Struvite crystals in dog's urine - any alternative to Hill's C/D diet?

[yesbutnobut]

My dog recently had a bladder stone removed (about the size of the inside of a malteser) and she is now on the Hill's c/d diet which the vet recommended. The problem is she doesn't really like it.

The vet said she's best to remain on it for life in order to prevent a recurrence of the stones but I'm wondering a) if this is really necessary once her urine pH level is down to a normal level and b) if there are any more natural alternatives to the Hill's food? I'm not averse to the Hill's because I know it works and it is backed by extensive testing and research, but it's a bit of a shame for my dog who used to love her food and now tip toes around it and only eats it when she's starving.

Obviously I don't want her to have to go surgery again (and any future surgery wouldn't be covered by insurance) but if anyone has any advice or could share their experience I'd be grateful.

I'm not an expert but my understanding is that the main thing in this situation is to ensure that there are no further urinary infections because this is the main cause of struvite crystals. Cranberry is good for this so I buy natural freeze dried cranberries online from a company called Honeyberry - (I've read that regular juice has too many sugars) and i put a few in her bowl every day. I've also bought some PH urine testing strips (Amazon) so that I can keep tabs on the PH.
I read that the prescription diet can speed up the dissolution of crystals but once this has happened it doesn't help long term. I'm feeding mine Ci's Tickety Boo in the Turkey (she loves it) because Turkey & Chicken are the lowest phosphate meats and this one is all natural and grain free. I also give some Nutriment Low Purine fresh meat too to try to get more water into her (it looks revolting but she thinks it's great) and as it's made with tripe it has a probiotic effect which I've read is also important. Her kibble is literally swimming in water too. Lots of water is vital to dilute the urine, as is letting them out to urinate - mine is naturally lazy and will hold on far too long if she's comfy, so we have to force her outside to perform!.
We're still early doors with this regime but so far things seem to be OK.
Most of my info has come from the internet - I like the site DogAware - I get the impression that they've done the research. There's loads of others though.

Thank you that's really helpful - I will do my research, hadn't heard of Ci's Tickety Boo.