in his bowl, he was fed, and had gone to the bathroom before we came upstairs. I petted him and proceeded to watch TV. His whimpering got louder and more frequent. I definitely knew something wasn’t right. I took Arty to the bathroom and realized he lifted his leg but nothing came out. I thought that was odd since Arty’s bathroom trips are like clockwork, always a 1 and a 2. I brought him upstairs and got ready for bed. Arty began to whimper in his pen as we laid down for the night. Arty’s dad decided to take him to the bathroom one last time before bed. When they came upstairs I remember his words so vividly, “Arty used the bathroom and there was blood!” My reaction was, “WHAT!?” I knew this was something serious and did not want to leave this for the next day. I called vet urgent care, it was around 12:30 am when this happened. I relayed Arty’s symptoms to the person on the phone, “my dog’s crying, there’s blood in his urine and he’s never had this before.” The person on the phone said to immediately bring Arty in. In my pajamas, we rushed to urgent care.
Emergency Room
As soon as we arrived, we checked in and filled out some paperwork. When the nurse came to take the leash Arty got up and we saw that there was a small pool of blood on the floor. Arty was no longer urinating blood, but the blood was just coming out on its own. Another nurse came to clean and sanitize the floor. An hour passed while Arty’s dad and I lay in the waiting room couches trying to get comfortable. Finally, the nurse came to grab us so we could speak with the doctor. The doctor showed us Arty’s X-ray which showed a lot of small white dots in his abdomen. The doctor said these were bladder stones. I was shocked since Arty goes to his vet regularly every year for vaccines and check-ups. Bladder stones are rock-like formations of minerals that develop in the urinary tract. This can be caused by diet and or some form of the previous disease in the bladder due to a bacterial infection. So, my brain started to work, Arty had been eating the same food for a whole year. I did my research and purchased this brand of dry dog food that was grain-free (the devil) and supposed to be good for dogs. Turns out, this was the culprit for Arty’s bladder stones. When I spoke to the doctor about what type of food Arty had been eating, she said grain-free was marketed to be beneficial to dogs because of the number of carbohydrates it promoted, but in reality, too many carbohydrates can lead to obesity, the wrong bacteria in the gut, and lack of energy according to an article published in Vital Essentials. The more the doctor spoke, the more I felt like a bad dog mom. But this wasn’t about me, it was about Arty and how to help him from this point in time. The vet prescribed Arty some pain meds for the night and encouraged us to take Arty to his vet in the morning to have surgery to remove the bladder stones. Before we left, we had to pay a total of $1,543 just for the X-rays, meds, and exams.
Surgery & Aftercare
The next morning we rushed Arty to his vet and gave his doctor all the paperwork we had received from the Emergency vet. Arty was admitted 3 days before Thanksgiving. The surgery took over 2 hours but we got the call that he was doing well and the stones were out. The day before Thanksgiving Arty’s dad picked him up from the vet along with instructions for Arty’s recovery. No playing or baths for 2 weeks, leaving the cone on as much as possible so he doesn’t lick his incision, and Arty would now and forever be on a prescription diet. All new things our family had to adjust to. The total bill cost us a whopping $2,535. But, this was Arty a part of our family and we weren’t going to give up on family.
Tips & Tricks
Now that you’ve heard our story here are a few of my recommendations if you find yourself in a similar situation:
- Research all food brands before feeding your Corgi. If I would have known that grain-free was bad for Arty, I would have never bought it in the first place. Arty no longer eats anything that says “grain-free.”
- If you notice your Corgi acting out of the ordinary don’t ignore it! Arty was showing signs that he couldn’t urinate a few weeks before we took him to Emergency. He would lift his leg to pee but nothing would come out, and I didn’t think twice about it.
- Stick to the prescribed diet! Arty’s vet recommended he eat Hill’s Pet Dog Food. He has had no more bladder stones and it’s #1 Vet recommended! We switched Bonnie to Hill’s Pet dog food too just not a prescription diet. Your dog will need a prescription for this dog food, so make sure you speak with your vet before buying at other stores. They sell this at Petco and Chewy too!
- Apply for pet insurance! Arty does not have pet insurance so that total bill you saw, we had to pay the entire thing. If you have a puppy, please invest in pet insurance, dogs are just like us!
- Along with the prescribed pet food, feed your Corgi other nutritious foods. We give Arty fruits, treats with few ingredients (nothing processed), and kelp! (Will review in another post which kelp we are using and the benefits!)
Although this was a scary experience, we are glad to have learned so much from this and can use this to help other Corgi’s who may be going through the same thing. 🙂
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