Holistic Pets

With the high cost of veterinary care these days, many cat owners are interested in what they can do to prevent the expense and stress of painful cat urinary problems.  Here are some things you can do at home to prevent cat urinary tract infection, or cat UTI.

What’s The Most Common Cause Of Cat Urinary Tract Infection?

Cat bladder stones are at the root of many feline urinary problems, from a cat blockage, to feline cystitis.  Stones in your cat’s bladder can block his urethra, causing a complete cat urinary blockage that will be fatal within a couple of days if left untreated. 

The sharp edges of feline bladder stones can also irritate and inflame the walls of your cat’s bladder, leading to cat bladder infection. 

How Can Cat Bladder Stones Be Prevented?

Diet is the most important factor in the development of feline bladder stones.  Most cat owners don’t realize that by feeding their cats dry food, they’re setting them up for feline urinary problems.  Why is this?

It’s because cats are meant to get most of their water from their food.  You may have noticed that your cat doesn’t drink much water, and this is why.  It’s difficult for a cat that eats only dry food to drink enough water to prevent feline bladder problems.  When a cat isn’t drinking enough water, his urine is very concentrated. 

This is bad for two reasons.  First, toxins and excess minerals are not being flushed out of your cat’s body.  The second reason is that the minerals can begin to clump together to form cat bladder stones.  When this happens, a cat urinary blockage usually isn’t far off.

It’s a known fact that by increasing the amount of water going through your cat, you can decrease the incidence of cat UTI.

Feeding Canned Cat Food Can Prevent Feline Cystitis

Canned cat food has a moisture level of around 75%, which is much higher than dry food, with a moisture level of less than 10%.  Just by changing your cat’s diet, you can prevent many cat urinary problems.

You’ll also want to make sure your cat always has access to lots of pure, clean, water.  It can often be a challenge to get your cat to drink enough water.  Sometimes adding a little chicken broth to his food will make him thirsty enough to drink more. 

Cats usually drink water after they eat, so by dividing his daily food portion up and feeding him two or three times a day instead of once a day, you may encourage him to increase his water consumption.

Natural Pet Remedies For Feline Urinary Support

Many pet owners are turning to natural pet remedies to prevent and treat minor cat urinary tract infection.  Homeopathic remedies like Cantharis and Staphysagris help to reduce the pain and inflammation of a cat bladder infection.  Herbs like uva ursi and barberry have antibiotic-like properties, and are effective against common bacteria that cause feline bladder infection. 

To find a remedy that’s safe and effective for your cat, be sure to look for one that’s formulated especially for pets so he’ll receive the proper dosage. 

To sum up, cat urinary problems can often be prevented with the proper diet, and adequate water intake.  Remember that it’s easier, and more cost-effective, to prevent feline cystitis than it is to treat it.

Are you concerned about feline lower urinary tract disease?  All cat owners should be aware of cat urinary health issues to prevent their cats from becoming victims of this common feline problem. 

What Cat Urinary Tract Infection Symptoms Should You Be Aware Of?

Sometimes the most obvious symptom is that your cat is urinating outside the litter box.  As wonderful as cats are, they don’t have advanced powers of reasoning.  If your cat is hurting every time he uses the litter pan, he thinks that somehow the litter pan is causing his pain.  In his little kitty mind, if he urinates someplace else, it won’t hurt when he goes. 

Of course, we humans know it doesn’t work that way.  But if your cat suddenly stops using his litter box, it may not be a behavior issue.  It could be one of several cat urinary tract infection symptoms.

If you use clumping cat litter, be observant of the size of the clumps when you scoop or change his litter.  You should see a few large clumps.  A whole bunch of little clumps indicates that he can’t pass much urine at one time.  This is another symptom of feline urinary problems.

Bloody urine is another clue to watch for.  It’s a little harder to see in cats than it is in dogs.  However, if your cat is urinating outside his box, you may be more apt to notice it.

Be aware of your cat’s behavior in his litter box.  Is he crying out in pain when he tries to urinate?  Is he straining to pass urine?  Often cat owners mistake this for constipation. 

Your cat should be using his litter box several times a day.  If he is urinating less and less, or stops completely, he may have a cat urinary blockage, which is a veterinary emergency.

Treatments For FLUTD

In order to treat feline lower urinary tract disease, your vet will need to run several tests to find out what’s going on with your cat.  A urinalysis is necessary to determine if your cat has a bladder infection, or if he has feline bladder stones.  A cat urine culture will tell your vet which bacteria are causing the problem, and a sensitivity test indicates which antibiotic will work best.

If your cat has a feline bladder infection, antibiotics are the usual course of treatment.  Bladder stones in cats are a common problem, too.  Your cat may have to eat a special diet so the stones can dissolve.  If your cat is blocked, he may need to be catheterized. 

Can FLUTD Be Prevented?

You can prevent your cat from becoming a statistic by taking these easy steps. 

First, feed your cat a high-quality canned food.  In the wild, cats are meant to get their water from their food, which is why cats don’t seem to drink much water.  When we take our cats out of a natural situation and feed them an unnatural diet of dry food with an extremely low moisture content, we’re setting them up for urinary tract infection symptoms. 

Canned cat food has a moisture level of about 75%, which is much closer to a cat’s natural diet.  If your cat has always been fed dry food, he may resist a change in his diet.  Cats are notoriously resistant to change, but with patience, time, and persistence, you can switch him over to canned food.

A steady supply of clean, fresh water is a must, too.

Consider giving your feline friend a natural cat uti remedy that supports bladder health.  Look for a remedy that’s made especially for cats.  You’ll want to deal only with a company with a sterling reputation for producing only the highest quality pet remedies.

Don’t let your cat become a victim of FLUTD.  Start taking steps now to protect your cat from feline lower urinary tract disease.

If you have a dog with urinary tract infections, then you’re probably at your wit’s end. You’re tired of vet bills and you can’t bear your dog’s suffering. In this article, you’ll learn about three simple lifestyle changes that can rid your dog of this problem once and for all.

Certain dogs are prone to urinary problems and should be put on a preventative program. Since these steps are practical, you can make them part of your dog’s daily routine with little effort on your part. These tips work for a dog with urinary incontinence as well as a dog that suffers from chronic infections. They also work for aging dogs, dogs that are prone to UTI’s and female dogs that tend to have issues because they were spayed prematurely.

The first step is helping a dog with urinary tract infections is to take a look at the kibble that you’ve been feeding him. Many of the manufacturers of commercial brands that advertise heavily are little more than junk food. Instead of containing meat, vegetables and healthy grains, they contain meat byproducts, fillers dyes, preservatives, other chemicals. Just like humans, a dog cannot achieve good health on a junk food diet or heal from a chronic problem. Worse yet, the chemicals in this junk food kibble alters the pH of the bladder, setting the stage for infections and bladder stones.

Next, on the list for a dog with urinary incontinence is water. Like us, dogs require lots of it. Don’t give your pet water from the hose or tap because it is full of the chemicals that the city uses to treat the water. Instead, invest in a tap filter, so you and your dog can enjoy the fresh taste and health benefits that come from drinking clean, chemical-free water. Just like the chemicals in junk food kibble, the chemicals in water can adversely affect pH levels in the bladder.

If you have a dog with urinary tract infections that seem to occur with regularity, then you need to get your dog on a treatment plan. Stay away from antibiotics because using them may have contributed to the problem in the first place. One reason that antibiotics do not work is that the bacteria has become resistant to them. Another reason that many pet owners do not know is that antibiotics don’t actually get to the cause of the problem. Instead, they just curb the symptoms and wait for the body to heal itself. As you know, this doesn’t always happen. Worse yet, these drugs have side effects that can make your pet feel worse.

Rather than using antibiotics, consider what many pet owners who are conscious about their health and the well-being of their pets are doing: using a natural remedy instead. Natural remedies work for humans and are very effective for pets. In fact, that’s why if left free to roam, animals will chew on certain herbs and medicinal plants found in the wild because they work.

Natural remedies have many benefits: first, they have no side effects. Second, they work by quickly restoring the proper pH of the bladder so that bacteria dies and bladder crystals dissolve. Third, they reduce pain and inflammation, so your dog will stop being in pain. Fourth, they are effective enough to use for treatment, yet gentle enough for daily use for a dog with urinary tract infections that needs to be a preventative maintenance program.

Since all natural supplements are not the same, do some research. This is particularly important if you have a dog with urinary incontinence or a pet that suffers from recurring infections because you want your canine to get better once and for all. Look for a supplement with clinically proven ingredients including Berberis, Uva Ursi, Staphysagris and Cantharis. Also, look for a company that offers a full money back guarantee because this shows you a manufacturer that believes in and stands behind their product.

By following three simple steps: good food, fresh water and a natural remedy for treatment, prevention or both, your “dog with urinary tract infections” can be done with that label once and for all.

Cats can contract a urinary infection much more frequently than their owners would like to imagine. Most often, vets will conclude that the condition is idiopathic in nature, which is simply another way of saying they have no idea what might have caused it. As a result, a common symptom of feline urinary tract infection such as urinating outside the litter box are generally (and erroneously) assigned to behavioral causes, like stress.

The reality is that urinary tract infections in cats are more likely to be physiological rather than behavioral. The condition is one of a number of urinary problems, which can include obstruction in the urinary passage as well as bladder inflammation, more commonly knows as FLUTD (Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease). This is a very unpleasant and painful situation for the cat, as it will strain to urinate but cannot do so. If you’ve ever suffered from a UTI of your own, you’ll have some idea of what your poor kitty is going through. You can best help if you become familiar with the reasons behind the condition, and learn and follow some basic rules of care for your afflicted feline.

As a cat owner, you’ve probably noticed that your kitty usually does not spend a lot of time at the water bowl. This infrequent consumption of water is natural behavior for cats. They originated in arid, desert areas, and over time and through evolutionary changes learned to derive the necessary liquids to sustaining life from their food. The animals they preyed upon provided most of the fluids cats needed to maintain good health. There was little need to drink water from a separate source, and that instinct is still in operation today. Unfortunately, this reluctance to take in water is a major factor in the increased prevalence of feline urinary tract infection.

Your vet, of course, can determine a specific treatment based upon a review of the results of a urinalysis, among other avenues of investigation, but you can help keep your cat’s urinary tract in tip-top health, as well as cut down on vet bills, by putting into practice some proven methods of prevention.

1. Water is of primary importance.

Wash water bowls daily with clean, hot water. If you are using soap to clean them, make sure to rinse the bowl thoroughly as the chemicals in detergent can be harmful. Make finding water easy for your cat. Put a number of water bowls around the house, and make them big enough that your cat can drink from them without their whiskers touching the sides. If you are providing your cat with dry cat food, mix in a little water to moisten it. To make it even more attractive, try adding something tasty, such as chicken broth. If you can afford it, invest in a free flowing water drinking fountain. Cats love moving water and their curiosity may encourage them to imbibe.

2. Steer clear of feeding your cat foods with a high magnesium content, like beef, pork, heart and oily fish.

3. Choose natural foods over prescription diets, buying organic whenever you can. Check with your vet to be sure that the food you provide will produce urine with the correct pH level.

4. Adding a tablespoon of vinegar to the water once a day will keep the urine pH a little acidic, and helps prevent the formation of bladder stones. Bladder stones can often lead to urinary tract infections.

As always, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Follow these basic rules of health and maintenance, and your cat will live a happier, healthier life free of feline urinary tract infections.

Has this ever happened to you?  You treat your dog for canine cystitis, but as soon as the medication is gone, the dog urinary tract infection is back.  Your dog is in pain, she’s piddling all over the house, and you’re frustrated.  Why is this happening?  You and your dog both need a solution to this problem.

What Causes Canine Cystitis?

Most urinary tract infections in dogs are caused by bacteria that are normally found in your dog’s digestive tract.  Female canines are more prone to developing a dog urinary tract infection because their urethras are short and broad, which makes it easier for bacteria to travel to the bladder.

With canine bladder stones, the question is, which came first, the stone or the infection?  Bladder stones in dogs irritate the bladder walls, which can cause a dog urinary tract infection.  But certain bladder infections in dogs cause bladder stones to develop, especially struvite stones in dogs.  The best bet is to try to avoid the problem in the first place.

Is There Any Way To Prevent Urinary Tract Infections In Dogs?

You can help your canine friend in a number of ways:

She should have plenty of clean fresh water available.  A 60-pound dog can drink up to three quarts of water a day, which may be more than you would expect.

After drinking all that water, you dog needs to go outside to empty her bladder every few hours.  Don’t make her hold her urine for too long.

Boost your buddy’s immune system by feeding her a low-ph, high-quality natural diet with no artificial coloring or preservatives.

Take her for long walks.  Exercise is essential to keep her body in top shape.

Bathe her regularly to keep the bacteria away from her urethra.

What Causes Recurring Urinary Tract Infections In Dogs?

If the infection keeps coming back, it’s possible that your dog never got rid of it in the first place.  Your vet should do a urinalysis and a dog urine culture to identify which bacteria is causing the infection.  A sensitivity test is also necessary to decide which is the best antibiotic to use. 

Be sure to give your dog all of the antibiotic, no matter how much of a hassle it is.  Then have another urine culture done to be sure all the bacteria are gone.

Can Natural Remedies For Pets Prevent Cystitis In Dogs?

Yes, they can.  But it’s important to use a remedy that has been especially formulated for pets.  You’ll want a remedy that contains uva ursi, barberry, and the homeopathic remedies Cantharis and Staphysagria.  These treatments have stood the test of time in humans, and they’re very effective for dogs, too.

These remedies are safe to use right along with the antibiotic treatment.  They don’t interfere with the drugs in any way, and regular use  supports bladder health in your dog long after the antibiotic is gone. 

Deal only with a company that has been in business for a long time, and that has a great reputation for providing safe, effective high-quality products for pets.  Check for testimonials from other pet owners who have used the product you’re thinking of purchasing.

Now you can end the frustration of recurring bladder infections in dogs by using what you’ve learned here to keep your dog happy and healthy.

UTI or urinary tract infection is very common both in humans and in dogs. The symptoms of this disease in your pets are very much the same as it is in you. More often than not, this disease is caused by bacteria such as the E. coli. If left untreated, UTI may develop into a disease of the kidney that could otherwise cause death to your pet.

To treat UTI, dogs are usually given antibiotics. But sometimes, the high dosage of antibiotics can produce some side effects on your pets that are equally harmful. To rid yourself of thinking about these side effects and to keep your pet from suffering from it, you can try giving natural herbal medicines to your dog for urinary tract infections.

Garlic can be given to dogs suffering from urinary tract infection. Just sprinkle garlic bits in your dog’s meal so that your pet can ingest them. Garlic proves to be very effective in removing infections inside the body. This spice can also be added generously on your pet’s food if you feed home cooked meals for your dog. Aside from garlic, Echinacea is also an effective herbal remedy for dogs with urinary tract infection. The effects of this herb are very much the same with that of garlic.

Rosehip is another herb that can help a lot. It contains irons, which is needed by dogs with UTI. Rosehip also has high levels of Vitamin C, which could alleviate your dog’s condition. Uva Ursi and alfalfa can also be given alternately. These herbs are known to reduce the acidity in the dog’s urine and treat the irritations present in the mucosal lining of the dog’s stomach in the process.

Yarrow and buchu are two herbs that can cure urinary tract infections in dogs. Yarrow can increase the vitality of dogs, while serving as a tonic for their nervous system and the blood. Buchu, on the other hand, can cleanse the blood of your dog, ridding it of impurities that can form into bladder stones. Buchu is in fact, the best natural remedy for UTI in dogs.

These herbal remedies for urinary tract infections are the best complement of the antibiotics given by the veterinarian to speed up the dog’s healing process. However, you should inform the vet with your decision to give natural remedies to your pets before actually administering them. Some chemical antibiotics may cause unexpected reactions with the natural elements of these herbs. Aside from the vet, herbalists may also give sound advises when it comes to these matters.

More than herbs, your dog need to maintain a healthy diet to keep the urinary tract infection from recurring. Treating your dog from UTI is just the first step. You should make sure that you give your dog the diet that it needs on its recovery stage and several years thereafter. Urinary tract infections in dogs can strike again if you’re not particular about your dog’s diet. If you dog had suffered from UTI, a total lifestyle change is necessary. You should start giving your pet foods that are natural, with absolutely no preservatives added.

If you think that only human beings can be afflicted with urinary tract infection or UTI, then you just might be surprised to learn that cats do suffer from such an infection as well. In fact, studies show that more cats suffer from UTI than dogs. Thus, it would pay to learn more on the subject if you have a feline under your roof. This way, you can find effective feline UTI remedies early on.

For the most part, veterinary medicine does not really produce results that are encouraging. Sadly, this is in spite of the fact that the condition would be met with pet antibiotics that are quite costly. Nevertheless, without these antibiotics and immediate treatment, the condition could worsen and could very well become chronic in nature. This could jeopardize the condition of your pet further, easily adding veterinary expenses on that already hefty bill. There is then a need to be informed about the prescribed veterinary treatment methods that are currently being practiced.

Conventional UTI remedies for cats would most likely involve antibiotics, as mentioned above. However, these would not be limited to just antibiotics. For instance, if your cat is diagnosed with chronic UTI, your vet just might recommend surgery or catheterization. Your vet would also recommend nutritional support so that the functioning of your cat’s urinary tract system would be regulated accordingly. Your vet would also prescribe the proper diet that you should prepare for your cat. Commercial cat food is actually perceived as ideal here, provided that this contains the essential nutrients. Aside from cat food, hygienic practices should be observed to prevent further infection. Make sure to provide clean and fresh water as well as clean litter boxes so that healthy urination is encouraged.

Still, just because these are the conventional practices does not mean that they are effective all the time. Plus, there is also that risk of side effects occurring when you use conventional remedies. Because of such side effects, you just might want to try alternative feline UTI remedies, perhaps herbal remedies. Amongst the popular herbs used are Bearberry and Barberry. These herbs are actually natural antibiotics so they can help deal with bladder infections in cats.

Of course, you should not take it upon yourself to choose whatever herbs you want to try. You just might end up worsening the situation. Thus, you should still consult your vet for the different herbs that he or she would recommend for your pet’s condition.

What could be more heartbreaking than an ailing pet? A little helpless creature in the throes of agony is hardly a happy sight for anyone to have around, let alone the loving pet owner. If you know how to identify feline urinary tract infection symptoms, you are more likely to be able to prevent your little friend from getting to that stage. Pay attention and make note of changes in behavior to spot early onset of infection.

There can be many causes for feline urinary tract infection symptoms. Inadequate intake of water leads to dehydration. Combined with infrequent litter breaks, and bad hygiene among other factors, this can lead to bacterial infections, and eventually to the obstruction of the urinary tract. The age of the cat also has a bearing on how much at risk it is. While kittens below a year old, and older cats around eight or nine, are in the higher risk category, cats in the age range between one and eight have lower chances of contracting such infections.

Feline urinary tract infection symptoms can range from total absence of urination, to changes in behavior that are not so easy to notice. The cat may start urinating outside the litter box, odd places. They usually choose cool places like tile floors, and concrete, or odd places like bathtubs or sinks. Their frequency of litter box use would increase, and they would show signs of discomfort like running around after an attempt to urinate, yowling, or crying while trying to urinate, and so on.

The cat straining to urinate or waiting in the litter box as if it is constipated is another of the feline urinary tract infection symptoms. There might be blood in the urine, and an unusually strong smell. Male cats would spend a lot of time licking around the bladder area trying to ease the irritation. A general decreased in activity and energy levels is also common. the cat would lose interest in playing, eating, and even grooming, and lie around the house, or sleep all day. The most dangerous symptom, of course, would be the total stoppage of urinations, in which case the cat must be rushed to the vet immediately.

Unless the feline urinary tract infection symptoms are particularly severe, they can be treated and managed effectively with holistic and natural therapies right in your home. Severe cases need veterinary attention, and a course of conventional antibiotics, but holistic remedies can be used as a support and backup measure there as well, as they do not interfere with the conventional treatment in any way.