Marti, my Grace had bladder stones (4 of them) back in 2004 that had to be surgically removed and sent off to the lab for analysis. They were struvite stones. She's been on a prescription diet ever since with absolutely no more stones, no UTIs, no problems. She eats Hills Canine C/D. As for pain and discomfort, Grace never exhibited any symptoms of pain or discomfort. I came home from work one night, let the dogs out into the dog yard and noticed that she squatted to pee at least 5 times, that's not like her at all and my first thought was that she possibly had a UTI. I brought her in, called my vet, and while I was on the phone with him she squatted at my feet 2 more times to pee with nothing coming out. My vet had just closed for the night but said he'd wait and to bring her in. An x-ray clearly showed the stones, he operated right then (with me as his only assistant) and sent her home with me. He said she'd probably sleep through the night but gave me his home and cell number in case any issues arose. I brought her back to the vet clinic the next morning, she stayed for the day while I went to work, I picked her up that night, she recuperated well and has never had another stone or any UTIs. For about 4-6 weeks after the surgery she did pee alot more frequently, my vet assured me that that was a normal part of the healing process.
Hugs to Jamie and best wishes for a speedy recovery.
