Treating & preventing pet UTIs the natural way

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.Pet Urinary Tract Infections (UTIs) are characterised by many of the same symptoms humans commonly associate with cystitis. Signs that your pet may be suffering a UTI include bloody or cloudy urine, difficult or painful urination that causes your animal to squat for prolonged periods of time or cry out in pain, overly frequent urination, the strong odour of ammonia in urine, increased drinking and abdominal bloating.

Additionally, loss of bladder control and urination in inappropriate places, licking of the urinary opening, lethargy and vomiting may also be an indication that your pet is suffering from a UTI.


Causes of UTIs & kidney stones
Generally speaking, UTIs, and urinary tract and kidney crystals or stones, form when the PH value of an animal’s urine becomes neutral or alkaline (PH 7 or greater) and urine becomes concentrated due to dehydration. Diets that are high in cereal and vegetable matter, of the levels typically seen in many commercial dry foods and tinned foods, can result in alkaline urine which will, in turn, predispose an animal to UTIs and crystals.


Finally, UTI’s can also be caused by random bacterial infections, but this type of UTI is much less common than cases caused by overly alkaline urine.


Reducing the incidence of UTIs & kidney stones
A balanced fresh – primarily red – meat diet is the best way to ensure your pets don’t suffer the agonies of UTIs stones and crystals because fresh meat diets naturally produce acidic urine, which in turn prevents the formation of crystals.


Fresh, meat-based diets also have a high natural water content (between 60 and 70 percent), which helps to prevent dehydration and excessive urine concentration, particularly in cats.


Supplementing your pet’s diet with Vitamin C (make sure it is ascorbic acid and not a buffered version like sodium ascorbate) at 1-2g per 20kg bodyweight can also help to keep urine acidity high.


And, if your pet is predisposed to UTIs, cranberry tablets (1000mg per 20kg) can assist by creating a mucilaginous lining on the mucosal surface of the bladder wall, inhibiting the attachment of bacteria and assisting in the flushing out of contaminants during urination.


Ask your vet to test your pet’s urine PH monthly for three to four months (you can even do this weekly at home using a PH test kit), to monitor its acidity acidic. Ideal PH is around 5-6 for a dog, and 4-6 for a cat.