Bichon Frise nutrition: bladder stones, itchy skin and teeth

Bichon Frises are among the breeds most often found with bladder stones, and they can form both of the common types. In more than 40,000 canine bladder stones analyzed at the Canadian Veterinary Urolith Centre over ten years, the Bichon was one of five breeds most commonly affected by struvite and calcium oxalate stones alike. That, together with allergy-prone skin and small, crowded teeth, is what diet for this breed mostly has to deal with. The American Kennel Club lists adults at 12 to 18 pounds (about 5.5 to 8 kg) with a life expectancy of 14 to 15 years, and names allergies, bladder infections, luxating patellas and eye disease among the problems breeders should screen for.

Bladder stones

The two stone types behave very differently, which is why the first step is always to find out which one a dog has. Stones that are removed or passed should be sent to a laboratory for analysis.

Struvite stones in dogs usually form in alkaline urine alongside a bladder infection with urease-producing bacteria. According to the ACVIM consensus recommendations on uroliths, they should normally be dissolved medically with a dissolution food and treatment of the infection, and keeping the infection away is the main way to prevent them coming back.

Calcium oxalate stones cannot be dissolved. Stones small enough to pass through the urethra can often be flushed out or retrieved with a basket instead of by surgery, but larger ones have to be removed. They also recur often, so prevention continues for life.

For dogs that have had calcium oxalate stones, the ACVIM panel's advice centers on dilute urine:

• More water. High-moisture food (over 75% water) is recommended, or enough water added to dry kibble to get the same effect. The target is a urine specific gravity of 1.020 or lower, which the vet measures on a urine sample.
• No salty substitutes. High-sodium dry foods increase water intake too, but the effect appears short-lived, so the panel does not recommend them in place of wet food.
• No acidifying diets and no excess protein. Foods designed to acidify urine, as used for struvite, work against oxalate prevention.
• Medication when needed. Potassium citrate for dogs with persistently acidic urine, and thiazide diuretics for dogs whose stones keep coming back, are options for the vet to weigh.

In practice that means no calcium supplements, no switching between struvite and oxalate diets without a stone analysis, and regular urine checks at intervals the vet sets. Straining to pee, peeing small amounts often, blood in the urine or accidents in a house-trained dog all need a vet visit. A dog that strains and produces nothing, particularly a male, may be blocked and needs emergency care the same day.

Allergies and itchy skin

A low-shedding coat does not make a dog less allergy-prone. Itchy skin in a Bichon may come from environmental allergies, fleas, infection or a reaction to food, and the signs overlap: licking and chewing the paws (which turns white fur rust-brown), recurring ear infections, scratching, red skin, and sometimes soft stools alongside the skin problems. A vet needs to rule out parasites and infection before food is blamed.

Running an elimination diet

The standard way to confirm a food allergy is an elimination diet: a food with a protein the dog has never eaten, or a hydrolyzed diet in which the proteins are broken into fragments too small to provoke a reaction, fed with nothing else. That means no treats, chews, table scraps or flavored medications.

A review of the published trials found that eight weeks on the diet brought complete remission in more than 90% of food-allergic dogs, against more than 80% by five weeks. So a trial should run at least eight weeks. If the itch improves, the old food, or single ingredients from it, are reintroduced one at a time. A flare confirms the diagnosis and identifies what to avoid.

For deciding what to reintroduce first, the same research group found that beef, dairy, chicken and wheat are the most commonly reported food allergens in dogs, and suggests starting challenges with beef and dairy.

The label on a limited-ingredient food is not always accurate. Across the studies in a review of pet food labeling, DNA or protein tests found unlisted ingredients in 33% to 83% of foods sold as novel or limited-ingredient diets. Hydrolyzed diets tested in the same studies showed possible mislabeling only once, which is one reason many vets start a trial with a prescription diet. The food allergies guide covers the process in more detail.

Once a diet that works has been found, stick with it. Frequent rotation between foods makes it harder to link a flare to a cause. Fish oil is often added for skin, but it does not replace finding the cause of the itch.

Teeth and gums

The AKC notes that Bichons may lose teeth early or develop complications of gum infection if dental care and regular brushing are neglected. A small jaw leaves the teeth crowded, and crowded teeth trap plaque.

The Veterinary Oral Health Council calls daily brushing the gold standard. It also reviews data submitted for chews, diets and other products and awards a seal to those that meet its standards for plaque or tartar control. Kibble without that seal should not be counted on to clean teeth. Many dogs, particularly as they reach middle age, also need periodic scaling under anesthesia, however well they are brushed.

Diet and teeth affect each other in the other direction as well. A Bichon that suddenly chews on one side, drops food, swallows kibble whole or goes off hard food may have a painful mouth, and a dental exam should come before a change of food.

Calories and weight

The AKC warns that some Bichons are prone to becoming overweight. On a dog this size, a few pieces of cheese a day make a real difference. The standard starting point in the Merck Veterinary Manual is resting energy requirement (70 times body weight in kilograms to the power 0.75), multiplied by 3 for puppies under four months, 2 for older puppies, 1.8 for intact adults, 1.6 for neutered adults and 1.4 for adults that gain weight easily.

Merck adds that dogs of the same weight can need 30% more or less than the calculated figure. Under the coat, the ribs should be easy to feel with a slight covering, and there should be a waist when the dog is viewed from above. Because a full Bichon coat hides both fat and loss of weight, a monthly weigh-in on the same scale is more reliable than looking.

Everyday feeding

• Puppies: three or four small meals a day, reducing to two by adulthood. Very small puppies that go too long without food can develop low blood sugar; weakness, wobbling or trembling in a puppy needs a vet at once.
• Adults: two measured meals, with treats counted in the day's calories.
• Water: several bowls around the house, and wet food or water added to kibble for any dog with a stone history.
• Diet changes: gradual, over about a week, and made with the vet if the dog is on a urinary or elimination diet.

Sources

1. Canine and feline urolithiasis: examination of over 50 000 urolith submissions to the Canadian veterinary urolith centre from 1998 to 2008. Canadian Veterinary Journal, 2009.
2. Bichon Frise dog breed information. American Kennel Club.
3. ACVIM small animal consensus recommendations on the treatment and prevention of uroliths in dogs and cats. Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine, 2016.
4. Critically appraised topic on adverse food reactions of companion animals (1): duration of elimination diets. BMC Veterinary Research, 2015.
5. Critically appraised topic on adverse food reactions of companion animals (2): common food allergen sources in dogs and cats. BMC Veterinary Research, 2016.
6. Critically appraised topic on adverse food reactions of companion animals (5): discrepancies between ingredients and labeling in commercial pet foods. BMC Veterinary Research, 2018.
7. Veterinary Oral Health Council. VOHC.
8. Nutritional requirements of small animals. Merck Veterinary Manual.