bladderstones, malamutes and fish diet

i own an alaskan malamute that i believe to be six or seven [i got him from the pound]. he has had bladder stones on and off for a couple of years. this winter he began peeing blood more often, so march 11 i had his stones surgically removed.

afterward the vet offered a prescription diet that is relatively low in protein. the first several ingredients are grain products and pork fat. it is extremely expensive. i am less worried about the cost than i am about the low protein. dogs are carnivores, they need protein. now that toby's stone is gone, we willl be more active than ever, and he willl need even more protein.

i read somewhere that malamutes in their native alaskan habitat eat a lot of fish. furthermore, before the surgery, my vet mentioned that omega 3 fatty acids found in fish are believed to reduce the incidence of some types of bladderstones. afterward, all she told me about the stone composition was it is of a type that forms in acid urine ... which i believe is most of them.

should i go with the low protein rx diet, or just keep toby on beneful and add half a can of mackerel every day?

[Aleda M Cheng, D.V.M., C.V.A]

If you could tell me exactly what kind of stones I could help you more.

However,  if he had struvite or calcium oxylate stones than Hill's C/D or S/O, or equivalent are good foods and there is no reason why you can't continue to give your dog the half can of mackerel and fish oil capsules daily.

You should also give your dog cranberry capsules, and a holistic formula called Hydrangea and Eupatorium Formula which should be available online (if you can't find it please post again and I will list some herbal sites that carry the product).  You should also be sure to have your dog's urine tested frequently.