New Delhi, April 30 -- Golu, a five-year-old Shih Tzu, was rushed into our clinic one summer afternoon, trembling and unable to pass urine. He'd been straining to urinate for a day but managed only a few drops tinged with blood. The family had assumed it was a urinary tract infection, and hoped it would clear up. But Golu had a cluster of tiny, sharp crystals in his bladder-stones that caused pain with every attempt he made to relieve himself. This is the story of countless dogs and cats across the country, especially during summer when the risk of bladder stones increases.

Bladder stones, or uroliths, are mineral formations that develop in the bladder when urine becomes concentrated and certain minerals start crystallising. In dogs and ...