Urinary Tract Infection
Urinary Tract Infection Holistic Protocol for Dogs and Cats has been developed by a certified Master Herbalist and certified Canine Nutritionist with The Pet Health and Nutrition Center. Our UTI Protocol is the finest coordination of science and research-based recommendations that include diet, supplementation and herbal remedies to help support your dog or cat with a urinary tract infection. Everyone here at The Pet Health and Nutrition Center truly cares and wants to help your pet get better, so give our suggestions a try because we are confident you will be pleased with the results.
1. What is a Urinary Tract Infection in Dogs and Cats?
A urinary tract infection (UTI) is considered to be an infection in any part of your dog or cat's urinary system so it can include the kidneys, ureters, bladder and urethra. Most infections involve the lower urinary tract, the bladder and the urethra, but if the infection is left untreated it can travel up into the kidneys and become a potentially serious condition. Female dogs are at a greater risk of developing UTIs primarily because their urethra is shorter and more easily contaminated by bacteria from the perianal region. Escherichia coli (E. coli) is one of the bacteria found in this region and it is no surprise that it is commonly associated with urinary tract infections.
2. Causes & Symptoms of Urinary Tract Infections in Dogs and Cats
What are the Causes of UTIs?
UTIs are caused by uropathogenic bacteria, like Escherichia coli, that are introduced into the urinary tract. There, they should normally be eliminated by the dog or cat's immune system or kept in check by native beneficial flora. When one or the other of these two lines of defense breakdown the animal is subject to infection. This failure in your animal's immune defenses can have several causes:
- A declining immune system in an older animal
- Diabetes mellitus that results in high urine glucose content and lower defensive immune factors
- Frequent infections that can damage the healthy protective lining of the urinary tract
- Frequent use of antibiotics that have weakened the immune system response
What are the Symptoms of UTI's?
Dogs with UTIs generally attempt to urinate very frequently whenever they go outside, they may strain to urinate, they may cry out or whine when urinating if it is painful. Their urine may be cloudy, indicating an infection is present, or pink/red indicating blood in their urine. The urine also often has a stronger odor than usual. A break in house training is a red flag that something is wrong because the canine is uncomfortable due to the infection. Finally, dripping urine or frequent licking of the genitals may also signal that a UTI is present.
For cats it will be very similar as they make frequent trips to the litter box. You may see them straining and find smaller amounts of urine than is usual for that particular cat. Droplets of blood may also be seen in the litter box or around the house. Like dogs a red flag is when a cat that faithfully uses the litter box has an accident in the house. This is a sign that they are uncomfortable due to the irritation in their urinary tract.
Do Female or Male Pets Get UTI's?
Both male and female animals are susceptible to urinary tract infections. However, UTIs are more common in female dogs and cats. This is because the primary reason for UTIs is the introduction of uropathogenic bacteria from the anal region into the urinary tract. Taking that into account, females are at a greater risk of developing UTIs because their urethra is shorter and more easily contaminated by these bacteria.
How Long do Urinary Tract Infections Last?
A UTI in an animal left untreated can last indefinitely and eventually move up into the kidneys where it can become life-threatening. When treated with antibiotics a UTI will resolve within days with the usual treatment lasting 10 - 14 days. However, there are cases where eliminating the UTI is more complicated and antimicrobial therapy can last 4 - 6 weeks. Sometimes for chronic urinary tract infections a veterinarian will recommend low dose continuous antibiotic therapy. In our experience this can be very damaging to an animal and should be avoided if possible. Alternative therapies like probiotics, immune boosting herbs and cranberry powder should be considered.
Why Does My Dog or Cat Keep Getting UTI's?
Your dog or cat can be chronically getting UTIs because they have become more susceptible due to their general health or the treatment they have received. Uropathogenic bacteria, like Escherichia coli, are continuously being introduced into the urinary tract. An animal with a strong immune system or healthy urinary tract microbiome will keep these pathogenic bacteria in check. However, animals with declining health or those in which continual use of antibiotics have damaged the protective urinary tract microbiome and/or created resistant bacteria will be more susceptible to chronic infections. Other reasons for the recurrence of UTIs include:
- A declining immune system in an older animal
- Diabetes mellitus that results in high urine glucose content and lower defensive immune factors
- Frequent infections can damage the healthy protective lining of the urinary tract making it more susceptible to infection
- Frequent use of antibiotics that have weakened the immune system response
Why are Older Pets More Susceptible to Urinary Tract Infections?
Uropathogenic bacteria, like Escherichia coli, are continuously being introduced into the urinary tract. Younger animals with a strong immune system and flourishing urinary tract microbiome will keep these pathogenic bacteria in check. However, older animals are at a disadvantage because their immune system activity will be less protective. Also, the tissue in the urinary tract can become more “spongy” as an animal ages making them more susceptible to infection. Poor quality diet and the overuse of antibiotics can contribute to the decline in an animal’s immune system function and vitality of their beneficial bacteria microbiome as they age making them more susceptible to UTIs.
3. Standard Veterinary Medicine Approach
The conventional treatment for UTIs in dogs and cats is a 7 -14 day course of antibiotics. In some cases veterinarians will recommend a long-term, low-dose antibiotic treatment to prevent recurrent infections in pets susceptible to this condition. However, be aware that long-term use of any antibiotic comes with certain risks such as developing a resistance to antibiotics and weakened immune response to future infections. Veterinarians may also prescribe prescription diets or urinary acidifiers to control the pH in your dog or cat’s urine, but these carry risks of their own that many pet parents may wish to avoid when possible.
What Antibiotics Do Vets Typically Use for UTI's?
The most common antibiotics used to treat UTIs in our pets are Cephalexin and Clavamox. Cephalexin belongs to a class of antibiotics called cephalosporins. They are similar to penicillin in action and side effects and work to stop or slow the growth of bacterial cells by preventing bacteria from forming the cell wall that surrounds each cell. Clavamox is a broad spectrum penicillin antibiotic containing both Amoxicillin and Clavulanic acid to make it last longer and better resist stomach acid.
4. Our Natural Urinary Tract Infection Protocol for Dogs and Cats
The goal of our Natural UTI Protocol is to increase the overall health of your dog or cat in a safe and natural manner. Additionally, we want to eliminate any infection that is currently present and help to prevent future infections by improving the health of the animal's urinary tract tissue, related microbiome and immune system. We use diet; organic, whole food supplementation; and organic herbs to support and strengthen the challenged organs and glands, which in this case are primarily the kidneys, bladder and other urinary tract tissue.
Core Recommendations Suggested products are included in the Core UTI Package found below.
Our "Core Recommendations" form the backbone of our Natural UTI Protocol. They consist of supplement recommendations that we feel are the most important to provide to your animal companion for this condition. They are displayed as a package and individually at the bottom of this page along with other helpful products from which you may make additional selections. Pet foods can be purchased at your finer, local pet stores. If you desire more individualized attention please feel free to use our Consultation Form to provide detailed information about your dog or cat so we can better help you.
Core Recommendation #1 - Daily Multi Plus
Our Daily Multi Plus is formulated with organic, whole foods that are extremely important to an animal's nutritional needs but are often missing from the majority of canine and feline diets. This special formula provides the enzymes, probiotics, prebiotics, glandulars, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and phytonutrients that are so beneficial to the body's daily maintenance and repair needs for healthy aging. In this formula you will find the vitamins, minerals and antioxidants recommended by the veterinarian community for this condition - only in an organic, whole food form!
Core Recommendation #2 - UTI Relief
This is a very effective formula against uropathogenic bacteria. It doesn't only contain antimicrobial herbs like other products. Instead, it is also formulated to strengthen the immune system and support the delicate tissue of the urinary tract itself. Trying this formula as an alternative to antibiotics can help to make your dog or cat more resistant to UTIs in the future. Using this formula one week a month or so as a preventative will also help to prevent future infections. Please be aware that it is important to catch UTIs early for best treatment with an herbal remedy. If your dog or cat has a current urinary tract infection, depending on the severity, they may need a course of antibiotics.
Core Recommendation #3 - Topical Probiotic Spray
This may be our secret weapon against urinary tract infections. This is because this spray contains live and active beneficial bacteria that can quickly rebalance the vaginal microbiome. After using antibiotics the delicate balance that exists in the urinary tract is destroyed. It is then very hard to repopulate the beneficial flora in this region of the body by having to go through the digestive tract. Instead, this spray brings the bacteria right to the area where they are needed (the urethra in female or male animals). By doing this you help good bacteria to out-compete pathogenic bacteria that cause UTIs.
Core Recommendation #4 - Cranberry Powder
Cranberry powder can help to eliminate UTIs more quickly and prevent future urinary tract infections by inhibiting uropathogenic bacteria from adhering to the lining of the urinary tract. The cranberry powder we provide for your dog or cat is organic and does not contain the chemical flow agent called silicon dioxide that is present in most other cranberry powder products.
Other Recommendations
Whole Food Nutrition
With a serious condition like urinary tract infections, in which the body needs the highest value nutrition possible, we highly recommend a raw food diet. Raw food is how carnivores, like canines and felines, have evolved to eat and they do best on a high protein, low carbohydrate diet. In addition, this type of diet is very high in moisture that is very important for dog and cat urinary tract health. This is, unfortunately, the opposite of how most pets are fed since the majority of commercial kibble diets are low protein with 50% or more carbohydrates and only 5 -10% moisture.
Further more, kibble diets are harder for an animal to digest and this is the last thing your pet needs at this point. Without the right nutrition that is easily digested, absorbed and metabolized your animal will have a more difficult time maintaining their health. If a raw food diet is not your cup of tea, the next best thing would be a cooked, whole food diet. There are now many quality premixes to choose from to which you can add your own raw or cooked meat. If you decide to make a homemade diet please research the proper way to do this and make sure to add a calcium source. For a quick and easy way to add low-phosphorus, high-quality protein to your pet's diet take a look at our Whey Protein Isolate. For more information read our articles How to Feed Your Dog or How to Feed Your Cat that can be found in our Education section.
While the UTI Relief is formulated with stronger herbs to rid the urinary tract of infection and/or prevent future infections, our Kidney Tonic is formulated to support the health of the organs of the urinary tract, like the bladder and kidneys, as well as urinary tract tissue. So, to do this we use cardiovascular tonic herbs to support the heart because it is intricately connected to kidney health. We also use soothing and gentle cleansing herbs to maintain the health of urinary tract tissue. This is a safe formula to use daily and is designed to be used for the life of your animal to maintain kidney health.
Chia seed oil is our choice as an organic, environmentally sustainable omega 3 alternative to fish oil. It is the plant kingdoms highest source of the essential omega 3 fatty acid alpha-linolenic acid (ALA). Oils rich in omega 3's help to reduce inflammation and maintain the health of the tissue that lines the urinary tract.
Colostrum is the Mother's first milk that is rich in immune factors and growth factors that can be extremely beneficial to those dogs and cats that struggle with UTIs. This supplement can help to strengthen the effectiveness of the immune system while providing anti-aging growth factors that can help to improve the integrity of urinary tract tissue.
When your dog or cat is suffering with an imbalance like UTIs there will be an increase in free radical production that can further damage tissue and cause premature aging and possibly other disease. We want to provide your animal with high quality antioxidants to neutralize these free radicals along with other nutrients to aid the body's healing and rebuilding processes. This specialized blend of microalgae is able to travel directly into cells providing nutrients on a cellular level without the need for digestion! In addition, nutrients from the microalgae are able to cross the blood brain barrier and the retinal barrier for amazing effects on the brain and eyes as well as the entire body. This is truly an amazing and beneficial supplement that we recommend to all of our clients as part of a natural approach for UTIs in dogs and cats. Select either F2 Core (basic daily support) or F3 Forte (more concentrated) depending on which you feel is best for your dog or cat - contact us with anyquestions.
This is one of our favorite adaptogenic herbs. It strengthens many functions of the immune system to prevent infections, helps to protect the liver and provides a tonifying effect for the kidneys.
References
Urinary tract infection (UTI). Retrieved from https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/urinary-tract-infection/symptoms-causes/syc-20353447
Downing DVM, Robin. Urinary tract infections (UTIs) in dogs. Retrieved from https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/urinary-tract-infections-utis-in-dogs
Urinary tract infections in dogs. Retrieved from: https://wagwalking.com/condition/urinary-tract-infection.
Allen, M. Cat and dog uti treatment. Retrieved from: https://www.petcarerx.com/article/cat-and-dog-uti-treatment/264
Omudhome, O. Cephalexin. Retrieved from: https://www.medicinenet.com/cephalexin/article.htm
5. Natural Remedies for a Dog or Cat with a UTI
